The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-02-26
THE PENSION BUREAU CLERKS.
They Are a Fine Body Of working Men and
Women.

| III Inc uOVe VI cAdliHS HiibSVhJ "HN ~
pursuance of studied policy of self-ad
vertisement, Commissioner OF Pensions
Evans bitterly dccried everybody with
whom the Bureau had to do business, not
sparing even the clerks under him who
executed his orders. 1t is therefore quite
refreshing to have the present, Comra:s-
sioncr, Col L. +. Ware, bear,etrstimony
in another direction. which he did in a
recent interview in the Topeka (kan)
Journal, as follows:
Il do not know whether l ought to be
! interviewed or not: perhaps the best thing
for me to DO is to keep still. bat l really
ought to correct some popular impressions
abogt the personnel of the Pension Bureau.
| There seems TO have got out an idea that
| tie clerks iii the Pension Bureau are made
up of Il lot of odds and ends that are
! thrown in there without the expectation
OF their doing very muc,i work or show
| ing very much capacity. There never was
Il greater mistake. l think the personnel
of the Pension Bureau grades higher than
! that of any other bureau in the Govern
ment service. Some of the clerks may be
Old. but 10 older than in other bureaus.
There are 1.500 clerks in the Pension
! Building. There is such Il pressure of
work in the bureau and such demand
that the old soldiers claims be adjud:cate1
| that the bureau has got into the habit Of
workin: continuously right through until
business hours close. 1t is way-un, high
:,rHde work. 1t is the adjudication Of
claims Gu legal and medical grounds
| AS to the morale of the office. my opin-
ion is that the bureau ranks about PER
cent. higher than an equal number of bank
cashiers or Sunday school superintendent.
| There are no such things as crimes among
them. The Number of church members AZ
great. The number of cd soldiers is great.
! The old soldiers in the bureau are OF the
Very best class. \ great many of them
belong to the Loyal Legion, and many
to other military organizations. They are
| men OF correct lives, and hence are much
ahead of the average men of that age
They represent the very best class Of the
old soldier clement: and knowing what
| soldering meant during the civil war and
knowing what soldier ought to do and
| ought to he they are strict judges as 70
soldiers applications, and they are as
much opposed to sham soldiers as anybody
else could bc. They are severe Judges.
and 10 Old soldier gets Il pe.iSint thrOu ga
them unless he really oucl: to have u
ocnsion and tic practical working; of the
bureau as regards giving pensions is en-
tireiy opposite from the popular idea. The
popular idea is that the old soldier III the
bureau would give anybody a pension that
said he was in tie army. This is ent rely
contrary to fact. The cd soldiers in
the bureau are the strictest judges of all.
They are the best reviewers and are least
imposed on by fake evidence. The old sol
dicrs i'll the bureau are the best possible
safeguard for the treasury Oh pension mat
tiers. They have got just as much loyalty
to the Government ROW as ever. and they
can not be fooled so easily with military
records as the civilian clerk.
There ara very few discharges in the
bureau. The financial credit of the clerks
in the bureau is; very high. a list is kept
of all those against whom claims are sent
in. The number and amount is proper
tionately very small. These claims are as
a rule no more in amount than the ordi
nary MISUNDERSTANDING between people,
although here and there through misfor-
tune small debts nave accumulated
which tie clerk is temporarily unable to
nay. The clerks of the bureau with their
families would make Il city. The clerks
of the bureau represent city in size that
would support half dozen lawyers. /
doubt il half dozen bureaus like the
Pension Bureau would support one law
yer.
''Thcre is n great deal Of esprit dc corps
in the bureau. On Flag Day, June IA.
and other occasions such as the National
tHtN Contribute IaNISIiiV
decorations and legitimate display. They
occupy a high sphere in the social organi-
Zations of Washington. in the churches.
literary societies and other civic Organiza-
items. There are 4 great MANY of them
that ought to be promoted. There are
more clerks deserving of better places than
there are places to put them in. There
is no difficulty whatever in finding merit
and in getting men capable of filling any
place. There are men in the bureau who
can run it or any part Of it. think that
the Commissioner of Pensions should be
chosen from among those in the bureau
who rise by merit and that no appoint
ment or promotion should be made in the
bureau except on merit: and that the
judges of the merit which brings pro-
motion should be taken from those who
have themselves been promoted by merit.
That is. let the meritorious pick ont the
meritoriOus. l have been very much de-
lighted to find so many capable men in the
bureau as l have found. and l am glad
to know that public opinion as to the per-
sonnet is wrong"