The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-23
FORCE ALL RIGHT.
Pension Commissioner Ware
Corrects False Impressions.
Personnel Of Bureau Grades
Higher Than Any Other.
MANY OLD SOLDIERS.
MANY Old SOLDIERS
They Are Men Who know What
War Service Meant.
Has Been Delighted to Find SO
Many Capable Men.

Before Eugene +. Ware, United States
pension commissioner. left for Wash
ington today. he talked in a compl-
mentary manner OF the force in the
government pension office. Commis-
aioner Ware said:
II do not know whether 1 ought to be
Interviewed or not. perhaps the best
thing for me to do is to keep still, but /
really ought to correct some popular
impressions about the personnel of the
pension bureau. There seems to have
got out an idea that the clerks in the
pension bureau are made up of a lot Of
old odds and ends that are thrown i'll
there without the expectation of Their
doing very much work or showing very
much capacity. There never was
greater mistake. I think the personnel
Of the pension bureau grades higher
than that of any other bureau in the
government service Some of the clerks
may be old. but no older than in other
bureaus There are 800 clerks in the
pension building. There is such pres
sure of work in the bureau and such
demand that the old soldiers claims ue
adjudicated that the bureau has got into
the habit of working continuously right
through until business hours close. 1t
is way-up, high-grade work. 1t is the
adjudication of claims on legal ana
medical grounds.
las to the morale Of the Office my
opinion is that the bureau ranks aboug
2 per cent higher than an equal num-
Der of bank cashiers or Sunday school
5uperintendents- There are no such
things as crimes among them. Ine
number of church members is great
The number of old soldiers is great.
The old soldiers in the bureau are of ts.7
very best class. A great many Of them
belong To the Loyal Legion, ana 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 element. and KNOWING
what soldering meant during the civil
war and knowing what a soldier ought
to do and ought to be they are strict
judges as to soldiers aspirations, and
IneE are as much opposed to Snam sol
diers as anybody else could be. They
are severe judges. and no old soldier
gets q pension through them unless he
really ought TO have a pension, and the
practlcal workings OF the bureau as re
CARDS giving pensions is entirely Oppo-
site from the popular idea. The popular
idea is that the old soldier in the bureau
would give anybody pension that said
ne was in the army. This is entirely
contrary to the fact The old 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 soldiers in the bureau are the best
possible safeguard for the treasury on
pension matters. They have got just az
much loyalty to the government now as
ever, and they cannot be fooled so
easily with military records as the civil
ian clerk
There are 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
prOportionately very small These
CLAIMS are as rule no more in amount
rhan the ordinary MISUNDERSTANDING
between people, although here and there
through misfortune small debts have
accumulated which the clerk is tempo
rarlly unable to pay The clerks of the
bureau with their families would make
a city. The clerks of the bureau reDre-
sent a city in size that would SUPPORT
nalr a dozen lawyers. I doubt if a half
aozen bureaus like the pension bureau
would support one lawyer
Ihere is great deal of esprit de
corps in the bureau. on Flag day. June
il, ana other occasions such as the en-
campment, they contribute lavishIv ia
decorations and legitimate display They
occupy high sphere in the social or
ganizations of Washington. in the
churches, literary societies and other
civic organizations. There are a great
many Of them that ought to be Dro-
NOTED. There are more clerks deserving
PUT them in. There is no dif6cnltv
Whatever IN finding merit and in get
ting men capable of filing anv place
There are men in the bureau who car
run it or any part of it, I think thai
the commissioner of pensions should be
chosen from among those in the bllrear
VINO rise by merit and that no aDpoint-
ment or promotion should be made ir
the bureau except on merit: and thai
the judges Of the merit which bring.
ptonotlon should be taken from thoss
who have themselves been pronoted IN
merit That is. let the meritorious Dicl
out the meritorious have been ver1
much delighted to find so many rablt
men in the bureau as I have found anf
am glad to know thar public opfnior
as to the personnel is wrong"
n1s ourn U.m.