The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-28
Pension Commissioner Warner
Makes Unpleasant Comments.
Hints That Order No. 4S Was
Violated.
MIR. WARE REPLIES.
Calls for Details of Transactions
Questioned.
Owes 1t to Public to Give Facts
Not Generalities.

NOC UoH6fdIIGIeSs
Pension Commissioner Warner. of Il
linois, who succeeded E. F. Ware of
Topeka, has given out a sensational
story to the press wherein, speaking in
generalities. he charges fraud upon the
part of his predecessor in office. The
story" mentions no specific case or
cases, and it is regarded as a grand
stand play upon the part of the present
commissioner. The story follows:
Another shakeup in the pension Of
flee is threatened, beside which the re-
cent dismissal of ten reviewing clerks
is a small affair Commissioner War
ner is conducting an investigation of
order No. IS, approved by ex-Comnlis-
siOner Ware and Secretary Hitchcock
March Is, 1904. This order provides for
the payment of pensions to all regular
~ discharged Union soldiers at the age
limit of 62 years, and specified that it
should take effect April 13 1904, and
should not be deemed as retroactive.
Commissioner Warner has discover
ed that the terms of the order were Vio-
lated and that in several thousand
cases 1t was made retroactive entail
ing an expense to the government of
upward OF q million dollars. 1t is un-
derstood that the retroactive injunction
was ignored in thousands of cases,
many of the persons granted going back
as far as six months before April 13.
1904. when order No. 78' went into ef-
feet"
A reporter for the State Journal show
ed the above dispatch to Mr.. Ware this
morning. He said:
Il do not know to what particular
cases the commissioner refers A sol
dier might have a right to a pension,
and thousands of them had, both under
the old law and under the Order No.
7S' known as the old age order, and
hence it would make no difference un-
der which issued.
1T is not a question Of whether tech
nically Order No 78' was violated, but
whether some old soldier got a pension
or an increase to which he was not en-
titled. I know nothing about what the
commissioner has found. but in justice
to the reputation of the honest and
capable men who are his subordinates
in the bureau, he ought before making
the charges, examine and see whether
any old soldier has got a. pension or in
crease who was not entitled to it, and he
pensioners giving the individual names
and instances. I think he owes it now
to the public to print the names and
the company, regiment and state, and
give facts, not generahties."
"Order 1872 has been the subject of
many columns of newspaper comment.
It was instituted during Mr. Wares
term as pension commissioner, and re-
suited in a saving at once of more than
$50 900. It was instituted as a matter
of economy. Old soldiers after passing
a certain age had no difficulty in secur-
ing affidavits and proof that they were
unable to earn living by manual labor
and thereby according to the provisions
of the law were entitled to pensions OF
increases in pensions. After all affi-
davits and evidence was secured to es-
tablish the genuineness of the old sol
diers' claim for a pensionit cost the gov
ernment about $40 each to get medical
examina tions to confirm the claim that
the old soldier was unable to earn his
living by manual labor
Commissioner Ware discovered when
a man reached seventy years of age,
that in 999 cases out Of thousand the
medical examination would not disprOve
his right to a pension. Consequently
the $50 examination fees in each in
stance was money simply thrown away.
Mr.. Ware was instrumental in promul-
eating "Order 49, known as the old age
order which permitted the granting of
pensions to claimants over 81 years of
age without the fOrmality of the GiS-
ability examination. The order resulted
in a great saving to the government. and
the adiudicators who passed upon the
application of pension claimants who
were asking for pensions under the old
law frequently passed applications un-
der "Order 49, and the pension was
rather than from the time "Order Is"
went into effect.
When Order No. IS" was promulgat-
ed the congressional committees were
more or less disturbed over the amount
of appropriation necessary. They
thought it might be large. but Mr.
Wares request for one and a half mill
lions somewhat staggered one commit
tee which summoned the commissioner
and made inquiry:
Mr.. Ware, is your estimate not rather
large?''
''That is not an estimate; it is con
lecture
So the official report of the committee
reads.
Ware was determined to have enough
money on hand and then, too, it is sur
missed he wanted TO make showing
before the old soldiers. He had told the
committee he would turn every dollar
he had left back into the treasury
somewhat redundant, but satisfying,
statement.
Ware got the amount, $1,000, 10000;
spent only s44 10000 to all pensioners ap-
plying under the order and turned the
balance. nearly a million and a half,
back into the U. S. strong box.