Year: 1878

COMMISSIONER BENTLEY DISSATISFIED WITH The


PRESENT INADEQUATE WAY OF DOING THINGS


HE Presents NEW PLAN TO A COMMITTEE.


iBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSE.l


WASHINGTON, Dec. 25.-The House Committee on
Pensions has entered earnestly upon the work of
recognizing the pension system of the country


1t will be remembered that Commissioner Bentley
has in his recent annual reports been calling atten-
ton to serious defects in the present system. and
that he prepared bill, which was laid before the
Pension Committee of the two Houses of Congress
at the last session, in which was embodied his
views of the changes which it was desirable TO
make. Commissioner Bentley appeared by request
before the House committee recently, and explained
the theory of the plan he proposes.


He said that notwithstanding the large appropria-
ton for clerks the number of unsettled claims is IN
creasing yearly. AS the distance OF time from the
war period increases the facts in the cases are be-
coming more and more obscure The testimony Is
prepared by the claimant some person in his in
terest and is entirely expare. the Government hav-
ing 10 opportunity TO or question the witnesses
The testimony is therefore not the most credible
The medical questions referred to the nelghbor-
hood DOCTOR who is asked for his examination and
opinion of the character and origin of the disease for
which the pension is claimed and the degree OF disa-
bility which is caused byit The system was good





records of tie War Department, but is entirely mad
equate to the later 1t is responsible for many
evils. among which are the unequal ratings of PEN
sioners and the special service system, which Mr..
Bentley considers very Objectionable, but which IS
"a necessary adjunct of the ex parte system.


The Commissioner said that the average time re-
quired for the adjustment OF claims including about
nine months delay in the Office of the Surgeon Cen
eral, is three and half years, and great number
of cases have laid unarranged for ten or fifteen years
This he sald, is not only grave injustice III all
cases. but in great portion of them practical
denial of the benefits which the people desired and
Congress intended 10 be enjoyed by the soldiers
and their widows and children.


This injustice, Mr. Bentley continued, "reaches
directly or indirectly every family in the Northern
States and many III the south. The prompt appiI-
cation of a remedy is demanded by every interest.
and the adoption of a measure to this end Is
fully as important as in the case of any
public measure pending in Congress l have
urged this matter upon tho attention of
Congress III three successive annual reports.
and have proposed remedy to wit to divide the
country into fifty or sixty districts and send into
each district commission, TO consist of a surgeon
and competent clerk, to travel from place to place
In the district and examine pensioners and claim
ants and collect the testimony in the claims. Such
a commission would generally visit each county IN
the district once twice each wear, thus affording
every claimant early and easy opportunity to
present the testimony in his case and in this way
greatly increasing the facilities of the claimant for
prosecuting his claim"


The Commissioner then proceeded to de-
scribe iu detail simple and easy plan for
the practical operation of the proposed
system. which would enable the claimants
to prosecute their own claims properly with
ont the aid of agents The system also con-
templates the discontinuancc Of the medical exam
inatiOn of the pensioners every second year. THIS
rests upon the presumption that the disabilities Of
persons who have reached the age now attained by
the survivors of the late war, especially consider
ing that they are of such long standing thirteen
to seventeen years. will not grow less, but Will, on
the other hand, increase.


In answer to II question by member of the com
mittce the Commissioner sald that the 10000 I'M
settled claims and the new claims which would bc
filed, could be so disposed of ID three years after
the system should be adopted, at greater annual
cost for Its operation than is now paid out III the
same service, aud that continuance OF the present
system would never bring up the work, even If the
present expenditure should be doubled. This is, he
said, the reason why he has never recommended an
increase in the clerical force of the Bureau except
for the temporary work OF the claims for the Of
1912, under the act Of March last.


The claim agents are making strong effort TO
prevent Congress from adopting the Commissioners
anu Mtlc DtIOlt the
committee by Judge Shcllabargcr, who postponed
his remarks, however, until another opportunity
should be afforded by The comrlItteo. Members OF
the committee express themselves as heartily i'll
favor of he new plan ana they even favor moro
radical change i'll the same direction. The commit
tee has requested Mr.. Bentley to draw up bill en-
D0dyng the general features he mentioned. but pro-
vidiug thar the COMMISSIONS shall be composed of
persons qualified TO pass upon claims themselves,
subject to approval or rejection by the COmmIs-
siOeT of Pensions.


COI-TUEpN III ECTI0N EpirnC