Year: 1878

the Commissioner be tested by the Star Chamber uvest
cations he has set foot.


pension has been granted, a communication is ad
dressed to the Commissioner containing snuation
against the title to pension special agent dispatched
to the neghbohood of the pensoner with these
tons "All communications made to you by persons of
whom you may inquire, whether in the form of sworn
testimony or verbal information are wholly confidential
and you will mpar them to but the Commissioner
OF Pensos neither the Of the witnesses nor the
statements made by them ddeerse the pensioners title
are TO be made known to him


Can the Commissioners his theory consistently bring
himself to believe testimony entirely er partep rs this
not being creduous TO fault when the title to uepsion
impeached and totally infde when title to pension is
to bc established Let this mode of investigation be put
to the test by real case which is now sleeping in the
Pension Office and which is only one Of many


Mrs Rosster gave sons to the cause of the Inion
they We're young men whom the aged and inirm pa.
rents depended for support They were both killed in the
service and pension of So per month granted to the
the mother These old people became indebted to Mr.
~ Runyon for shoes and had the means of payment
letter was dispatched to the Commissioner of Pensions
by said creditor nsnuang that this mother was not de-
pendent on her sons and therefore entitled to pension
An investigation had under the instructions before
alluded to- and the mothers pension was suspended and
after six years Intellectual effort have it restored she
died.


The tathermade application, he was entitled under
the law and what takes places The following letter is
addressed to the father by the said Rnyon upon whose
information the mothers pension had been suspended
Mr. BYRON RossITER:


''SIR: AS / have just been handed letter from the
Pension Department directed to Mr. Ketchum for an an
swer and it was referred to me, have prepared an an
swer but have concluded to withhold until get an an
swer from you. Now, YOU an old man and no
doubt needy will withhold my letter from the Depart
and let yon get renewal of pension if Won viii do
as requested 6eoFe and II not will oppose YOU and
know that viii fix it this time that you need not try it
any more You must, IN order to stop my letter. send
note, due in six months, for $780, well secured and it
will be all right but unless you do that tell you it is no
use Tor you TO press this thing.


The old could not make a satisfactory arrangement
and the letter dispatched And did the Commissioner
bring himself to believe the statements of this creditor
adverse to the title OF claimant? Yes for eight years
the claim has slept Is this administration of the pen
sion laws consistent with the spirit which they were
enacted?


But aside from the inconsistency and injustice thus pre-
sened in the administration of the Office claimants are
subjected to the further hardship and delay of resorting
to Congress to accord by special legislation what has al
ready been provided by general legislation Hundreds Of
claims every year settled in this mode.


And it is worth while to observe the sharp criticism
contained in many of the reports of the administration Of
the pension laws The question is practical one What
is the necessity for the special legislation? The answer
is that the Commissioner believe the testimony
offered and what is the result? There are now accord
ing the last report of the Commissioners 81 444 unad
Indicated claims in the pigeonhoes of the Office in add-
ton to the 64 rejected claims which the Commissioner
condescends state liable be e-opened and re-
examined.


There should be end of such incompetency


FRIEND THE SOLDIER


--s+-


Character.


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