Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-06-07
yAsErsefos NEWS AND GOSSIP.

Capt. r. NJ. @. Triplett, late chief clerk of the
Pension Bureau, is preparing digest Of the
pension laws of the United States. at the eug
gestion and under the auspices Of Oh q Secretary
| Of the Interior aad Mr. Commissioners Waldo
The United States Government are now pay
ing an ann ual average of some s., 900 900 per
annum in the shape of pensions and arrear
| ages of pensions, of all sorts, under all the
pension laws enacted by cougress.-Yet there
is no other subject connected with the dis
bursement of thesrublic money 30 little under
stood by the public at large, and least Of all
by those most'directly interested, who are, for
the most part, comparatively ignorant persons
Indeed, no lawyer, unless he has had consid-
| cradle practice as a regular pension agent
| can imagine the intricacies of the pension
laws, or the number of decisions affecting all
manner of points which may possibly be in
yolved in pension cases. The consequence is
that an average of at least fifteen per cent of
all money paid from the Treasury of the
United States on pension accounts, never
reaches the pockets of the needy class for
whom it is intended; being paid to agents ex-
| pert in the business The Government officers
| here have long been anxious to place it within
| the power of any intelligent neighbor of every
| United States pensioner or pension claimant
| to transact his business with the bureau; but
the want of the means of scattering broadcast
throughout the land the requisite informa-
ton has, until this time defeated any such
contamination. Capt. Triplett, however, will,
| we think, soon place it in their power to ac-
| complish the desired end for no man is bet
| ter qualified to compile and collate just such
| a book as he has in hand, embracing not only
! all the statutes bearing on pensions, but all
the opinions of the various Attorneys General
constituting questionable points in them, and
| all the decisions of the bureau and the appel
late secretaries upon every class of pension
questions 80 far adjudicated at this point !; all
so arranged as to be easily made available for
| the guidance of persons of ordinary compre-
hensiou.
What a world of correspondence the publ
| cation Of such book will save the pensio
| bureau!
seamen for the Navy and American Com
| mercial Marine.-We have reason to believe
that Mr.. Fuller, Of Maine, the ever watchful
| chairman Of the House Commercial affairs COM
mittee, is preparing to bring forward bill de-
signed to secure supply of properly trained
American seamen in time to come. We need
hardly explain the necessity for properly
matured effort on the part of the Government
| to this end. At the rate at which our ocean.
wise commerce is increasing, it can hardly be
long before no extremely high wages will be
| sufficient to secure half enough sailors for it,
| requirements. Indeed, at present, probably
at least two sailors for every one obtainable
could find ready employment out of our ports
at even existing wages, as high as they are
Our inland readers will, therefore, perceive
the pressing necessity for some effective meas
ure to accomplish this desirable end They
ofthe inter.or-for the most part, pay the extra
cost of fTeighting consequent upon the ruling
rates OF seamen's wages; the ship owner taking
due care to assess it upon his customers, as
matter Of course.
The plan which the Hon. Mr. Fuller will
|
ed, will embrace. as its leading feature. al
obligation on the part of all American sea
going vessels to carry apprentices according tt
tunnage, who are to be educated professionally
and otherwise, and to be treated according L
rules laid down by the Government; and pen
alties are to be proposed for infractions on thu
part Of shipmasters of any Of the provisions @
the proposed law. These penalties will b,
made assessable and collectable by the revenu,
officers of the Government. We may mention
as point in the plan, the proposed refusal O
a register to any snip not thus doing its shar,
IN training American seamea for the futur,
wants of the American marine. In this way
by making it obligatory on the master or OVID
er of every United States merchandising +,
hunt up instruct, and take due care of one O.
more apprentices, from fifty to hundrel
thousand capital real American seamen MAY
easily be turned out annually, after somt
five years hence.
We have to suggest to the shipping interes
OF the Northern cities, the propriety of at one,
manifesting their interest in the proposed ., an
If they will do so with hearty good will, toe
probability is, that ere the close of the presen
session, Mr.. F. will be able to compass ths
enactment OF law on the subject, destined il
the end to be of incalculable bene fit to Ameri
can commerce. We know from experience
that there is nothing like an earnest demon.
stration from such an interest, by way of in
| ducing prompt action on such matters by Con.
gress.
The Pacific Railroad Debate. We have nc
reason to believe that this discussion in the
House can be prolonged for more than week
or SO after they set to work in earnest, to-mor
row. There is not the least possibility thai
the measure can become law in any shape a
the present session. Hence, all further debate
upon it will merely be by way of preparing
the public mind on future legislation in earnes
upon it.
| We have previously stated various reasons
why 1T is useless for the friends Of the measure
ts hope for favorable action upon it at thi
time, which We need not repeat now. AS fal
as we can perce;.c. all its friends in Congress
are perfectly aware of this fact, and regard
Its present discussion simply as paving thu
way for inducing Inc public mind to take ear
nest hold on the subject. There are at least 6
| dozen different squads of speculatOrs each