The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-21
THE PENSIONS AND THE PENSION
A n ENTS

The soldiers and soldiers families who re-
ceive pensions from the Government cannot
be too thankful for the order recently issued
bv the Commissioner of Pensions and ap-
proved by the Secretary of the Interior re-
quiring that all pensions shall be paid here
after in checks OF drafts drawn to the order
of the pensioners; while, ON the other hand,
we do not wonder that this rule is opposed by
the unofficial pension agents. 1t strikes at
the root of the power they have here iofo1e
possessed of having the objects of the bounty
of the Government completely at their
mercy 1t is almost incredible, but it is
nevertheless true, that the custom had grown
up, even in Pennsylvania, of making unau-
thorized middle-men the practical almoners
of the nation, and with the cash appropriated
by Congress in their own hands,
they had every desirable facility for
usury extortion, and fraud. There is no
possible necessity for the perpetuation of this
system 1t was useful only for the promotion
of ulterior designs. Each pensioner who
resides in or near the city can easily call at
the offices of the official pension agents and
receive a check on the Assistant Treasurer
for the full amount due him, without the de-
duction of a cent for the fees of attorneys,
for usury, or as a payment on account of a
hard and grinding bargain exacted from igno-
rance or indulgence The pensioners who re-
side in the interior, and who are unable to
come to the city to receive the amount of
their pensions, are required to appoint an at
torney, who prepares the proper vouchers;
but they can all be paid on presentation
at the pension offices here, in checks drawn
to the order of the pensioners, and the
Intervention of city attorney to
facilitate this transaction is totally
unnecessary. The old custom was to give
the sum total of these vouchers in
currency OF its equivalent, to unofficial
city agents, and then, after they had ex-
acted such fees as they thought proper to
charge, permitting them to transmit the re-
naming money in bulk to the country
attorneys, who had, in turn, opportunity for
making such deductions as they deemed
proper to impose, thus subjecting the country
pensioners to double shave. 1t would be
very strange if, under these. circumstances,
MANY of them were not numerically feeced.
Under the new arrangements the pensioners,
instead of the volunteer agents, will be
masters of the situation. They will each re-
| ceiye in person check for the whole amount
| due them. and these checks, after they are
properly endorsed, are for business purposes
| even better than currency in every part OF
the State If the pensioners desire to pay
portion of their stipends to the attorneys,
they can do so but the attorneys have lost
the power to withhold money against their
will, and herein an important victory has been
gained by the soldiers and soldiers families
over an insidious and dangerous class OF their
enemies.
The country attorneys who are disposed 10
act justly--and there are no doubt many OF
this character-will hereafter be under no ne
cessity of sending their properly attested
vouchers to any city attorney. They can Dc
collected quite as we'll without charge, ana
without the Intervention of Philadelphia md
dlemen, as with such aid.
The fact that the old system has long been
maintained is no good reason why II should
not now be broken up. 1t is notorious fact
that under its operations, in various sections
OF the country, thousands of soldiers ana
their families have been swindled by agents
and attorneys, and any new governmental
regulations designed to diminish TINS evil
will be warmly applauded by every patriotic
citizen. The order requiring the official
agents to place under the immediate control
OF each pensioner the full amount OF his
stipend, is well calculated TO promote this
end. If other notifications are needed, we
trust they will speedily be made The