Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-05-20

fee, but leaves it to be paid by the
pensioners. If this feature of the
bill shall be remedied it will only he
after I have called attention to this
great wrong; and now that the pre-
vious question is ordered it can only
be done by unanimous consent,
which tue gentleman in charge
of the bill Mr.. Benjamin. has not
asked.
Some of the objections 10 the
bills proposing payment through an
officer in every county are most
marvellous.
1t is alleged that this plan would
cost 5000, 900 in postage alone. In
how long a time is not stated, but
year is probably intended. The
lists of pensioners and the checks
would go in packages through the
mails free, and draw no money from
the Treasury for postage. 1t will
cost no more to transmit the lists of
pensioners to officers in each county
than so the pension agents. The
checks will be delivered without
cost, delay, postage, or other expen-
ses of eorresp' ,ndence, under my
bill, while under the bill of the com
mittee postage and correspondence
are required. The present system,
and as it would be changed by the
bill of the committee, will require at
least eight packages by mail to pay
four payments each year to two
hundred and forty-three pensioners,
costing for postage alone $5S.a20,
besides an equal sum for stationery
and other expenses.
1t is said the number of clerks
must be increased in the Depart
ments at Washington to execute
this system. It will require no more
clerks to settle pension vouchers re-
turned from every county than if re-
turned from the pension agents.
The number can be reduced by
adopting the checks returned as a
basis of settlement, as in cases of
other blaims on the Government.
1t will require no mole labor to
draw checks at Washington to pay
pensions than is now required of
pension agents to draw checks.
And as the labor is not increased
the expenses cannot be increased.
Finally, it is insisted that county
officers cannot perform the required
services for the compensation pro-
posed. The bill in the form of
which / now submit it, as substi-
tute for the bill of the committee,
proposes to give the etIicer in each
county a sum not exceeding forty
cents for preparing each voucher
and for all services. This is just the
sum which the bill of the committee
leaves each pensioner to pay out of
his own pocket to local officers for
verifying vouchers, amounting an
nuall to $685. 800. There are one
thousand seven hundred and twenty
eight counties in which there gre
pensioners, having an average num-
ber of one hundred and forty pen
sioners in each. This would make
an average annual compensation to
each OF 1924 or fifty six dollars for
each quarterly payment. The serv-
ices will not require four days to
each quarter, and the compensation
will be ample. 1t will dispense with
the whole cost of $541 600 of the
pension agent system, and conse-
queutly save that sum annual to the
| Government. The people have a
right to demand this mersuae of
economy.
do not urge this measure be-
cause of any objection to the pension
agents I believe there is no more
deserving class of officers; but their
personal interests should yield to
public necessity and the interests of
the pensioners.
Whatever may be the result of
our action here, whether the bill re-
ported from the Committee on pen
sions or some one of the substitutes
offered for it shall be passed, our
discussions have been productive of
some good. ..
On the 21st of December last the
chairman of the Pension Committee
asked the unanimous consent of the
House to have the bill of the COM
mittee taken up, considered,a and put
on it's passage. I deemed it my
duty to object, and thereby secured
time for examination. On the next
day l stated some of the objections
to the bill, and among them espeei-
ally two: first, that Its section four
required every pensioner to pay a
fee of forty cents to the pension
agent at each semi-annual pension
payment and second, that it left the
existing law providing only for
semi. annual payments of pensions,
when, as I insisted, they ought to
be bimonthly, or quarterly, at
least.
The Pension Committee have been
driven from their original purpose,
and on the 35th of February repor,
ted their bill back with an amend
ment striking out section four and
inserting provision cutting off all
fees from pensioners to pension
agents, but providing for the pay
ment by the Government of a fee OF
thirty cents to the pension agents
for each pension payment, in addi-
ton to salary and commissions, and
now the committee propose further
} to amend their bill by providing