New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-01-15
Pension ABUSES.

Pension ABUSES
CUMBERSOME AND EXPENSIVE sYsrEM-ITs
INJUSTICE TO PENSIONEES-KyUs or SEMI
ANNUAL PAYMKNTs-THE RXTORTIOES or
LOAN BROKERS-ADYANIAGE or THg
POSTAL BI-NONTIrLY PLAN or PAYaENTs--
MOVEMENT or PENSION AGENTS 70 PRE-
VENT IT'S ADOPTION.
To me Fdtlor Of Ths Tribune.
SIR: viii you allow one who feels deep
Interest IN the honorable discharge the part Of ths
Government Of all its obligations express hmsef
corning matter Of public interest now peculiarly open
the charge Of abuse refer to the system Of paying
pensions which, as II exists, Ia cumbersome and
pensiye both 10 the Government ana 10 tho pensloner
and what is worse unjust to the latter The following
statement male in the House Of Representatives by Mr.
Lawrence OF OhJ presents very nearly the annual
Of the present system:
F.fty.uiue pension agents commissions paid by
Fec. paid i these agents by penso6cr. authorized
Average salary and expenses to each pension
TwcEty.scyen clerk, il Pension Office at an aver.
T%en 1.-TWO cIcqIs m second Controller ONCE
Treasury Department, average annual salary 49,.
TScny-two clerks in Third AUDITORS once. aver
gg Sly az .c,i: fees estimated a. rai Nv
pensioners 10 collect pensions at Is 90 each
~ the two hundred and thirteen thousand pen
siOBers now on le pension rOils...-..-... 2IS.55o
Total sG38.la
OF this amount the Government pays S65,5OC and tho
pensioners S27I5O The former expenditure is largely
unnecessary the latter wholly unjust. system should
be adopted which would be without expense 20 the pen
s,oncr and accommodate him in the menner Of making
payments and H. at the same time the expense to Gov
crumet can be reduced much the better 10 appears
that the plan Of payments through postoihces,
without fees and &C intervals Of month, or perhaps
better fortnight instead OF tic semiannua swarm at
is one
cuated 10 remedy evils Of tie present system There
are various reasons Why IN tho interest Of pensioners,
payments should be made at comparatively short Inter.
walls Encteuths OF pensioners are poor people AID
can use the money paid them 10 FAR better afyantagef
IL comes in small installments at the end Of
every two weeks. Drawing their money at the
end Of every hofyear they ant TO feel tn quite COM
Portable circumstances for month or so. and then nau'
rally enough having not accurately calculated their eh-
pauses In advance they ind the money giving oui before
they expected. and reduced TO very uncomfortable
straits before tho pay day arrives. Grocers and
landlords be paid every month They are not given
20 the sentimental as class aud the fact that pension
or may have lost his leg In the service " his
country will be accepted cause adequate to the
extension OF his credit The poymen. Of pensions semi
annually is q great mistake. All laborng people are
uad daily, weekly or monthly and they are thereby
enabled to live on what they get. But suppose day
borer wero paid at tho end Of every six monthshee
il very little doubt that nine out Of ten his six
months wages would hardly last lm half that time. The
same reasoning applies 70 peTsioners-and they are
reduced distressing need between the intervals ofpay-
ncut The present pension laws forbid the borrowing
Of money on a pension certificate. Sudden necesslues
from want OF work sickness death often make It i'm
pcratve on part OF thi peusoner 70 borrow money
They the obtaining OF money on their GER
uCcatc and those whom they get IT, knowing the Law
and the extremity OF the borrower charge cruelty er.
rortouate rates. ordinarily exactng 40 per cent for the
loan IN the city Of New1ork las been IN the
habit Of loanng these terms from $4,000 70 10000
every half year. and calls himself phlanthropst at
that system Of semi-monhly payments would
happily free us from such philanthropy. The principal
objection urged against the payment Of pensions through
Post Offices is the difficulty OF identification. which may
DO very shortly disposed Of however. The present
method open 10 Just as much objection. The method
or Identification Is merely 10 administer an oath, and
there Is why POstOhce clerks should not do
that auite as effectively Pension agents. The besi
plan identification seems to DO that suggested 10y the
Postmaster General, which requires photographs OF pen
souers TO be kept at the varons PosOces and adup-
cate Of be presented by the applicant for pay
mcnt II he agrees with his dupca.o, the dentoau on
Is quite satisfactory enough.
II is Of course evident that the postal system OF pay
ments would save the pensioners considerable cKpendt
ture in the matter OF fees paid the agent aud rs In
many cases becomes necessary TO have recourse to his
services the matter also OF lawyers charges for coeo
fion which are likely to be 81 or s. in each case ID
should be no expense whatever TO Tie pensoncr 10 get
his Just dues Of the Government bu according TO the
tabular showing the expenses CT pensioners
I'm collecting their pittances are, in tho aggregate
near 100000, 20 say nothing OF the cruel
want which often compels them to borrow
on their certificates and lose nearly half the
amount Of their pension. The first consideration In max
ing the proposed should be the welfare OF the
pensioncr addition to that motion there also the
Of economy the part OF the Government Itself
The present system which maintains at large ex-
pcuse 80 agents aud an indefinite number OF clerks on
salaries and burdens the mail with power OF attorney
vouchers and correspondence, which are necessary IN
the present cumbersome system In the proposed plan
additional clerks might possibly be required In the Pen.
sion Office at Washington and IN some OF our larger
cities, hut I'm all country towns ana Villages
postnasters would have abundance OF time to per
form tho slight extra duty required In the country us
ricts there are probably hundred pOsmaStcrs Ia one
pers on agent and his duties divided among 50 manr
would be 10 nothing for each individual ANA the
personal knowledge they wOnld be hk'v to have con
corning PENSIONERS would be an additional safeguard
against anything like frauds on the Govctmrni. ms
probabilities are. that the entire expense OF paving OF
tensions aud auditing accounts under the new systen
| could be- brought within SlOO0O ahd inc
| net results would be saved To the Government
sl7t $50 while the actual saving would IN all probability
amount several times that sum. The resolution oi NJ.
Butler offered In the House Dccember Z, directing tbe
Postmaster General 10 report plan oy Whrl pehs'om
might be paid through the money order system OF lDe
PostOhcc Department naturally reused the huS'oa
agents OF ho country 10 consideration Of er own fW
daugcrcd personal interests and Win view ot heading
of and complete IT form which shah oust them FROM the
position they have joined IN urgug upon 'onerr>s WIN
the approval IL IL said OF the Commissioner ul Prus"
| certain amendments To the pension laws when WI
| effect n partial reform of the present abuses
These amendments ~ the main embodied iu Tie hls
introduced by Mr. Ben amH u the House and Dir Hnfisp
IN the senate The irst bill propu>rs 10 do away VIA
the eNt0riOu OF claim agents by putting pensioners h
direct con muucatiOn with the agents by system I"
vouchers 20 be sent through the mails aud me p','S