The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-03-05
nISGRACING THE NATION.
.u,uEFUL MiLTREATMENT OF QUE
1900 PENSION ERS.

,,.hI.J veterans =hiverina all Nieht In
,ss ,oId-Women with Children Exposed
a. IIour. to The Inclemency OF the
wat cr--caudnlous Manner In which
,hc PA, mrnt OF r, p~iou, Is Mismaug d.
Yesterday was the day Of semi annual payment
a, ,ep.ions in this district to disabled Union sol
,sr. and to the widows and orphans OF those who
acre slain during the late war
scANDALoUs BUSINESS.
There arc Elk thousand female and three thousand
r,s pepsoners In the district. The manner In
,bleh this vast body Of suffering men and women
ara tr,atel by T. pcnsion agents, (Gen. Lawrence
md Col Van Burcn) is shameful and scandalous be-
,ond desert. ton. The oGice Of Col. Van Buren,,
,ho pays the pensions TO the men, is In tile south
hes, basement Of the Treasury building, at the cor.
AR Of Nassau and Wall streets. The facilities whcl,
col Van Bur u provides for transacting the bust
,e.a Ale inferior TO those possessed by the keep
uoiaa
ORDINARY APPLE-srASD
an street corner TIE once is insunicient; the
clerical force Is inadequate In number and incompe-
tent in al !lity and deficient In patriotic sympathy
for the brave men whom they should consider 1t an
honor to serve, but whom they seem 10 take delight
In subjecng to inioleruble diseomforts and biting
lumiistiOns.
THE room DBcREPlr VETERANS
who carried our Gag triumphanty through the war,
10 order TO get tie pittancs which the Government
has decreed to them have to go to the shabby pen
sion Office where 1t is doled out from nine to twelve
hours in advance, and stay there out OF DOORS ex-
posed to tie pangs Of hunger and the lnelemeney OF
he weather until human nature, as well as human
patienee, becomes exhausted.
Men assembled at the corner OF NISSAN and Wall
streets BY 0 O'Clock on Thursday evening ard staid
here till the pensions began to be PAID out on FIJI
Day morning. They did this in order to get as early
,thance as possible at their money, rather In or
Der not 10 have to wait all day Friday, and porhap,
hnrer, before they could get IL a, all.
The weather was cold, damp AMI biting on Thurs
day hight, and yesterday was an inelemen, day and
there hundreds Of the unfortunate
VICTIMS OF THE PENSION AGENTS
stood iu tue cold, and slush. and Storm wsitlng tn
diatory action OF the gay aud comfortable youths /,
whose tender mercies the Government which the,
nvel consgns them.
BIBLE EXAMPLE.
II srecorded in Scripture that when the men O
e,eoth on certain OCCASION ventured to trfe wit,
Gideon, that Jacksonian old hero gathered brier
and thorns Of the Wilderness, and with them b.
"a usht the men Of succuth." II occurred 10 Us yes
ierday saw the pinchcd. thinly clad and hall
frozen We 'etats standing around in The q orm tha
ihey would DO vel to gather up their cru'caes an,
wooden legs and with them give the pension peop,
such instruction as Gideon gave the men OF Succo.h
now IT PAREs WITH rue WOMEN.
Bot scandalous as this treatment Is when applieC
70 the three thousand male pensioners, It becomes
ineouput4oy more sc.ndauus wnen it Is extended
10 the six thousand female pensioners. These un
fortunate reel Jiens OF Government bounty are tor
tuTet In and around the southeast basement OF the
IrsOm House. 1t the y Exchange plAce and
Hanover street.
WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO.
Every pcnsoner, male a. well as female, has "a
make an affidavit Of Identity Which Is q slow bust
ness and seems TO be male - tedious as possible
BY tie plucty OF the working force in the Offices OF
the pensJn a-ents. In addition to her AFFIDAVIT Oi
Identity every iema!e pensioner, whose pension T.
~ a!Ni~e blsed on the fact "f her iaving children
has to bring two witnesses with her to prove tnIi
her children ore sill living, that Is to say, tAat they
have not t.e since the last seui-anu ual pay u4ou
Isis not chi u, for the dullest Imagination to con
eelye Tue dillcntles winch these pour women woul
have 10 undergo under the nest culated pets ion
once Wat hey are uudcr q o mtadmtnistra.iot
Of Zen, Lawrence II is impossible to describe.
HUNDREDS OF woMLs,
scores OF item o.d and feeble ana scores Of other
win children in A-Ms and Witli Children b
tier su,s lud llyl in tue streets an huldled In III
areas ami sretchiu- In long lines aruund the dis
ma CO riiur- OF toe Custom House ba-ement, wer
shiyerIn. IN the cold aud eaniag deOiliated ugains
tie .uLospitdbe granite nails Which enclosed theu.
How 10 have you been here y ". asked Vi
woman holding babe in her arms.
"lLrto 1urs," she replied, aui then added, 10
Nlue.- or mel nor, an II she don't 500
get ance shall have TO 20, and leave Ler 10 10
sloher "n ess In my place"
This Of once revesed one Of the difficulties OF IL
else. ler ale pensiOu er mas 10 have two wtnesse
bproye the existence OF her children, These wit
teses are usually uooT women or poor men, " h.
ne Pension once ald 50 many poor creature
NNr " ~; h' u : on hours, una.y lose, her vi.