Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-02-25
Doubtful Retrenchment.

parently nave an luea tnAl tney can Ludke
the country stop demanding more econom-
zeal administration, by doing that which
under show of saving, will make things
inconvenient for great number of people.
If called on to take smaller salaries them
selves, they grudgingly do it. and proceed
to make the atmosphere uncomfortable for
other men also.
Last week Gen Butler introduced bill
providing for doing away with pension
agencies, constituting postmasters at coun-
ty seats discussing officers for the payment
of pension money. Mr.. Dawes had made
a suggestion that money might be saved
in this way, and he might with very good
reason have added that it might also be
lost in this way. The number of men who
would thus be given the handling of funds,
with Il compensation that would not spe-
cially induce them to become masters of
their business, would very likely lead to an
amount of mistakes if nothing more, that
would swallow up any supposed margin
of profit by the new way of doing bust
ness.
A late report indicates that in some of
the pension offices in the Union affairs
have not been economically conducted.
So far as this evil extends close supesvis-
ion and care in putting out bad men and
putting in the right men, should be at once
exercised. When this is done we see no
advantage arising from any change in the
system as now established. If any pen
sion agent in Gen. Buffers state or else
where, has been acting otherwise than is
right and managing to pocket money that
there was no need of expanding, let the
General, who seems just now to have the
appointing power, also exercise the power
of removal.
But the present system is right enough
in itself There are nearly quarter of It
million pensioners. To them an immense
amount of money is paid. The great ma
jority of them are people who greatly need
it promptly and safely paid into their hands.
They certainly deserve well of the country
or they would not be receiving pensions.
If they deserve this money it is of impor-
lance enough that men who will attend to it
be appointed for the purpose of seeing that
they have it, and that this payment be
not tackled on to the business ofanother Off
cial, to be attended to after the mail is dis
tributed and the dead letters packed off to
Washington.
The payment of pensions, as the obtain
ing them, necessitates a vast amount of
work that though tedious, is really unavoid-
able if both government and pensioner are
to be secure. This work is now system
lied and when the pensions are once gran
ted the payments come regularly and
without friction, to the one to whom they
belong. The work of having things in
order to make these payments with rapid
ity and at the same time with all the
guards that prevent imposition, is one of
enough to demand men of
ability who shall make this their special
business. Thus only can the convenience
of the pensioned be served.
The class who receive pensions is large
ly composed of those to whom the requi-
site forms were at first stumbling block,
and who do not readily adopt new and
strange formalities. We venture to say that
to the pensioners themselves, the change
in machinery would be an infinite bother
alton" Just fairly accustomed to the
present way of doing business,it would be
an unnecessary hardship to put them over
another course very likely more difficult to
learn than was the present.
The change proposed contemplates that
less money shall be paid out directly to
the postmasters of the county seats for
their services in making these payments,
than is now paid out directly to pension
agents, for making them. A very good
plan except that you are not sure of get
ting your work done as you want it, and
wages for that kind of work are not profit
ably expended however light they may
be. But this direct payment for the mere
act of distributing the money, is but one of
the things to be considered. The rolls to
be made out, md the clerical work to be
done in getting things in order for the new
dispensation of soldiers money, very nat
urally suggests the idea that this bill is
only one of the devious ways of the Mass
achusetts general for an increased civil
service, filled with Butler men, He would
have chance to quarter a host of his
henchmen upon the government as clerks
to perform the great amount of work nee
essary to inaugurate the new system, and
rs they would stay until their master be-
comes Governor of the old Bay State, only
wise Providence can tell when we should
be rid of them. Butler out of the uues.
ton, (if you can get him out of any ques-
ton just now, the cost of changing
machinery would no doubt eat up al
savings possible in the matter of direct
compensation.
Last-we don't believe in having offices
that are not necessary but we do believe
IN retaining those that are. And wher
the government proposes to abolish Ger.
tain offices it will find enough of them
that are sinecures that it can begin on
1t Will please the community too, to sec
some of the great revenue offices so legis
lated upon, that their occupants may gel
good pay for doing their business well, but
that they shall no longer be the stepping
stones to sudden wealth or great power
That kind of retrenchment will save mon.
ey, be reality and not sham. 1t might
have prevented the contest that now RACES
over the appointment of Buffers tool
Simmons, to the Boston Collectorship,
Where offices are for the doing of necessary
business and their occupants do that bus.