The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-19

TO extend 70 the judiciary u ID already evident
that the extraordinary vouchers approved by some
OF the district JUDGES demonstrate moral
turpitude that nnds o parallel only In the
case OF Judge DureIl, OF New Orleans, and his
blindness to the proceedings OF 4. +. Norton, the
assignee in bankruptcy. The subcommittee will
report to the committee Saturday that it willo6
to proceed without authority to /send
for persons and papers; and Messrs. Parsons and
Williams, whose delicate sense OF prJprfety Ore.
vented the Chairman from asking this auth0r,tv on
Monday last, have agreed to support the resoIu
ton II the subcommittee think/it necessary that
the committee should now have this authority
Confidential reports from, detectives sent ont by
the Treasury Department. trace questionable trans
actions to high of1oArs whose names, as yet, are
withheld from the public.
General Grant ON the Carpet.Bag Ele.
mont in the South.
President Grant, In recent conversation with
Southern members OF Congress- remarked that as
lar as 1t was In his power he should hereafter
strictly follow the policy OF comforting appoint
ments In the South on those whose loyalty and
character such to entitle them to his favor.
able consideration. lie was OF the opinion that
the so-called carpet-bag element had not contrib
uted much to the good OF the party in that section
The Weak Points In Buffers Pension
MISUNDERSTANDING OF the Proposed
New system-The Working of the Press
emit Organization.
The bill to amend AMI codify the laws in regard
to the payment Of pensions. so as to insure eff
cheney and economy In that branch OF the public
service, introduced by General Butler Yesterday is
not q new measure. The same scheme was pro.
posed Dy Butler three years ago, but never passed.
The bill cOntemplates very radical change in the
mode of transacting the pension business and the
payment Of pensions. An impression prevails that
the pension agents OF the government, of whom
there sixty, are enormously PAID. This view how
ever which prevails in Congress- is based entirely
on ignorance of the law. Pension agents run their
agencies with the gross amount of compensation,
and this includes salary, clerk hire, rents and
every other expense incident to the ofrlce. Agents
are paid certain percentage, those disbursing
$4,000 receiving the maximum compensation,
which is $4,000 They also receive thirty cents for
each voucher prepared. The Commissioner of PEN
sions has not yet had the bill formally laid before
him. though he has examined it, and states that he
thinks the scheme impractcabe on account of the
distribution OF payment through great number of
agencies, which would occasion delays. He thinks
the proposed system would be unpopular for the
reason that the business being mainly conducted
in the Washington office, it would be so far re-
moved from the pensioner that he would
find it impossible to obtain information
promptly. The economy Of the measure
the Commissioner thinks questionable. At pres
ent all expenses are borne by the agents. with an
average of five clerks each. The proposed system
would necessitate the employment of extra SER
vice at the post Offices and very large force of
additional clerks here an expense now paid by the
agents. The bill will give rise to considerable bun
combe oratOry, judging from the numerous com.
muncations received ct the Pension ONCE from
members OF Congress asking information. The
following is a statement of the gross amount of
compensation to which each pension agent was
entitled for the year ending June 3d. 1s7s which,
includes the expenses of office rent, clerk hire,
preparing vouchers, with postage on the same, and