The Morning herald., 1876-03-30
PENSIONED RING TnIEvEs,

PENSIONED RING TAIEvEB,
Another ring has been discovered which
has robbed the government out Of nearly
half a million of dollars. While Van
Aernam, Of New York, was commissioner
Of pensions, a ring composed Of himself
and one, Cheny. of Mass, Hill and a
Van Meter, Of New York, entered into a
conspiracy to defraud the government by
fraudulently procuring the issue of land
warrants. They would apply for the issue
of one, but who, from lack of information
or some other cause had not applied for it,
representing themselves as his agent. In
case he;was dead, and his administrators
securing the warrant, they would sell it,
dividing the proceeds among themselves
These warrants We're in those days worth
from $175 to 5000 each.
On the 25th inst, the House Pension
Committee examined Col. Seaton, form
erly an employee Of responsibility in the
Pension Bureau, who stated, that while he
was chief clerk of the Bureau, and Won
Aernam was Commissioner, $500 dormant
bounty land warrants for one hundred and
sixty acres each had accumulated in the
office, being the warrants Of persons who
had died or had otherwise forfeited them.
At this time the regulations of the Office
forbid an employee therein to'give any in
formation as to the number Of persons III
whose names the dormant warrants ex-
listed, and it was then that the above
named lawyers, with the Commissioner,
engaged in the prosecution Of claims
against the government in Washington.
Won Aernam was the intimate friend Of
this legal trio, and documentary evidence
in the hands of the Committee shows that
he gave those thieving lawyers the infor-
nation through which the swindle was
perpetrated. The evidence as to what
portion of the steal Won Aernam got is not
positive, but it could not have been less
than 100000. Col. Seaton testified after
these warrants were issued, that he inves-
tigated one hundred Of them, and found
them all fraudulent, proving conclusively
tha in no instance did the proceeds Of the
sa of these warrants go into the hands
of the right persons. Thus 1900 spu-
rious warrants were issued in one year.
Thus was there utilizing of old land
warrants bya thrifty Commissioner of
Pensions and his trio ofinfamous partners,
and thus has new ring of thieves been
discovered which has robbed our United
States Treasury of half million of
dollars.
Notwithstanding all the developments
that are being made Of the corruption of
Grants administration, the measure of
economy in the public service, which the
Democratic House of Representatives is
attempting to bring about, an artfsl Re
publican minority is using devices against
the cause of reform and economy. The
Republican members of both the Senate
and House will keep fighting for acontinu-
ance Of the spoils they have so long en-
joyed; and oppose the measures of econo-
my on the public service which a Demo
cratic House is trying to bring about, and
for which they were especially elected by
the people. The Democrats Of the pres
ent House were elected on pledges to re-
duce expenditures and to return to simple
habits, but the Republicans oppose all
moves toward honesty and economy. They
have all the offices and patronage, and are
determined to enjoy them to their fullest
extent as agents for carrying elections. Let
us pray that the Democratic House may
be able to carry out the great work Of re-
form which it has so auspiciously begun.