The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-22
Pension Legislation.

The crude act for increasing pensions by
dating them back 10 the day of disability or
death. which was demagogucd through both
Houses OF Congress, Is found by every gen
eral test to be marked with gross inequal-
ties and injustice Neither the Committee
which reported the bill originally. nor its
author, nor the Commissioner OF Pensions
has been able to form any reliable estimate
OF the amount OF money that will be required
to execute this law. They range all the way
from forty 10 one hundred and fifty millions
OF dollars. each contending Justify for his
own figures. The Commissioner has taken
averages for ten years in different classes Of
cases as the basis Of his calculations and
the others appear to have drawn on their
imaginations for their facts. In any
event, this new burden must fall on the
taxpayers, in order that candidates for
President, candidates for the Senate, can
didates for the House Of Representatives,
candidR$es for Governor, and candidates for
everything else may lay claim to the sol
ders' vote" The Commissioner OF Pensions
officially states:
As the law stood previous TO the passage Of the
Arrears act Jan 25 1871 the temptation TO fraud
great but since that many iarrsIs.L
Then the claims comparatively few In which any
considerable Of money would be the immsliate
ward Of successfully prosecuted claim. but that
act every invalid claim allowed well many OF the
other classes will have in from several hundred to
cra thousand dollars due the claimant pay
ment = With the temptation to the commission OF
fraud 50 greatly increased aud the road TO the Treasury
easy through pant, proceedings the consequences
easily be foretod. It vii! be little less than mira
Gle II extensive Official corruption does notfollow"
This is tho sort Of relief Congress has
given TO the people. who for more than five
years have been passing through a terrible
financial crisis, In which every material in
terest has suffered seriously; property Of
all kinds has shrunk in value; bankruptcy
has crushed tens Of thousands; poverty
has invaded households accustomed TO lux
ury and opulence; and labor has sought in
vain for employment and reasonable re-
ward. The pension roll, since it was first
created and put in full motion. has aver
aged over twenty-nine millions year, or
largely exceeding one-fourth OF the interest
on the national debt.
The Commissioner OF Pensions says:
1T lis estimated that there have been less than two
millions paid out annually fraudulent pensions In
my Judgment the estimate is below rather than above
the actual amount"
The belief OF those who have thoroughly
investigated the subject is that the annual
frauds are between fifteen and twenty per
cent. Of the aggregate pensions. or four or
five millions year. The defects in ex-
listing laws, and the opportunities for fraud
arising out Of the er parte system, have been
frequently brought to tho attention of Con-
gress. but without the least effect. Instead
Of providing a protective measure for the
Treasury and closing the door against
organized perjury and forgery, even the
nominal restraints have been removed,
and the Pension Ring is invited to new
entertainment, with the moral certainty
that millions will be stolen. under law
seemingly devised in the interest OF pro-
| fessional swindlers and praetlsed knaYes.