New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-05

showed that a larger amount than that first an
nounced would be required to meet its provisions.
On the next day it was dis cussed in the Cabinet
and Secretary Sherman told his associates that it
would require an expenditure of O,OO0,OoO At
the next Cabinet meeting, held on the 25th OF Janu-
a Secretary SGhprz read 1f5er fbaa ir8 fbe b
would REQUIRE an immediate expenditure .f,, on
$360OO,OOo, to be followed by largely ,
increased annual requisitiOns to carry OUT
its provisions and that since ts passage the number
of letters asking for blank applications for pensions
had increased four-fold. Secretary sherman saia
the income of the Government was then only
sufficient to meet current expenses and interest
on the public debt and that the Arrears
bill would cause very heavy Dram upon @ tio
OF bonds or the levying of new taxes; OtheT mem
bers of the Cabinet said they Thought the GoVerh-
ment had already been more generous 10 its pen.
sioners than any other the face OF the earth tha
it had already provided for those soldiers who had
been disabled by reason of service, during tno
time the disability continued, and that 1t was not
called upon TO do more. They sald that there were
thousands of instances of persons being able TO earn
q livelihood for years after their dls-
charge from the Army, remaining during all the Ilne
substantially able bodied. ltatter ten or hteen years
had elapsed they became disabled and could trace
their disability to wounds or disease contracted
while in the military service, then they were pen
siOnable under existing laws but the new law
would pension them for all the years when they
were without disability. NOtwit hsandlng these
facts and arguments tht blIl was signed; a.. oorl,
aDle legislation was the passage OF the appfo-
priation TO meet the first demands under the
Arrears dill. An attempt was made III the senate 10
have the measure mscalled the Sixty Surgeon
bill attached 10 the appropriation bill III pro,
vided for personal examination By aphysiclan ana
lawyer, ON the part OF the Government lil;dr,
IL had been recommended by the COMMISSIONER Ol
Pensions aud the Secretary Of the Interior, Ill sew
cral successive annual reports, and had the mani
nous support of the Senate Committee on Pensions;
II was proposed as an amendment ana
defeated. Senator Chandler supported the meas
ure in powerful spsech ana sodCst,Tg sara, among nf
the Interior had stated that the proposed
plan would, if adopted, save million year OF tie
twenty-five or thirty millions then annually eA-
pended, ,e,,
In the debate upon the appropriation itself Mr.
Thurman said:
When that Arrears of Pensions bill was under consd
Grafton IL my ears did not deceive the chairman OF
the Committee read communication from the commits
sioner Pensions about year old think 1t was IN
much that would take out OF the Treasury, ana that
statement If heard Alright, thatit would take about
passage Of the bill that heard that the COmmis
soner Of Pensions required lor the present
fiscal year. and there s no telling where IL Is to end
And told in some quarters Tat II VIII taAe
some say sixty and some say one bundtei
Treasury must say that II that Is 80 there was
70 grevOus error somewhere whcn the Arrears Ol rem
sOns bill considered.
The Surgeon bill being defeated as an amend
ment. came up early in February as an independent
measure and was discussed during several days.
Senator Wthers, who was in charge of it, was
weak and inefiicicnt General Logan, who took the
lead in opposing 1t, was positive and aggressive
Senator KrkwOOd. supporter OF the bill, said IN
speech that he mad recently received a let
ter from widow III his state beSeecung MN IN
plaintyc terms not To support the measure, since
If il passed she would not be able To meet the
necessary expense of prosecuting her claim ior a
pension lie had applied ASSURING me writer 'at
ahe was mistaken, inasmuch as the bill was de-
signed 10 aid her. He threw the letter INTO h4 waste
basket aud took up his Tribune. III which he
tound a Washington dispatch describing the methods
~ the pension claim agents, and he noticed
among other devices, that they had sent out printed
drafts of letters which TO be copied by pension
claim agents and sent by mail to senators ana
Representatives. Th Language OF the lo tier looked
familiar, and he went TO his waste basket, picked
cut the fragments OF the widows letter, and, COM
pairing IL with that printed IN IHE iuBUNE ne
found them identical in language
Senator Saunders, an opponent OF the measure,
who had not heard the remarks of Mr.. KiTkwOod,
made speech during which he read plaintive let
fer from one of his constituents beseechng hIn not
to support the bill 1t proved 20 be the same letter
Senator Wthers said he had received iorty Oh ttei
senator Burnside said Il tell you that
knew as well as man can
know ANYTHING which has not been demonstrated
posiycy that the great opposition to tins bill has
bq.n brought about Sy the claim agents of this
country. They have commanded my at
tentori one of them commanded my attention this
very day. anu mace NO HS'c" u n''n i0i "'i "'
The Reorganization bill was defeated The next
and last step in the progress 0l the SChene was 10
sccurr the removal of Commissioner Bentley. ms
was dore by necessarily harpmg III their adyertls-
me sheets upon his alleged severity upon the ad-
indication OF claims and by circulating thousands
nf pcitions for the signatures of eX-soldiers pray
ing for his removal. by which means a
political pressure was brought to bear upon the
President too strong to ne resisted The claim
arcntsW Werc however not successful IN getting the
man of their choice into the position thus made
vacant.
The most unique feature of this remarkable
scheme was the bOastings which followed
the passage of the Arrears bill. Mr. Rice,
of Ohio became n candidate for Governor, and
based his candidacy upon his efforts III behalf OF the
snIdiers claiming that the Arrears bill was bis
hopdiwork but the claim agents came IN and eStab-
ii,hed their own right to the credit of having de-
yiScd the measure and passed it, The most active
of them not content with the legitimate advantages
his class were certain to secure caused to be printed
and sent out by the thousand the following:
In recollection OF the labor Of - Tor the past three
wears IN conducting the prosecution OF the Arrears OF
scribe tho sIn OF dollars towards a testimonial to
him PAYABLE when receive the arrears OF any pensions
due me VolSueuI
Address -.
This was accompanied by circulars, signed by
leading claim agents of Washington, bearing testi-
mony to the efficiency of the person named In press
ing the matter upon tho attention of Congress and
in educating the press, the public, State Legisla-
lures and other bodies
1 he pension claim agents are comparatively lew
-, nuuiher and their proportion OF the money now