Daily Republican., 1881-12-16
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1851
The Pension Frau Il.


Congress more important in its general
bearings and the interest manifested
than that of Arrears of Pensions, bill
for the repeal of which has already
been introduced into Congress. Injus-
tice should not be done to the soldiers
in the repeal of the act, but aside from
that We are free to say that more gi-
gantic piece of denagoyuery with fraud
in view from its conception was never
concocted and introduced into Congress,
for the sake of manufacturing political
capital out Of it. Something Of that
kind might have been expected, from
the fact that it was introduced by
Democrats and passed by IL Democratic
Congress, though after it was intro
duced, Republicans as well az Demo
Gratis voted for it, but now that it is
proven to be the II ost tlagrant of frauds,
'emocrats, Republicans, GrcenbackeIs
and all should unite in repeating i, at
once, and substitute it with SON ething
else that will benefit the soldiers more
than the claim agents who get lion
share of the money.
If the bill be not repealed it threatens
10 drain the Treasury Of every dollar
of surplus and to compe, the levy OF ir-
creased taxes, as the present resources
of the Treasury will not meet its ex-
Orbitant and often fraudulent de-
mands. The claims ii ED since July
lst, 1880, in eighteen months aggregate
S235, 200, 900, all of which must be- paid
from the Treasury, and since January
Both, 1881, some $500 more claims
have been filed. aggregating an enor-
nous amount, and still new claims are
being presented, many of them manu-
factured to order, for under the loose
provisions Of the act, fraud is actually
invited, and. there are no mea Ms proviitd
for detecting and furnishing it.
Congress must be just to the country
az we'll as to the soldiers, and if il
should feel that it would be unjust 10
any veteran by repeating the Arrears
act, it could, after voting the repeal,
pass bill that would be just to both
the soldiers and the government. mol
one would deny to them not only their
rights, but the most generous conces-
sions. 1t is really a question, however,
whether the soldiers profit by the Ar
FEARS act, it being pretty we'll estab-
lished that the profits accrue to the
claim agents, who are said to be the
original authors of the act and who
are declared to be the real owners
of the majority Of the claims presented.
No doubt the Democrats will be about
as anxious now to repeal the bill as
they were two years ago to pass it, as
1T was only a political dodge any how
to catch the soldier vote. The soldiers, !
however, were not to be caught by such |
clap.trap nonsense They took the
money so generously otioled with
Democratic smiles and apologies for /
calling them "Lincoin's hirelings"
during the war, but at the same time
they made no Investments in Demo
cratic political stock, not even so far
as to vote for the great Democratic war
candidate for President, General Han.
cock. We would however not throw
all the blame upon the Democrats.
They conld not have passed the bill
without Republican all, if the latter
had only had sutliCie lent back bouo 70
stan1 mp against tho solt %.
Wa a bid for tae .-'' oihe' bu. IL
Repub.i"" ,s der.rminet to 'r' r,d "nu as hi"h 10"
az me Dcmoc.ats for it, threw princi-
pie aside aud went with the popular
tide. Repub. leans see now where they
III issed tb- mark in voting for the bill,
forgetting for the time that the true
Anne. lean soldier is not TO be seduced
from his principles, by al increase of
?. usion,