The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-07-29
Our Pensioners.

Our Pensioners.
The money required to pay pension
ers has suddenly jumped from about
$2S, OO0, 900 to SEQ, 900, 600, for that enor-
nous sum will be required next year,
and $40, 000, 900 the year after, and the
Lord only knows when the maximum
will be reached. Col. Bently, pension
commissioner, who was forced to re-
sign for no cause except to play into
the hands of the Washington pension
agents, in q conversation Last Monday
among other things said:
The number of new pensions grant
ed during the year will be about q, 900
exclusive of the war Of 1872 pensions.
The settlements next year ought to
reach from As, 600 to $1,000. First there
are probably from 5000 to 1000 cases
on the files ready, or nearly 30, for the
issue of certificates. Weh9ve exhaust
ed the pension appropriation for this
year $40, 800, 3O6.58, and have been
compelled to carry over into July
nearly all the June settlements. l
think they will reqnire for the first
payment about So, QO0, 900. This add
ed to the expected increase in the set
Element next year will bring the
amount for next year up to nearly or
quite $50, OQ0, 600, so there will be re-
Guired for pensions next year an ap-
propriati0n of $40, 900 900 in addition to
the $50 200, 900 already appropriated.
New claims continue to come In very
RAPIDLY. There have been filed this
year upwards of 5000 new original
claims, :.
Each new pension with tsarIearages'
commencing back to the time OF dis
charge during the war, costs the gov
eminent from 81 900 to $1,000, and 600
to 500 new pensions consume S., 0OQ, 600
OF taxes to pay the arrearage allowance.
Formerly mans pension began to
run from the time he applied for 1t !;
under the demagOgue act of two years
ago it is made retroactive, and to date
back to the time of his discharge nom
the army, which is utterly unfair TO
the tax payers, and is a powerful In
ducemept or temptation to fraud In
filing claims for such allowances. In
other words the government was COM
PEELED by Congress TO advertise bo-
nus of 81 600 to 5000 cash for every
name added to the roll. It is no WON
der that such an announcement drew
out host of applicants who had never
thought of filing claim. The ninety.
day men, the home guards, the bounty
jumpers, and large numbers who had
never been connected with the army
in any meritOEiOus manner became
candidates for government support.
The pension claim agents in Washing
ton organized in force. They started
newspapers for the special purpose Of
spreading throughout the country the
glad tidinga that Uncle Sam proposed
to buy a farm or give 81 600 to $1,000
in cash to every rogue who could play
the wounded or diseased soldier long
enough to get Doctors certificate.
But this was not all, nor the worst.
The law which set aside the revenues
for the promotion Of pauperism failed
to provide the government with any
representation in the examination of
pension candidates. It admits the ap-
plicatiOn on exparte testimony. A
large part of tie money ostensibly
paid out to merit0riOus soldiers really
goes to the gO-betweens who put up
we'll and hale men to commit fraud.
In this manner the politicians who
have professed such extravigant de-
vOtion to the "soldier element" have
really endangered the interests Of
those who were wounded or contracted
disease in the service Of the govern
,pent, because they have built up 80
high and top-lofty a'system that it
may fall of its own weight. It is GER
tain that something must be done to
curtatl this overflow of government
gratuites. No other nation than ours
could bear up under it, and even the
American people will tire of it before
Chicago Tribune.