, 1881-01-14
THE PENSION SYSTEM.
Tremendous Abuses and Frauds-Un-
lesa Reformed the Whole Public
Revenues Will Bo In
quilted.
Ilow Il rurL Of Tic E,il, Aight ID Rtmed|ta It the
Claim Agents All1wed Congress 10 Atl.

INV llItl pCllSJplA 1lhhNHt '' Ntas l
"Wlnt do yo,, think will bo the ultimate
result of tho Arrcnrs act"" .. |
al the ttMe Ut the pnssugo Of the Arrears
net, Jan. 2:5, 1870" MIR. Bentley responded,
"tllcrc were IN the Pension Office fully 1o0,-
OG, claims which wull, he affected by 1t.
Probably X, ,O0N were absolutely barred Under
See. ATT of tic Revised Statutes, which was
repeated by the Arrears act, aid tic hashslcn
were claims which, Ind been Med mnre than
Two years nfter the discharge Or dcnth Of tic
so1,lsey, BESIDES these thcra were ab0lit IJ,-
tNO pensioners who were entitled to more or
less arrears under tho act. The Original net
Of Jail. n, 1s70. proydrtl tint tho arrears
should be paid III all eases ut tic rate ut
which tho original pension Ind been or
should lie allowrl.-that Is 10 say. If the pell-
sion wus granted thu rcls!oncr entitled 10
rate Of ssO per tlOntl1 would receive nrfrnfs |
ut the same rate baek to the discharge ut t'sa
sDi,licr regardless Of wnt had bec., TIC dlsa-
,,il,ty, whether greater or tcss. An esttmate
wns nale ot the amount which Il wnllld cost |
to settle the arrears due IL tho i30c0 pension"
ers wl,nso cases lntl nlrcady been se'tlrd. Tile
amount was ul,oul s34, GOO, Goa. AS thcbIE WIS
PASSED 1t created great inequality among tho
pensioners For instnlce, the rc1lsioner WHO
Ind been pensioncd from tho date Ut his tls-
Charge lvey have been allowed 81 II month
fur time, then s., thcM $40, md ut last
reached S.U per ,l.nl,th nj the statc Of tic
,.assusc Of tlis act. When Il soldiers clA!h
Ind not lepn settled whose disability was
precisely tho sa,ne, lie, under tlle act, would
pn give II S9U per rnDNtl, ns1 the way back 10
discharge. l1tMn MY suggestion ConHrcss,
oil the d of alnrc''. so amended the blll ~
To erualixe pensions. ovcrennl.g tue tlls!-
,ulty iwfre stated, (Il,tler tl.g htt aa nltirn-
II fIf I1{H UtHt iG1t-
sinners viii bs less thai 81, ,1(W, ,UUn. III nd.
,litnn 10 tho r!ains which were le1,till!g ns,l
casnr Under tlie Arrears Art ti9etS were 1'l.ni.
2Dtii nf LuliG. lssO, wien the arrears ltlGsl'-
tIUl irnk effect. nearly. IS,.0C0 new Claims.
81, that 81, tIn :y1ti. 81 June Inst there were
sIpwarsl Of ..s'GN liyc l'rItllnE el!at!s W ano
0i arrears will be ttne upnll allowance q tl!e
cIain. the average befn, upwar: nf S!,N0 Y
each c;,sc, which nvcrneu Will lncrcns" SlM
aa,.t" s "Iw"rd cae'' year until tue claims "''
FRAUDULENT CLAIMS.
".What amount Of these claims Is frnnsln-
lit Is fmpr,,cticnblc 10 ,nalc nnythlng like
ncertal t>tn.nie Of TIC i1Mu.lne't tim ",,es or
rcasal or. anosher. Thirty per cent, how
eyer. ,nny be regarded rs lair estimate"
& "Wlat M , %!l y, thu amount OF the ''fs1 pay
"l1pon tic whole: It may be expected t!!at
the tlrst payment wnlclI VIZ 10 all'wes VIII
reapi, Tho sum ut S:a!tn. .000.0 .0M"
"ltnw many pensioners will ttk naa 10
nSs M; s Hg e; 5t fs F|s ess ;,,i i
r., s, py,nsM, as III q. ~; ;,,1 = '''e ''sl
1,rT.tt., cuSr !k,F TIE. 4tlnt;.tt'S ANr.
"Wlsat do yt,,l cst1nnte4 will be the total
cost Of tlis luxury cilsed Tho Arrears nct to
the ta%payers"
n As rsst ssIoas n 's & e5 % Se.s sss !a III, 'ho
S,5,O31, 600 n!rtMtj paid ~ the oil teslnacrS,
may l,t SIT down az nut iess tllnli SlDMo,on.
mud this Il lAbt 10 ~ ni,crsaSsM it fi!n lMr, lt,
: bc reduced. UrpM This latter f"Int II WILDE
well to understand tint tho lercrl@i,go @ II
1rn'ltluient cIAn's il'lnilE the sss;tVo l,ew
iess t'an Tie pefsentnge ii fr;a,''eleni cinims
nnn1lg tl,os,. llltI during tic six or eight
years preceding; AMI further, tic tlesirr for
I,tusd4 penslops;, w'shy ITO means MS great us Mt
"1Iow 10 you explain thls.?"
'''Flo rcaSisl Is obvious, When tho War
closel 1nnst 1f tho soldiers cn'nc, out having
iq l,a,d tlierbaSk M ply anl b"t'ntlesiMa % %o.
Wetc prosperous, apparently ut leust; md
they were young men. and, ge'Wrlliy tillstl
with pafrIotir spirit .nnd lHtsollal indie
expense. ni,d they hntt rrilG Abnte lNT0iIl-
inE dependent upon the Government; Alnny
lo"led forward 10 recovering from, their W.
ness orinjurlcs, md .rerhnIs Ind n!rrady
partially recovered, but ~ years went ~
bsgnn, Insteit1, t1 frel their disabilities In
.:,rase. 'flIen,, assln, the Ilna'riat crush 1T
ls1san the subsequent ycnrs OF embarrt,ss-
inen., brought MMNy who supposed theMs-
selves IN independent circumstances "a pell-
tlFy. anu Wlicsl tile Arrears net passed lA.r-
= s0HS who Ind brGM tlnyed by III these Sow
Try seN!sh.eht3 ioASt' theS ''a;! III stns"siMNe
1nMis n 'mmxos M, thmse @ s,.io ,Hi,p ntc W sa' s,'f
fnS!,,,, f,'s ps!s' Ms. tstiau WY MHaI smt
ii,R af iw in ,ni,, M1""Sa,a tH"sv ~, MM t pee
MT i;1r,i i te;r ni;u, I'm. !" uaSir in m, ~ ~
,v,,r mi sn, '.,,i'u t' ,,,t uf %
"nihnr ~. m',,"nu ~ rnni' ri,.s,s ~ a.. H.M
eialI,is uii,o,,s thn ,'cw oncs iJeI u ,n,r "n
s'ea'eF tllah nus nee'r ee'sefnl'y Sl'pI'ose''.'
., No h1NlSnItoS Or Claims:
ut u nOw over sixteen yrn,s since the
c'nse of thu Wur; do, ,y4u 1ot lind, the n,!nl-
hvr ,na, "f ,,a.S lsM cnms Diminishing during thu
"lwttl answer that BY citing sou ~ the
fact TINT Notwithstanding tho great nnnberOf
It V