New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-11

the neighbOrhOOd practitioner ana the family pnl sohn'
and who Is IN favor of the allowance OF the claim The
evil OF this y stem grows almost entirely out OF the sc
crct cy marie nature Of the proceedings. have pro-
posed 10 Congress system which provides FOR the ta"
ing OF testimony before Government officers III puoc III
the neighhorhood Of the claimant ana MS Witnesses
Ths proposition was made IN first annual report IN
the fan Of 1876 and has been repeated each year since
believe il IA the only remedy possible and IN "c Tue
only ono necessary 10 protect the Government against
the fr uds perpcraod and at the same time secure 10
mertrto claimants an early and fair consideration OIL
their claims
Mr.. HubbeT. whose knowledge Of the subject
is conceded by all, declared i'll recent speech
Leru.not pay ont this moacf on mere n Pa'fe ana
prno acc case, made n, PERHAPS ny an n'o"p''e"'
cItk Under our present system anybody can
ret n pension who Wiling 80 take false oath man
may uu; In claims Of persons VINO never cN't'' rs WIZ"
ow. of private srlcrs or oi Officers IN c"iohe VIC
rooior or some tnicer OF company may have Derh
killed AMI knowing that no one vii ever inquire mo
IT, q man M, g.l all laws that Tn" rau'"h III ''"1
ant applying Is The widow of such officer All ne proofs
may be auar nty in proper shape, and yei The calm
ant be a fictitious character.
In view of all this evidence, It is surely I'M
reasonable to suppose that half the fraudulent
claims are detected and dslllOWed. But The
Commissioner states that 80 per cent of all the
claim; presented are thus excluded; il an eqaal
number of fraudulent cllImS escape dc'e 'tlon,
that number must be over forth per cent OF the
CLAIMS allowed and p3id. in that case
$4,000 900 is TOO low an estimate for the
amount to be tins stolen.
It Is time that this gigantic sWindc should be
stopped. At the outset the passage of the act
was REGARDED ~ ,&pcdicnt and just by many
men VINO stan agiiast n, the enormous plundcr
for which It has opened the way. They hon
estly believed, nc doubt. that the opportunities
tor fraud would not be rs great as they really
are In fact, many insisted that the act would
not take as much as 300, 100000 from the
Treasury, ana bills were introduced 10 provide
fora sale of from $40, 100000 to $10O,0O0,0O0
in bonds, to cover all the expenditure necessary
under the act These estimates were based
upon the probable number Of persons who were
really entitled to the benefit of the act But
sad experience has taught that the number OF
those who are able and willing 10 GET w proof
that they are entitled is very much greater;
how much greater indeed, no man can now
GUESS The III mhel VIC thought it right to
vote for bll which he believed might take
forty millions from the Trca Jury Tor a inst
purpose, may well I.coa slider, and he prepared
to vote for its repeal or amendment, when
lie iliit mat III l. lht4 10 tdNI ii'Hi Wv
Treasury ten times as much, and "A laISe pant OF
it for 10 inst pu;pcSe whatever
The Tfca .ury is threatened now Wiiha sill
more rapid dclicton. Bills are pending to lei
in all the applications that have been matte
since the limitation fixed by existing law tx
pred, and all that may hereafter hc made. 1t
is Il very good time % apply a much needed
remedy for the excessive and fraudulent claims
already allowed. Further examination and
allowance Of claims Ought to be Immediately
stoppcd. Measures ought to br taken At once,
either those suggested by the Commissioner or
others equally effective, to investigate the cases
of those " no are now drawing pensions at Their
places of residence and to secure similar IN
ye>tigatiun Of all new claims hereafter. The
country cannot afford to bankrupt itself by rc-
fu>al 20 USE ordinary precautions AGAINST fraud.
Il owes much to the dead, but something also
10 the living; much to The disabled, but rom"-
thing also to the children that are to inhcr, the
land.