The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1882-07-29

cause it was anonymous in reference to the
subject of it, Said Mr.. Plumb further:
| / do not object to publicity in con-
nection with pensions Any proper measure
| for that purpose, inspired by proper feel
! ing, will get my vote; but at the CLOSE OF
| session of Congress which was opened by cen
| eral dcnunciation Of the peDsiou-rol where
! the general allegation was supported by long
| speech the part Of the Senator from Ken
lucky to show that the arTcars-of-penso act
was q fraud, and that persons who hud been put
upon the roll by reason Of that act were largely
! persons who were not entitled to pensions, [ DO
not mean if l can help it chat a session opened
thus shall close by giving effect to his insiuua-
tions in the shape of such proof us he has offered
| or any other.
/ have no doubt there are fraudulent persons
on the penson-roll We pass fraudulent claims
here every session. You cannot construct q
! pCnSlon-TOIl Of $4,000 names without there
! being fraud upon it, There is now and then
! person upon it who, as the Senator from Ken
| lucky said, incurred his disability somewhere
! else than in the army. There is now and then
a widow upon the roll who has since married
there is now and then person upon it who
was not IN the army at all; but such cases are
constantly being tcrreted out. Never until the
| millennium comes shall we be without fraud un-
der the best possible system OflcgislatiOn; but |
say that the penSiOn-rOll as whole, not only
!
and minor exceptions, represents men who
! were disabled in the service Of their country
and who are legally and equitably entitled to
every cent they get
1t is asked if these men are fairly entitled
to pensions why do they object to having their
names published. l do not know that they do
object; but | know men who are drawing
pensions who seem to be Just as healthy as |
am.
Suppose now we pass this provision and it
has the effect which the Senator from Ken
lucky desires it shall have, there are six men
in particular township put down as having
received a pension from the Government.
When it is believed that the Commissioner of
Pensions desires information from the people of
the neighborhood III regard to those men, every
man in the neighborho0d who has a pre- CjudiCc on
account OF party, on account of personal feeling,
or on account of any other thing, Will lift up his
voice to say that those men are not entitled to
pensions. Against the judgment of the mcdl
cal officers and the investigation beinScarried
ON in the Pension Bureau it is proposed to take
the Judgment of laymen, of the mans neigh
borS, and to say to man, q" Unless you parade
your wound, unless you parade your illness, un-
less you exhibit your body and all Its fralIticS
and impericctiOnsa and disabilities to this trial by
tdc hundred. - She inspection your neighbOrS,
you are not fit to be borne upon the pensiOn-rOu.
We have heard good deal about these en-
penses. The expenses of the war to its close
are said to have been, in round numbers,
S600OO00,000. 1t was an expensive job Thank
God it was well done; and if it costs $1,000
000,000 more to repair the damages to the men
who carried that flag and who planted it on the
ramparts of rebellion, let US appropriate the
money. 1t was money well spent and it will
be money well spent as long as there is one Of
those veterans to drag his cmaCiatcd body over
the country that he helped to keep intact.
1t was an expensive war, and the fact that it
was expensive is evidenced to-day. 1t is wise
for this country, it is a good thing for this
country that it appreciates to-day in this large
pension-rOll that it had a war of that kind on
its hands with the magnificent result which
fOllowcdit. 1t is not only stimulus to patriot
ism, but it is warning against treason as we'll
| do not want to hear, L hope | shall never hear
any man speak Of the size of the pension list,
or any man speak of the number borne on its
rolls, or any man state the dollars it costs to
keep up rs any reason for any kind of restric-
tion whatever or to show why the apprOpria-
tion should not continuously and always be
made.