The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-09-23
PENSION AGENT MARSH.

rapidly One would think that aftef a
quarter of a century had passed that no
new claims that were just could be found
or would be allowed But the fact is that
| during the year ending June 80. 1882,
there were added TO the roll, 16,S67 new
| claims making the total at that time to be
| 2S5, 697. The amount of money paid out
| for this purpose during the past year was
| $51 1896, ESQ, and the whole amount from
| 1851 is $3.50, 641, 324 This is large
| amount of money; but while the taxpayers
are satisfied that the claims are Just, the
| money viii be gladly paid. But the fact
| is becoming widely disseminated that there
| is large amount of fraud connected with
| this department of public business; that it
is being made one of the numerous ways
by which political influence is gained, and
votes are bought. A large number of the
new claims are those of voters and nearly
all of them embrace back pay
All honest men are opposed to this sort
of business for several reasons:
1. 1t encourages fraud and benefits
scoundrels.
g. 1t defrauds the government of a part
of its revenues.
3. 1t tends to make the name of pen
sioner" odious and thus those who have
suffered in the war and are justly entitled
to pensions are made to be the companions
of scoundrels.
offices of the government and using it for
political purposes; against this the sensi-
tive mind revolts.
5. 1t tends to perpetuate the animosi-
ties engendered by the rebellion; ten states
of the Union have their ratio of pension
money to pay, and their soldiers and sol
diers' orphans reap no benefit. Men do
not ordinarily like that sort of thing; we
would not like to pay the pensions of sol
diers who had fought against us and
whipped u.s. we would certainly not stand
it to see the list constantly increasing and
extending to those who were in no way en-
titled to it.
g. 1t is liable TO a terrible retribution.
An adverse administration of government
is not among the impossibilities; when it
comes, we may look for general sweeping
away of thousands of pensioners, some of
these among the very deserving. And ii
will bring in thousands of new pensioners
and from the states lately in rebellion, and
we shall have no ground for complaint;
we are sowing corruption and CORFU ption
must be reaped.
In this congressional district there are
about 500 persons drawing persons. 1t
is an open secret that there are at least
1000 applications pending; and it is also
well-known that the republican candidate
for congress is encouraging these applica-
tions and promising them his support
when the claims come before the congress
sional committee. All or nearly all, of
these new applications are from voters;
each one represents vote 1t is urged by
his friends that he is assiduous in looking
after the interests of the soldiers. 1t will
be found that he is more careful to look
after the interests of Frank Marsh. What
do the men of the Eleventh district think
of man who is using his political position
as a member of congress to increase the
number of pensioners that he may secure
votes thereby?
And yet no one can blame Marsh very
much. He had nothing TO base his candi-
dacy upon but patronage of some kind.
He is only following the policy of his party
and doing as others are doing. There is
nothing in the republican party but the
spoils. 1t may be a little worse than some
other things TO engage in the pension
agency business in order to buy up votes.
But a man who has agreed for office and
recognizes nothing in the office beyond
what it pays him, is not likely to shrink
from employing the sufferings of MANNED
soldiers, widows, and orphans to advance
his interests. He viii countenance and
aid any sort of fraud to gain his ends. The
cowardly deserter has vote just as the
man who lost limb in honorable ser
vice., The politician win place them
side by side in the pension ba-
reau. 1t is disgracing to the honest soldier
and he feels the indignity keenly; but the
politician cannot stop to consider scruples
of this SORT. 1t is votes that he is after
and these he will have at all hazards.
Voters of the 18th district, are you
willing that this shameful bartering of |
public trust should 60 on? Are YOU ready |
to have yourselves or your friends that
were partially or wholly disabled by the |
war. degraded to the level of these merce-
nary wretches? Shame on the whole ne
farious traffici Let the deserving reap all |
the reward which the government can |
afford to, give, but let the undeserving, the |
able bodied and uninjured, take the places
they ought to have.
AN1A-MARsH REPUBLICAN
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