The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-08-06

they arc capable when any selfish object
may be gained. s.s,5,7.-,xelEs~y .'..-
L., -
Gen. Sherman on Pension Jobs.
Gen. W. T. SHERMAN, in speaking recently
OF the kindly feeling of the public for the
veteran soldiers of the Union is credited with
having used the following language:
I'VE have gone the verge OF extravaganza in grant
ing pensions to prvates but believe the people
satisfied that should in the direction Of too much
rather than too little"
. Gen. SHERMAN would have been more accu-
rate had he said that Congress, instead Of
remaining on the verge Of extravaganza, had
gone far beyond it. There are now quarter
OF a million pensioners OF the civil war on
the rolls; recent legislation Of Congress will
soon have increased this number TO half
million; more than five hundred million dol
lars had been dealt out to them up to March
], 1882; sixty-ive millions were paid out
during the fiscal year just ended, and a
hundred millions is the appropriation for the
present fiscal year; the Arrears act alone,
according to Commissioner DUDLEY, will re-
quire three hundred millions and according
TO cx-Commissioner BENTLEY, four hundred
millions; and finally, during the next twenty
five years the amounts to be paid out on ac-
count OF this one war will be about thirteen
hundred millions. thus making the total
amount paid up to that time nearly two bill
lions, even should all those projected schemes
Of additional pension legislation meanwhile
fail, which, II successful, would make the
amount greater than the entire war debt
This is what Gen. SHERMAN describes as
nearing the brink OF extravaganza!
The excuse suggested by Gen. SHERMAN
for this monstrous prodigality is that the
people do not want to see their heroes in the
poorhouse and their veteran soldiers beg
ging bread in the streets. This is the familiar
plea by which the selfish and Ubiquitous pen
Zion legislation Of Congress has often been
defended. The reasoning is as fraudulent as
the legislation. 1t is notorious that the great
majority OF the pensioners never have been
In any danger Of the poorhouse, nor have
ever needed public bounty for their support,
The real outrage on the Treasury, how
ever is that an unknown but large proper
ton of those who thus draw its money have
no Just claim to it. Looking at the numbers
OF the pensioners and OF the pending claims,
and then comparing them with what We
know to have been the deaths in battle and
disabling character, it becomes evident at
the outset that there must be great frauds,
especially as various circumstances have
caused many good claims for pensions never
to be presented at all. We have also evidence
from ex-Commissioner BENTLEY with regard
to hundreds of cases in which such frauds
have been accidentally discovered, and his
assurance that the pension laws themselves
cover up ordinary swindles, so that no one
can estimate how many thousands Of fraud
ulent pensioners must be now on the rolls.
Mr.. BENTLEYs earnest protests on this
subject produced their natural result. The
claim agents determined to have his head,
and they got it. President GARFIELD re-
moved him, and put Mr.. DUDLEY in his
stead. The latter began new policy by
making estimates vastly diminished from
those Of his predecessor on the prospective
pension burdens. When the repeal Of the
arrears job was under consideration, he eX-
pressed the opinion that it would cost much
less than Mr.. BENTLEY has calculated. So it
has uniformly been with his other estimates
OF future pension expense. Which OF tho two
Is nearer right. time only can show, but the
whole spirit of Mr.. DUDLEY, like that OF Gen.
SHERMAN has been eXcusatory and exculpa-
tory, lulling the fears Of the people, and thus
Indirectly inviting new extrayagances, where
his predecessor had sounded the alarm. The
one point, however, in which he has far out
done Mr.. BENTLEY Is in his prodigious de-
mands for actual cash, always accompanied
with assurances that henceforth the annual
needs would largely decrease.
The unsound and injurious views OF Gen
SHERMAN are those which have prevailed
during the present session of Congress
Senator LoGAN's chief contribution to pen
sion legislation was a bill allowing claim
agents, by way Of encouragement, S25 In
stead Of $40 as hitherto, for each claim
pushed TO success. Mr.. MosGRovE and Mr.
VAN VooRHIs rivallcd each other in bills fol-
rewardlng soldiers who were captured AM
confined in Confederate prisons, the former
desiring to put them permanently on the
pension roll. Senator VEST refused to aid II
repeating the arrears swindle, on the grount
that he had accepted the full and Legitimate
results Of the surrender at AppomattoX.
Senator VOORHEES, declared that mo GOV
ernment could afford to haggle with IT.
pensioners about the price OF their blood );
while Senator INGALLS, insisted that any
body who would oppose giving S4O0,OO00O
uDder tne Arrears hct hau cheap anu con
stipatcd soul" Mr., DUDLEY undcrstoo'
Congress, after ALL when he reported tina
the legislation needed to check pension
frauds would be as follows:
"Irrosponsbls persons falsely and maiiciously sweS
that the pension claim to pension Of soldiers the
widows or dependents has been obtained or is sought
be cttsincd BY fraud There seems to be no Law b
which such persons can be prosecuted, and hope
see an enactment by which those swearing falsel
against mertorous claimants right to pension tha
tesubleCi TO Indictment and prosecution"
suggestion to cease granting pensions 0