The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1883-09-21

With interest. aimee this catalogue, II
properly prepared and distributed, msy
reveal the existence Of q nultitnaa of
frauds. Il will necessarily contain over
SOC, 900 names, with the aecompas ying
Post Office addresses and local inves--
legations may possibly detect hundreds
OF thousands Of uwindlers, involving,
first and last, The stealing Of millions
from the Treasury. s#
Unfortunately, COMMISSIONS Dedley
Is on record ~ holding the belief that
the number and amount Of fraudulent
pensions have been enormously exag-
gerated, and that they form only
most Insignificant fraction Of the whole.
II is impossible to have much confidence
in the anxiety of . department main-
tanning such opinions to prove its judg-
ment unsound by ferreting ont with
great zeal every case around which
film of suspicion may rest. The matter
would present itself in an entirely
different ligat were Mr.. Dudley's pre-
dscessor still in office. The chief char
acteristics Of Commissioner Bentley
were the two alarms he constantly
sounded, 6rst as to the shameful ex-
travaganes Of Congress in It's pension
arrears legislation, and secondly As to
the prevalence Of FRAUDULENT pensions,
which he pronounced to be enormous
10 amount, judging from the few cases
no was able to unearth in the lack Of
means TO trace out the whole system Of
swindling which he suspected. These
notions cost Mr.. Bentley his Official
post and some Of thoee who favored
the appointment Of Dir. Dadlcy as his
successor, boasted that these official
complaints of extTavagance and frauds
would thereafter cease. In fact, one
Of the earliest opinions attributed 10 the
new Commissioner was that the pension
Is q contract aud not = gratuity-A
doctrine prepoaterous enough in itself,
but the only Que on which the prodi-
gious iobbery Of the past could be
defended, and unlimited pension jobbery
in the future be sustained.
Mr.. Dudley commenced his financial
operations by asking Congress for the
unprecedented appropriation Of $780,
100000 for n single year, and for Z
large increase Of clerical force, so as tC
facilitate the distribution Of this snorm.
Gus sum. But, as Washington ofiieiall
do not work twelve hours q day, will
ell the industry OF his extra clerks be
could cnly get rid Of about two-.hirdI
Of the appropriation. Another indica
tiSh Of tho new Commissioners policJ
Was given in his first report about th,
checking OF frauds. lie called loudly
on Congress to punish frAuds-not
ho Wever. the frauds Of those who hav
been plotting for years to pIunder tn
Treasury by fictitious claims and forge
evidence, but the alleged outrages Of
mysterious body Of people, who, as b
discovered. for reasons best known
themselves, were preventing legitimat
claimants from making their applies
tions, by threatiDg them with prosecu
ton for swindling.
1t is well to recall these things, 9
that the people may not be too muc
disappointed should the publication ,
the pension list be less effective ager
, cv in the detection aud punishment c
frauds than was hoped when the di
cussion of this publication came up j
Congress. To begin. with, it is sal
that only small edition Of the pension
list will be published. II is by n
means clear, also, that the pamphlet
will be carefully placed where tbs
will do the most good. We can earl
conceive of an effective publication
the list either through local newspape
or by the posting up, in Post Offices {
other conspicuous places, of the sma
portion of the list in which each part
cular locality is concerned. But v
can also conceive that the routine issu
of stout pamphlet, with the naw'
nassed Unfortunately, and withou
any effort to procure the right distrib
ton and examination, might simp
follow the road of tons of other publ
documents TO the pulp mill. Exact
what the actual case will be with tn
new list can only be known by exper
ence but it is evident that, in ord
not to make the affair mere sham, Il
( publication should be widespread, ~
brought to the notice of every city al
township concerned, and then follow
up by the eager efforts of skilled d
: tectives.
4 The zest with which the Pensi
2 Office is going into this business m
{ be surmised from a recent omino
suggestion of the Acting Commission
Z that the list will be chiefly of use
o claim agents in giving them the addr'
. ses of those whom they will urge
8 apply for an increase of existing pc
!. sions. The claim agents, howev