Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-10-13

to pensions, and who have not applied
for them and do not receive them. On
the other hand, there must be many
names on the rolls that ought not to be
there. The Acting Commissioner of
Pensions says that the publication of the
list will undoubtedly be followed by the
discovery of thousands of cases in which
pensions are paid to persons who were
them by fraud. In this statement he
admits the truth of assertions that have
been made from time to time in Con-
gress and elsewhere.
1t may be that cases of fraud like
those of which the Acting Commissioner
speaks are frequently discovered by the
Pension Office in the course of its rou-
tine business, The people, however,
hear very little about them. Two or
three months ago a well-to-do Wiscon-
sin farmer, who had secured by fraudu-
lent representations arrears amounting
to $500, and twenty dollars a month,
was convicted and sent to the peniten-
tiary for three years. A woman was
recently prosecuted in Philadelphia for
personating a pensioner to whom a
large sum was due, and a prominent
resident of Titusville, Pa, was sent to
jail for having} tried to bride the Com
missioner and three examining sur
geons. These are the only examples of
unsuccessful pension frauds that have
recently become known to the public.
From time to time, however, the ras-
cality of claim agents who have accumu-
lated great fortunes in Washington by
plundering honest applicants is ex-
posed. If thousands of fraudulent pen
%sioners are drawing money, some way
in which they could be detected and
punished ought to have been found be-
fore this time. The loosest kind of
management could not prevent the oc-
%casional exposure Of q rascal in so long
a list, but one would suppose that good
management must not only bar out the
rascals who ask for money but also dis
lodge many of the thousands who have
been robbing the Government for
years.
Il is said that while the publication of
the list will lead to the discovery of
many cases of successful fraud, it will.
also increase pension expenditures and
the work of the office by assisting claim.
"SetAoo AnstihS "il Ilooc PeHSiolIcIS
who are not getting as much money as
they are entitled to. All these pension
ers will be invited by the agents to ap.
ply! for more, and thousands of them
will promptly make application. Well,
if any man on the list has been
drawing, because of his ignorance or
for other reasons, less than the law al
lows him, justice DEGREES that his pen
sion shall be increased, if he desires the
additional sum that is due. Honest cit
liens, who think that Congress has been
UNIV isely liberal in pension legislation,
will not complain because every man
gets his due SO long as the existing laws
shall remain in force, but they are de-
cidedly unwilling that a pension shall
be paid to any person who does not de-
serve one, and who has deceived the
Pension Office and secured his allow
ance by fraud. Perhaps the Govern
ment might save some money and pro-
mote the ends of justice by placing a
liberal distribution of the printed list
costly though the volumes may be-so
that it can be examined by those who
would like to know how many persons
are drawing money which they ought
not to receive.-N. Y. Times.