Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1884-01-11
PENSION JOBS.
Ine Most dangerous Attacks on the
Treasury

WAsHINGrcN. January s9.-The most
dangerous attacks on the Treasury aniHng
the many which lurk in the mass of bis
thus far introduced, are those proposing
additions to the pension rolls. Each one
OF the general Treasures of this class is
backed uS oy great flood of petitions,
which apparently come from ex-soldiers,.
"a reality the large part OF thera afe col
ieeted by claim agents. End they repre-
summer recess. One clam agent here
gathered 10000 names OF soldiers or al.
ieged soldiers, asking for additional pen
slcn legislation. Aside from the general
bills which involve, by official calculation,
over 500, 900, 900, there have already been
introduced, including those presented in
the House yesterday and TODAY, nearly
1000 private pension bills.
great many Of thess Originate with
pension attorneys; who ssnd bundles of
them TO members. @ith request to pre-
sent them, TSaey then charge those in
!eiesVeu a fee Of S25. OF course not one
= .en OF this cless can ever pass. Many of
them have no merit, and few sent in by
claim agents are ever followed further
than to make the demand for the fee
The proposition to equalize bounties has
been introduced by at least dozen mem
bers. There have been several official
calculations made of the amount which
the passage OF such bill would require.
The paymaster-general estimated that it
would require minimum of $l37 ZOO, 900,
and that the amount might run up to
S163, 100000. No official calculation places
the sum required at less than S125 ZOO, 900.
Aside from this, at least $50 additional
clerks would be needed to make the set
Element
The next scheme in the order OF magni-
tude is The one for removing all limit upon
granting arrears of pensions. This is also
the conception OF pension attorneys, and
is strongly supported by the food OF no
titions which they have procr,ssed, This
proposition furnishes a. means OF deplet-
ing the IreasurvT, which acts with CON
stantly acceierating poN'nr, Since it stimu-
rates applica6crre, and gives to the late
ones blyttef sums than those preceding.
'telated to these plans are the petitions
arriving from soldiers, protesting against
the reduction or abolition Of internal rev.
enue taxes, This form OF petition was
prepared and printed in Washington and
sent ont by prominent claim agents. With
it went an explanation anu an argument.
Immense editions Of this argument were
printed and mailed to those On tie lately
printed pension lists
1t was set forth that the nIan to abolish
internal revenue taxes was that OF monop-
olists, and those especially hostile to the
colder element; that the real object was
to make 1t impossible to increase the ren-
sion list, and so add TO the ,axes of the
wealthy capitalists. It was urged that all
soldiers shoUid promptly write to their
members ot Congress, and protest against
any reduction of taxes.
A Job, which is being urged with gteat
persistence by men here, who are devotinc
their time to it, is the bill for pensiiynir,p
al who we'e prisoners OF var for two
| months, without ressartl TO . question
whether or cot they suffered thereby in
| heaiths This is very insidicus measure
SINCE few politicians have the COURAGE IL
take even an apparent stand against pen.
sIonlng those who, suffered as prisoners
But to give liberal pensions promptly to
any who were in any degree disabled by
| such Imprisonment, and to give pensions
to all merely because they were captured
are two very different propositions. The
first is proper, and already abundantly
provided Tor by existing laws, anc
the way is made easy by the
Commissioner of Pensions for all who
come within the description. The
second is unjust and absurd. There were
thorsands who, by the very fact OF capture
avoided the. danger of great battles, the
hardshir5 OF severe campaigns, and the
prvatons OF such seasons as came to the
armies about Knoxville and Chattanooga
when the armies lived at times mainly
on the corn which was taken from tht
horses, while the latter were left to starve
| For many two or three months captivity
bad as that was, was a hardship of less
degree than the campaigns. 4 bill of the
kind proposed-that is, one withou
limits, which make disability necessit,
to PENSIONS an imposition upon the loy
atty of the country.
The proposition to pay a per diem fol
the time spent in captivity is perhaps
just, except where the capture wa;
through the Carelessness or bad behavior
of those taken prisoners. But the bill II
its present form falls little short of an out
rage on taxpayers.
The bills thus far enumerated would, i
enacted take at least 500. 900 900 from tn,
Treasury, by calculations made by thos,
best qualified to pass on the question
Added to these are the bills providing I,
pension all who served fourteen days il
the Mexican war, all who served in tn,
various Indian wars, and the two bill
which exceed all that demagogues hav
heretofore conceived, namely, the bills o
Price, of Wisconsin, and Peters, of Wis
consln-One providing for pensiOning al
who served in the Union army upon thei
reaching the age of forty-five years, an,
the other providing for pensioning all win
served sixty days, for the terms OF thei
natural lives.
For all except these last schemes, ther
is great pressure here, exerted in tn,
form of petitions and letters. A paper
strongly advocating all except these last
has been sent broadcast through tn
country, one weeks issue reaching 375, 90
copies. Back of nearly every plan, am
by far the most vigorous supporters O
each, is the corps of pension attorney:
whose practices, as lately exposed, hav
| become an abOtnination in the sight of tn