The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-01-31
pENsTOv AGENOTEs

There is a proposition before the
house committee en- appropriations at
Washington q abolish ihr pension agen.
cics throughout lie county, and have
the pensioners paid hereafter by checks
issued from Washington by the treas
erer Ofthe Uuised States. In b,hslf Of a
very worthy class Of people we hope
this viii rot be done. Commissioner
Dudley, like the sensible man he IS, OPP
poses the proposition The present
mode OF paying the pensicn-rs is ,xre
diious, The delsy aud trouble which
would be cansed by putt ng this busi-
ness in the hands Of a department at
Washington would render the pension
law public aggravatiOD, If indeed it
would not almost make It imperative
A man who has ever had anything TO do
with the Department. at Washington
Will pray TO be delivered from that fate.
II Is aino a. hnpel. 81 as IL was 10 be
aparty in Jarndyce and Jasndyce.
The very fact Of having to be sub
jected TO the 70 ,lishness and imbe-
cility Of one of the departments
atlhe capital would b. utterly discour-
aging 10 the pensioners. snI no doub.,
as Commissioner Dudley slys, maoy Of
th' m wnuld suffer before receiving their
piItssce usder the prnlosed plan. We
have no objectious 70 the rIescnt u NC
cratic house doing eli IT may see fit 10
do in the interest oil economy for politi-
cal effect, but this plan of handling the
pensions, even II small sum could be
saYed, would hardly do them any good.
The commissioner OF pensions has furn-
ished some information Of the present
workings Of bis department for The con
stderation Of this wise COMMITTEES, from
which we learn there are now $4,000
pensioners in the country There
are eighteen reasIon agencies
and itcost last year 1882 .57s to NAM
tain them. The pensioners are paid
quarterly on vouchers sent to them IN
advance OF the date of payment, but
which. under the law, cannot be execut-
ed before that dat. The system has
reached such state of perfection that
eighty per cent Of the pensioners re-
ceiYe their pay within five days Of The
tim ST FOR payment For example, ,hs
agent who pays the pensioners in the
state OF ohio paii 2l,340 of Them be-
tween Sep enbef 4Lh aud September 9th
last year. COMMISSIONER D1dlsY says
the most important ppint in the consid.
GRAFTON of tbs proposition is the con-
vcnience ard We bsing of The pension
ers-wbeiher they shall receive their
pensions expedi ibusly and promptly OF
be subjected q delay Of one 10 four
weeks. Thousands Of the pensioners
belong e. the indictment class, aud TO them
the delay of even a day or two
means hunger aqd suf ing. In the
large cities, where til +. are agen-
-cies md where Pensioners can apply in
person, they gather long before ,ylicht
by hundreds, TIE crowd increasing as
the day advances Tails plainly lhows
the necessity to them If prompt pay
meEts. Ntarly fifty Thousand pension
ers ars thus paid In person ut the differ
cut agt ncies. These payments are by
checks ITO b. areT," 50 that the pension
eIs experience NJ dIlIl.uIty in getting
their money promptly. l; Is not infre-
qpently the case with pensioners re-
ceivc Oh cks payable to order" thai
they fad ITEMS lees Obliged to suffer a
ditc1unt or pay fec to some peis N 10
identity them on the morning of the day
when the payments begin. Many oil the
agents begin a. daylight snl keep u,
work until IL or l2 O'Clock a. night,
The average days work ut tae clerks in
pensio1 agency exceeds ten hours
throughout the year Let we'll enough
alone, and if the government Is going t.
ply pensions at all, let it be done in q
way to meet the vans o. those receiving
it, bounty.