Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1884-01-17
PENSION RAIDS.
A Deluae Of Pension Bills from All
Points Of the Compass.

WASHINGTON, d. O., Jannary 9.
The most dangerous attacks on the
treasury are the bills proposing addl-
tions to the pension rolls. Each bill is
backed up by petitions which apparent
ly come from ex-soldiers. A large
part of them are collected by claim
agents. one of whom has gathered 30
600 signatures OF alleged soldiers asking
for additional pension legislation. Aside
from the general bills which involve by
official calculation over 5000, 900, ,000there
have already been introduced nearly
1000 private pension bills. Many origl-
nate with attorneys, who send bundles
of them to members with request TO
present them. They then charge those
interested s25. Not one in ten OF this
class can ever pass. Many have no mer-
it. Few sent in by claim agents are
ever followed further than the fee. The
proposition to equalize bounties has
been introduced by dozen members.
There have been several official calcula-
tions made of the amount which the,
passage of such bill would
require. The paymaster general
estimated that it would take as q mini
mum 1857, 600, 900, and that the amount
might run up to $163, ,000,00 No Off
cial calculation places the sum at less
than $125, 900, 900. At least $50 addi-
tional clerks will be needed to make the
settlement. The next scheme in the or
der of magnitude is the one for remoy-
ing all limit upon granting arrears of
pensions. This also is strongly sup
ported by petitions which pension
agents have procured. Related to these
plans are the petitions arising from SOL
diers protesting against the reduction
or the abolition of internal-revenue
taxes. This form of petition was
prepared and @printed in WASH
ington, and sent out by prominent claim
agents. With it went an explanation
and an argument. Immense editions of
this argument were printed and mailed to
those on the lately printed pension lists.
1t was set forth that the plan to abolish
internal l-revenue taxes was that of
monopolists and those hostile to the SOL
diers; chat all soldiers should promptly
write to their members of congress and
protest against any reduction of taxes.
a bill which is being urged with great
persistence is the bill for pen
sioning all who were prisoners OF
war for two months, without
regard to the question whether or not
they suffered thereby in health; this is
an insiduous measure, since few politi-
clans have the courage to take even an
apparent stand against pensioning those
who suffered as prisoners, and there are
very many deserving cases. Added to
these are the bills to pension all who
served fourteen days in the Mexican
war, all who served in the various In
dian wars, and the two extraordinary
bills of Price, of Wisconsin, and
Peters, of Kansas, one providing
for pensioning all who served in the
Union army upon their reaching the age
of 45 years, and the other providing for
pepsioning all who served sixty days for
the terms of their natural lives. For all
except these last schemes there is great
pressure here. A paper strongly favor.
ing all except these last has been sent
broadcast through the country, one
weeks issue reaching 375, 900 copies.