South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1885-05-08
The Pension Frauds.

4 80
has made a good start toward exposing
ard putting an end to the gross frauds
which Lave been perpetratei for many
years ia Ike executive bureau over
which he presides. The number OF il.
legally drawn pensions whose suspen.
sion he has just directed 10 100. all be-
longing 10 single agency, that OF
Philadelphia. In l02 OF these cases
the only persons entitled to the pen.
sions have been dead for years. Some
died ~ long ago as 1871. yet the period.
ical allow ances have ever since been
regularly drawn in tkei, names. In
seven OF the cases widows who forfeited
their rig hts to pensions by remarriage
ysars ego, have called for AMI received
money ~ usual ever since.
These are the frst fruits OF n investi.
CATION begun by q special agent in q
single locality. There il no reason for
supposing that Pnilsdelphia is the only
place where these practices have been
carried on. and we msy therefore pre-
sumo that the unlawful disbursements
Of this kind in the whole country are 10
be numbered By thousands. This, too.
is only one form of possible fraud, and
a form. perhaps. comparatively easy of
detection II risks net only the dis.
bursting officer personal acquaintance
with the lawful applicant, but the cir.
culation OF the news Of the death OF a
psnsionsr by his friends and neighbors.
Frauds in the original granting of PEN
sions. when o-ce accomplished. are usu.
ally safe from detection.
SO far as can be judged from the
nature Of the Philadelphia frauds, they
must have resulted from careless or
corrupt discharge Of official duties.
There arc now over three hundred thou,
SAND pensioners on thc roll, am more
than hundred di1eren. grades OF
pensioners. The Government has some.
times paid out Fifty or sixty millions q
year in pensions. These facts, coupled
with the loosencss in taking evidence
upon pension cases, Of which the Com.
miss:oners haze often complained, irdi
cate tho extent Of The field tpen for
fraud.
But in addition, for several eary, tue
Pension CfiIce has been managed by
people who :idicu!ed tho idea tha. any
fraud worth worrying about was perpe.
trated. One Of the Commissioners
when asked to recommend needed zen
sion legislation, gravely called for
special laws, In addition to tho ordinary
statutes against perjury, to puui.h sc.
verely :ihose who swear falsely again,,
a meritorious claimants right to pcu,
sion'-a demand directly tending t.
prevent PERSONS who strongly suspel,
frauds nom mentioning The ground Of
their Ee'ief, lest they should he prose
cuied by the Government they wished
to aid. The same officer thought that
the proportion Of pensions affected by
fraud was rot more than one in q thou.
sand, and TINT the precautions neaips
fraud are extraordinary a proviou.
Commissioner, whose frankness oost
him Lis place. had made known thai
i've hundred fraudulent pension ers wer,
dropped from tho roll in about three
years, aftor over half q million dollar.
had been paid 10 them and he had also
reported that as these discoveries were
mostly due TO accident or voluntary in
formation, tie evidence 10 conclusive
that snail percentage OF tho frauds
committed have been discovered
Congress, short time since, in des
pair OF otherwise ferreting out frauds
ordered tho publication of he p;osion
roll. The Pension Office discounten
anced this project from The beginning
and few oays alter IL was carried int
effect exultingly announced that thu
far not sinSle complaint mas rsachel
This Office going TO show that persona
not entitled to receive pensions or,
eating assistance A change Of ad
miDistration. nevertheless, as we hav,
seen, has already revealed in a single
city moro than hundred instances Of
persons who had for years been gettint
pension assistance TO which they wer,
not entitled. II would DO human
nature for those under whose ehroni
occupation OF Office loose methods o
gross corruption have been in vogue u
shrink from exposing either existing o
past iniquilies. hut with thorough
reorganization Of the Pension Office
from top 10 bottom, and thorough in
vcsHgstion Of all abuses, there will b,
hope of that reform which The peopl,
demand and deserve. New York Sun