Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-07-30
Protecting Pensioned Soldiers From
Robbery by Dishonest Agents.
WASHINGTON, July "a, 1Sl

r
TURNING OUT THE RAscALs AT THE
DIFFERENT PENSION AGENCIES.
The Republicans, among their other
virtues, have always been the special
friends of the soldiers. The dear sold
iers have been told to be beware of the
democrats. who were their enemies,
and to trust only the republican party,
which paid them their pensions and
took care of them generally. Well,
here is q democratic administration in
power, and Southern man, Secretary
Lamar, at the head of the Interior De-
partment; and this Southern man puts
Northern Union soldier at the head
of the Pension Bureau. And when
this Northern Union soldier at the
head of the Pension Bureau comes to
look in the books he finds that some re-
publican pension agents, the special
friends of the dear soldiers, have been
cheating and abusing pensioners and
misconducting their offices in a way
which would lead a common man to
think they were not the friends but the
enemies of the soldiers.
In Boston the pension agent, recently
removed for cause, allowed his office to
be managed by gang of thieves who
so preyed upon and robbed the pen
sioners that the republican pension ex-
aminer who was sent to look into this
office wrote, in December, 1883, that he
had found state of things $50 corrupt
that it would puzzle hell to reproduce
and omnipotence to duplicate" While
the pension agent was not shown to
have taken part in this corruption, his
knowledge of twas clearly shown so
long ago as in 1888. But this inefficient
man was kept in office by the republi-
can friends,of the soldiers, and has only
recently been removed.
The pension agent in San Francisco
is shown by reports made in January,
1883, to have taken hand himself in
swindling poor, paralyzed and blind
soldier out of the greater part of his
pension arrears, which amounted to
81, ,2l6, by getting himself made the SOL
dier's guardian and then investing his
money in stock of mine of which
this pension agent was president; and
which, of course, proved worthless.
The report of this shameful transaction,
with every cruel detail substantiated,
was made to the republican Pension
Bureau in January, 1883, but the agent
was retained in his place, and it is left
to the democratic Pension Commission
er to remove the man and put an hon
est man in his place.
The Pension Agent Mt Philadelphia
has recently been removed on the ex-
posure of o condition of things in his
Office which General Black, the Pension
Commissioner refuses to make public,
unless the removed agent should de-
mand it. Your correspondent has
seen the official report on this office,
and the statements there made by re-
publican examiners show that it was
high time for change.
In the Interior Department, as in the
Treasury, tbs q noteworthy fact that
reforms made and being
made by this administration are
based in many cases on reports of
abuses sent to the republican officials
in 1883 and 1884, but by them quietly
shelved and given no attention. A re-
publican official, an old soldier of Gen.
eral Grant, has said to your eorrespon-
dent repeatedly that he has seen more
reform Of abuses in the different depart
ments since Mr.. Cleveland became
than in twelve years before.
That is O fact. And the work ofreform
goes on, even in this hot weather.