The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-06-09
USELESS EXPENDITURES.

| President Cleveland Believes That Con-
gress Can Not Know Moro of Worthy
Pension Claims Than tho Bureau Itself.
The remarks of President Cleveland
| on this subject in his message vetoing
bill to double the pension already
granted to soldier named Hill, strike
at an evil that is too frequent. 1t arises
presumably from the weak good nat
ure or desire to escape opportunities
on the part of the individual members
of Congress who introduce the bills,
which are reported by the committee
at their solicitation. or through mat
tention on the part of the other MEM
bers. Before the Senate or House it is
not likely that they are subjected to the
slightest scrutiny, and go through,
as is very natural, on the
strength of the committees report.
The extent to which this actioni taken
may be inferred from the fact that the
President has now awaiting his sigma
ture two hundred and forty bills grant
ing and increasing pensions and re-
placing on the roll names of men
that have been stricken off. All of
these cases had previously been acted
upon adversely by the Pension Bureau.
Mr.. Cleveland concisely states the OBJ
lection to this class of legislation
where he says in his message that 1.-the
policy of frequently reversing by spe-
cial enactment the decisions of the bu-
reau invested by law with the exami-
nation of pension claims, fully equipped
for such examination, and which
ought not to be suspected of any lack
of liberality to our veteran soldiers,
is exceedingl questionable. 1t may
we'll be doubted if q committee of
Congress has better opportunity
than such agency to Judge of the
merits of this claim" That is it exact
ly. How Is committee of Congress,
heavily burdened with business, to give
the careful examination to matter of
this sort that may be expected from a
department of the Administration full
ly equipped for the work, and in the
habit of sitting the evidence and judy
ing of its value. If it lack any facilities,
for want of which claims are likely to
suffer, the President further suggests
that they had better be supplied by
Congress instead of attempting to sup
plement its work by this special legis-
lation. The President hints that the
Pension Bureau has not, in the past,
shown any obstructive tendencies in
the transaction of this business, which
certainly is true. The liberality of the
administration of our pension laws
has been the subject of favorable and
unfavorable comment ever since the
war. and there does not seem to be the
slightest need of the interference of
Congress upon this score. There has
been altogether too much of this
special, personal legislation for the re-
lief of all sorts of people, including
these under discussion, from the be-
ginning until now, and the public has
had too little to say about it. TO Con-
gressmen who are handling millions in
appropriations these few thousands of
dollars seem trifling. And SO the
thing goes on, and the money runs out
of the treasury like water from d
sieve; the great body of the popula-
ton, who have no claims to put in,
paying the fiddler. as it were, without
getting any dancing to speak of. We
are glad that President Cleveland has
had the manliness to put his finger
upon this leak, for while, as he says,
it is impossible for him to examine
into all these claims. Gust as impossi-
BILE, he might well have said, as for
Congress to have given them proper
attention), yet he has forcibly drawn
the attention of Congress and the
country to a most pernicious practice
of Experimentation Statesman.