The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-05-25
Evil Tendencies OF Pension Legislation.

The latest batch of vetoes OF private
pensioa bills illustrates. as the preced
ing vetOes did, the evil tendencies o.
suck legislation. They are either Il
meet cases Of individual suffering and
want, with which the Government hal
no concern. unless 1t be accepted as III
| duty To be the almouer OF cever-
ending system OF charity, or are at
| lempts at iInpudent frauds.
Take the case of Wm. Ell. Hester,
who claims that while he was in the
service in 1869, he encountered sand
storm and the sand blew into his eyes
to such a degree as to result in nearly
If not quite total blindness. The House
Committee which investigated the case
conceded that The claim made by this
man to the Pension Bureau was largely
supported by perjury and forgery. but
they tried TO saddle the responsibility
upon thres rogues and scouDdrels, who
undertook to obtain the pension. and to
hold the claimant himself innocent OF
any completely in the fraud. The evil
deuce, however, leaves no excuse for so
charitable theory. A Mr.. Baldwin,
one of Hester's witnesses. who was al
legged to have cared for him when his
eyes were injured, declares that he
never saw any sand storm and never
knew that Hester had bad eyes, or was
anything but sound and well at any
time, except once when he had eaten
too much. Mr.. Baldwin was shown an
affidavit purporting TO be made by him
and sustaining Hester's story, which he
declared to be false and forgery. The
President declares. with pardonable
severity, that he believes this claim for
pension to be a fraud from beginning
to end. ;" and he adds suggestion which
ought to be needed when he says that
''the efirontery with which it has been
pushed shows the necessity OF careful
examination OF these cases." SucE
case is an insult to every deserving PEN
sioner and a humiliation to every
soldier.
Another illustrates mistaken notions
largely prevalent as 10 the duty OF the
Federal government to care for the
needy or unfortunate. This is the case
of Mrs. Sally A. Randall, of Nor
wich, Conn. Mr.. Randall died in 1873,
% years after their marriage I; he bad
never served in the army. But this was
the woman's second marriage her first
husband was Antipas Tabor. who en-
listed IN the war of 1872 and died in 1881.
No claim is made that he received aEy
injury IN the army. or that his death
was in the slightest degree related to his
military service. His wife was born
during his time of enlistment. and her
trst widowhood had no connection
with any incident or condition Of health
trsceabIe to his service. But Mrs. Ran
dali Is now seventy five years old, in
poor health. and in needy circumstances.
The idea occurred to somebody that the
Federal government might b. made to
assume her support. on the ground that
Mr.. Tabor. who died nearly go years
ago. had served n the army 70 years
ago. Prominent citizens" were readi--
ly induced TO sign a petition for .he sp-
plicatiop OF q smal. slice of the surplus
TO this purpose. Probably every body
who voted for it would have admitted
that it Was. as the President says, "a
bad precedent" but Mrs. Randall ap-
pears TO be worthy woman, and il was
much easier to assent to giving hersssup-
port from the treasury AT Washington
than TO refuse the persion and tell the
tru.t about the matter. rs the President
does In this sentence "All this GER
tainly commends her case to the kind
ness and benevoIence of the citizsns
mentioned. and the State OF Connect =
cut ought not 20 allow her TO De in net dy
circumstances.
4hrSc dtc CdocS VI TIC
pies on which the President uses the
veto power. IL is in the interest of an
honest pension system and meritorious
pensioners that abuses should De rigidly
guarded against. As it is there is hard
iy locality in a Northern State but can
furnish illustrations Of pension abuses
and wrong. that make the nation s
bounty a matter Of rldicule and re-
proSch -Pttsbltrg Post