Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-08-03
THE PENSION OFFICE.
HOW UNCLE SAM PATs his VET.
eRAN PROTECTORS.

4 wopdsrsui aachi.s which Sends asasS
Quarterly to AsS.ooo Pessionsrs-fhirsy
who Draw Cash on Account Of the REV.
oiutsonary War.
Especial Correspondence.l
WAsHINoroS, Aug. 1.-Now that the
pension Office is attracting % much at
tention IN the press Of the country. and
an investigation Is being made Of charges
against the management, II may be in
teresting 10 inquire what the pension Of
fee is, and to take look at its great dis
tribution scheme In operation. II Is not
easy to comprehend the magnitude Of
the processes carried on in the huge red
building, and unless we put ourselves in
the hands OF one who knows the bureau
In all its complexities and ramifications,
we shall make but sorry work Of our ef-
fort TO learn something about the mys-
teries Of pension paying. Luckily we
fall into the hands Of such good Samari-,
tan, and he takes us a walk of mile or
more round the long corridors, showing
us where applications for pensions come
in, where they are filed and indexed,
where they are assigned to various divi-
sions for examination and review, first
by law officers and then by medical ex-
aininers, where appeals are heard and
the assistance Of the board of re-review
called in by disappointed applicants,
where the reports Of the 5000 local ex-
aminers scattered throughout the coun-
try are received and filed, where hun
dreds Of clerks sit day after day doing
nothing but writing letters to pension
ers, applicants and inquirers; and after
we have completed the long circuit and
taken this superficial look at the ma
chino we appreciate better than ever be-
fore its wonderful capacity and the mag
nitude of the war which left such ne
cessity behind its pages of blood and de-
struction.
"This is the hardest working depart
ment Of the government" says our guide.
"We are now paying out money to pen
sioners at the rate Of 81 100000 a week,
but this is the smallest part of our trou-
Bile, for the payments are made at the
local pension offices, located at eighteen
cities. The pension agency at Columbus,
o., is the largest one in the country,
paying out more than $4,000, 900 year.
Next to that is the one at indianapolis,
Chicago being third and Topeka, Kan,
fourth. Topeka is a small city, and Kan
sas is by no means one of our most popu-
lous states, but so many old soldiers have
gone out there to make homes for them
selves on the prairie that our pension
payments are very large at that office,
six and half millions yearly. 1t may
surprise you to learn that the agent at
Knoxville, Tenn, pays out nearly four
millions year, and the one at Louis
vile, KY, two and a half millions. So
you:see good deal OF our money goes to
the southern and border states.
"a new senator from one of the north
ern states was in here one day. and he
said: We'll, there is one thing am glad
of-we don't have to pay any pensions to
the southern states That is where you
are mistaken replied; I'VE pay great
many pensions in the southern states.
We have now ON our rolls $4,000 pen
sioners in Kentucky, 5000 in Tennessee,
1000 in Texas, and about thousand in
each of the other gulf states. In the
northern states theSp is not county
without all the way from half dozen to
five or six thousand pensioners. Of the
states New York has the greatest num-
Der, $4,000. Ohio coming second with
nearly 44,000. and Pennsylvania third
with $4,000. Indiana has 1000 more
pensioners than Illinois, though the
population of the latter state is much
greater. Why this is SO can't tell. Into
each of these five states the pension office
sends more than a million dollars quar-
ter, in sums ranging from 3to $500 to
each individual
One Of the curiosities OF the pension
laws is the large number of different
rates that have been allowed. Between
the rates of 81 month and Sl66. &C
a month, the highest and lowest rates
there are l40 different rates on the
rolls. 1t seems odd to pay S2.66 pei
month to some pensioners and S2.66; tc
others, or Sl3.33 to some and Sl3.33i to
others. Yet this is done under the variou:
laws passed by congress. Twelve dollars
month is the pension drawn by %, ,00(
invalids and $1,000 widows, minors and
dependents, a larger number than at any
other rate. All but 5000 of the widow.
draw this sum per month. Seventy thou
sand invalids draw 81 a month, 90, ,00t
So. 65, 900 50 10000 $40, 12, 900 Sl6, IA 90,
$2t, 10000 $50, 5000 S36, $500 $40, / ,5Ot
$50 and 1000 $72. Three widows ant
orphans draw 500 month, and fou
Sl66G6 a month. More than $4,000 o
the pensioners get from the government
the pittance of So month or less, sew