St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-22
WILLING TO DIVIDE.


just at present so solicitouS for the
financial betterment of the men who
were enrolled in the army during the
war as the claim agents. They are
strictly impartial, too, in their concern.
They have no determinations as to
character of service or present needs,
except as they can be utilized to mutual
advantage. These agents are not sur
passed for industry by any who toll for
others. They are magnanimous. too,
and willing to share their rewards with
those who aid them in their labors.
Since the passage of the dependent pen
sion bill, some of them are sending out
circulars to the weekly newspapers.
proposing to make them co-workers In
the benevolent vocation. The law allows
a fee of $40 for each claim which passes
the ordeal. This is to be divided,
one third going to the newspaper man
for such cases as he ferrets out. ''With-
out cooperation neither party will be
benefited in this proposal" says the
agent suggestively. Encouragement is
given to enter actively upon the work
by various considerations found in the
law and the circumstances. First, it is
big thing, "a sweeping law" destined
to benefit nearly one million soldiers,
widows and parents, and to be the cause
of the disbursement of hundreds of
millions of dollars" There is to be
little difficulty in getting claims through
and the newspapers will easily do a
profitable business. They are assured
that ''it won't require much proof" to
get their parties on the pay roll. The
disability, mental or physical, "need
not have originated in the service"
1t is stated, also. that ''it is not
required that the soldier must be
poor and in poverty-not at ALL"
The soldier who lis drawing pension
on wounds less than 's12," who is able
to find ''some other trouble Which did
not occur in the army, can get an in
crease on that under the provisions of
the act if disabled by tfrom labor" If
this does not suggest sufficiently profit
able industry for the newspaper man, he
is advised that this new law ''will also
wake up many old bounty, horse, back
Lay and other Claims" which it is TO be
inferred may be shared by the parties
who bring them to the front. To relieve
any scruples the newspaper men may
have, they are assured that they 'sneed
not be known as being in any way in
terested" in this siege upon the treas
ury. Probably it was an oversight in
not presenting the humane feature
more strongly and appealing to the
sympathies so proverbial in the
calling to relieve the afflicted and dis
burse beneicence to the needy. One
of the operators. however. invites con-
fidence by the statement that he has
been since 1871 engaged in deviSing
and promoting the passage of pension
bills, which have already secured Ito
the soldiers and their heirs more than
one thousand million dollars" That is
| quite sum in the view of small finan-
| ciers, but it is only beginning of what
| the operators hope to yet effect. They
probably do not greatly exagger-
ate in estimating the addition OF a
million pensioners under the new law,
with an outlay that it is not dared to
estimate. 1t is notsurprising that many
of the Republican papers are calling a
halt. They fear that disaster will come
to the party. The proper requital OF
| meritorious and deserving soldiers is
! approved by all, but the enrichment OF
the claim agents does not come in this
category.