The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-25
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
PENSION AGENTS AND THE MONEY
THEY MAKE.
The Requests for Free Services Received
by Congressman and oShers-A Young
Mans Matrimonial Scheme - A. E.
Bateman and His Rise.


WASHINGTON, June, = = Extension
Commissioner Tanner Is making $4,000 or
$4,000 a year as pension attorney. For
many years Mr.. Tanner has been poor. He
has expended most of his energies in max
ing Grand Army and political addresses,
hoping some day to get good office as his
reward The reward came year and
half ago, but it was an apple that turned
to ashes on his lips. Now Tanner regrets
that he did not abandon politics many
years ago and go into the pension business.
''Tf l had done sc" he says, Il would now
be a millionaire" Large fortunes have
been made in the pension business at Wash
ington, and made leGitinately, too. At
torneys' fees are fixed by law, and the vet
Grams are rarely or never imposed on by
their agents.
The richest pension attorney in Wash
ington is George E. Lemon, who also prints
a soldiers paper Lemon is rated at s., Co.,
600. He is a bachelor, and | am told his
personal expenses-the necessaries and lux
uries of Iife-cost him from S25, 900 to $50,
600 a year He is noted, among other
things, for possessing the most luxurious
bachelor quarters in Washington. Lem
on's rise to wealth is an example of what
may be done by improving the opportuni-
ties which chance throws in ones way.
Lemon was a country boy from New York
state who went into the war and rose
to be a captain in the field. On his way
home at the close Of the war he stopped a
few days in Washington to attend to some
f-y h. Il hojr
charge papers and undrawn pay. The red
tape of the war department kept him here
two or three weeks, and the longer he re-
manned the more business he had on hand,
for as soon as soldiers heard he was here
attending to such matters theyplaced their
cases in his charge and offered TO pay him
for his services This broughtyto Lemons
notice the fact that there would be an enor-
nous pension, pay and claim business
growing out of the war, and he settled
right down here and went into that bust
ness with much energy.
While Lemon has had the greatest sue
cess in this line there are scores of rich
men IN town who made their money in the
same way Col. Dudley, formerly pension
commissioner, is making $4,000 year as
a pension agent and as much more as a
lawyer and claim attorney. Col. Dudley
draws salaries from several large corpora
tions for looking after their interests at
the national capital. Armour & Co., Of
Chicago, pay him $1,000 year and rail
road company pays 1880.
One of the rich pension agents here is
Alexander Kennedy, now an elderly man.
Kennedy was a soldier in the war with
Mexico, and came out of that conflict as
poor as church mouse. Believing that
the Mexican war veterans should have
pensions right away, and not knowing
what else to do, he started an organization
of soldiers for the purpose of bringing
pressure to bear on congress. He was in
correspondence with thousands Of soldiers,
as secretary of the organization, and came
on to Washington to labor in their interest.
When the pension law was finally passed
the thought occurred to hiLA that the sol
diers would like to have some one here
to look after their claims, so he sent out cir
culaFs Offering to put cases through the
pension office for $40 apiece, and in less
than sixty days 10000 letters, containing
100000, came through the mails TO Mr..
Kennedy. At one leap, therefore, he rose
from poverty to wealth.
Pension agents make money, notwith
standing the fact that every member of
congress is a pension attorney. Our states
men say very large part of their labor s
in connection with getting PENSIONS or in
creases of pensions for their constituents.
Most members Of congress keep what they
call pension book, a little blank book
ruled off with columns for names of CORE
spOndents, number of cases in pension
Office, date of fling, status in the office
and so on. In some of these books there
are more than one thousand cases. Mem
bcrS from the western states are perticu-
larry burdened with this sort of work, and
several of them keep a clerk busy all the
time running to the pension Office and an
swering letters.
Some of these congressman have pretty
hard times to get along here in Washing
ton. know one who with his family hives
in very plain style The eldest daughter
is clerk in the census Office, and in add
ton to this she teaches music and eiocu-
ton. At 4 o'clock her work is done in the
census Office and then she hurries home to
meet her pupils. Another daughter is also
a clerk in the census Office and son at
tends to his fathers correspondence. The
income Of the family is about $4,000 year,
but they save precious little.
Members of congress are not the only
residents of Washington who are burdened
with requests to run errands for people in
the country. Department officials profess
sional and business men who happen to be
well known in some parts of the country
are being constantly appealed to for help
in pension matters, in looking up claims,
or in Office getting. A newspaper friend of
mine tells how he manages in such cases.
His father is a prominent and popular citi-
zen of St. Louis. His friends and ac-
quaiRtances go to him and say: - believe
you have q son in Washington who is do
ing pretty well, haven't your" YES"
HE knows all the big people down there,
and could help me immensely if he only
would Please give me letter to him"
OF course the letter Is written, and the
man either comes on to Washington in
person or writes and tells Whist he would
like to have done, inclosing the letter Of in
PRODUCTION. But father and son have an
understanding and password. When the
old gentleman's letters are signed simply
Yours" the son knows the men TO whom
the letters were given are real friends Of
the writer, and that il possible their re-
quests are 70 be granted; but letters signed
Your affectionate fsther" are thrown
into the waste basket and the requests or
persons accompanying them politely but
Professionally neglected
This reminds me Of the story of q certain
rising statesman, now a member OF the
house Of Representatives but hopeful of
becolninga senator ~ ~ early day. He was
poor department clerk here, but bad,
through some friends, received an invita-
ton TO visit al old and wealthy family Of
Kentucky in which WIS Z manageable
and altogether attractive daughter. Real
izing his humble lcr IN life, and naturally
desiring 70 mako IN i-llraSsiol o. bis