Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-07
LET'S HAVE REFORM
The Pension Office in a Shape
That Demands Investigation.
Gen. Raum Spending the Governments
Money Very Liberally-Mr. Wanna
makers Latest Scheme.
All the Important Measures to Texas Have
Been Passed Upon Except the Deep Wa Z
ter BiIl-Shirt Sleeve Act.
Pensioners Must Wait.

Special to the Gazette.
WASHINGTON, June ct may not be
wise TO speak too soon about it, but the
pension office seems to be rapidly
getting itself in position to
demand an investigation. Gen. Raum
is ore of the shrewdest politicians
in office under this administration, and
he is spending government money
through his Office very literally, and
members on the floor of the house have
been very gravely predicting that the
regular pension roll would amount to
500, 900 200 next year, through the OPP
Grafton of the present law alone. Their
predictions are little more than full
filled. This year is not ended
yet, and already, in eleven
months, the pension office has
exhausted an appropriation of about
81 900 200, as the regular appropriation
fer this fiscal year, which ends on the
30th of the month, was So, S75 200. In
the first part of April congress appro-
priated over S2I ZOO 700 more to cover
the deficiency. 1t is now given out that
the pension office is without money to
pay pensions for the last quarter, which
are now due, aud that pensioners will
have to wait until an appropriation for
the next fiscal year is available. The
full significance of this proposed use of
the next appropriation to pay this year
pension dues cannot be understood, until
the deficiency bill for next year is pre-
sented at the next session. and the
amount of that appropriation used for
this year will not appear till then. 1t
may be one million or it may be twenty,
I'M ho ia No
oned on the aggregate of this
years expenditures, and will re-
main secret until after the election this
fall.
A VERY INNOCENT-LOOKING BILL
IS that reported to the house the other
day from the postoffice committee pro-
viding for the establishment of corps
of twenty-six postofice supervisors.
The duty of these newly created officials
apparently would be the same as those
now performed by pOstoffice inspectors,
but the latter are under the operation of
the civil service law, while the proposed
corps of supervisors by provisions of the
bill would be outside of that stunt bling
block of practical politicians. This
would leave them much more indie
pendence of action than inspectors have,
and they would of course be selected
from men known to be in close sympathy
with the chief of the postoffioe depart
ment, and could be directed by him in
way that would make them of greatest
use to the party in power, especially
about election time. That this is the
object aimed at in making addition to
the forces of the postoffice depart
ment there can be little doubt.
OF course, the bill was origi-
mated by Wanamaker, who, although
fervidly devoted on the first day of the
week to his Sunday school beliefs, on the
other six days in the use of all legitimate
means to forward the interests of his
party, and his Interpretation of the sig
nificanoe of the word Legitimate is
unquestionably broad. This is proved
by the speech he made not long ago
boldly counselling the lavish use of
money in political campaigns, as well as
by practical exempliication OF faith that
is in him in raising $500 GOO for the Re-
publican campaign fund in 1888.