The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-05-19
A DEFICIT BY FRAUD.
HOW UNCLE SAINTS KEPT POOR ALL
THE TIME.

Thousapds of Pension Cases Traced mp
by ahe Papers-sIr. Talman,s Valuable
Heel and it's Healing.
WAsBIEsToN. D. G., May 9.--In these
days of tri.l and t~ribulation at the
treasury department, when Secretary
Foster is turning from one desperate
expedient to another to get cash in
hand to meet the quarterly pension
payment, 1t is as we'll to remember that
one-thir6 of those payments 80 hard to
meet are frauds. robberies and swim
dies.
The total amount of the pension pay
ments az the coming quarter will be
930,0O0,OO and more. Not less than
S10,O0O,OU0 of that amount will 90 to
persons who have no more right to it
Than they have to private ownership in
the ital at Washington.
If there we're no pension frauds there
would now be no treasury deficit.
If the pension department WA looked
after with one-tenth part the care exer-
cised over the other departments of gov
scrambling in the treasury for sub
sidiary coin and other funds to pay cur
rent expenses with.
Thus does the course of events bring
home The Herald's admonitions On this
subject.
At the beginning of the last session
OF congress it pointed out precisely this
result, that the treasury would be prac-
tically empty within six months unless
some Of the pension legislation should
be repealed or the pension frauds re-
moved from the pay lists.
Word for word what The Herald said
then has come true.
With decreased revenues, increased
expenditures and the prospect Of a de-
ficit in the treasury at an early day the
question is whether it Is good sense to
keep on pouring out millions every
year to men who have no right to them.
Look at some sample cases of the way
this waste through 100000 spigots goes
on.
Take the case of Jesse L. Talman,
holder of pension certificate No. 130,205,
formerly a member of Company IL,
drawing a pension of $50 amonth-$36O
q year. Suppose we follow his case
from point to point as shown On the
papers on file in the pension bureau and
see how easy 1t is to get q pension with
out deserving one.
Talman was discharged from the
army Oh September 10th, 1865, and put
in a claim for a pension on the ground
of acknowledgements in the right
heel.
This claim was investigated. and on
April 7th, 1870, rejected as having no
merit.
Talman promptly put in another
claim, and on June 10Th, 1874, the case
was reopened. He was then granted a
pension Of 80 a month, to date from his
discharge from the army.
In May, 1876, on the strength of an
other application. this was increased
to SO u month, to date from April q,
1876.
With this the modest Talman seems
to have been content until November,
1885. He then came up with an appli-
cation for another increase, which was
ing April he was on hand again with
still another application, which was re-
jected April 20.
Thereupon Talman tried a fresh
tack. On July Is. 1886, behold him at
the doors OF the pension bureau again
applying for an increase on the same
old ground and two new ones-diseases
of the heart and the kidneys.
This application, having been investi-
gatG1, came up for adjudication on
August ID, 1887, when the claim on az
count OF disease of heart and kidneys
was rejected on the ground that $40
disability from disease of the heart and
kidneys has existed since date OF filing
claim"
But, having refused that part Of the
application, the board, to even thugs
up, l suppose, for there appears to have
been no other ground, granted the part
Of the application based upon the
wound in the heel and fixed the pension
at $24 a month from June 1, 1887.
Mr.. Talman's heel was now earning
more than some persons can earn with
both hands, and was doing quite well
thank you.
Nevertheless he seems to have
thought 1T might do a little better. On
February IL, 1888, not a year after his
last increase, he came down upon the
bureau with his seventh application,
first and last, and this time he wanted,
poor man, both increase and rerating.
This time the application slept until
June II, 1889. Then, as everybody
was getting pensions. reratings, in
creases and anything else he wanted,
Mr.. Talman visited the pension bureau
in person and wanted to know where
was his share of the Doodle. So the
commissioners of pensions obliged him
by writing on the slip in the case:
"This claimant is now here and de-
sires action OF his claim for rerating.
Will you please see that case is briefed
at once and submitted ?"
1t was not only "briefed," Mr.. Com
missioner, but it went to the board of
review the same day. Two days later
the application for increase was grant
ed, ami Talman' 8 pension was made $50
q month, with the following r%eratings:
From date of discharge to March, 1873,
30 q month; from March, 1873. to No.
vember II, 1886, $12 a month; from No
vember II, 1886, $50 a month.
This meant some comfortable hun
dreds in a lump for back money under
the rerating.
SO much for Mr.. Talman's wounded
heel.
Now, there is not the slightest doubt
In the world that Mr.. Talman was
never entitled to any pension at all, for
the fact Is on official record.
On February 10, 1869, the urgeon ap.
pointed to examine him reported that
"the wound Is on the inside Of the heel:
the disability is not permanent"
On March IL, 1870, another urgeon
after another examination reported:
"There Is nc disability of any kind.
There Is a good motion Of the foot and
claimant a walk as well as he ever
could. He is a stout man and Is not in
capacitated from manual labor. He is
entitled to no rating"
1T should be- borne In mind here that
this case, outrageous as it seems. la on