The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-11
PENSION PRoFLieAcY.
Thousands OF Names Frsudulently on the
Pension Roll.


81. Louis Republic.
The New York Tribune (rep.) has done
good services during the past year
in exposing the Encouragement Of
the pension Office by Commits
sioner Raum, and it now goes step
further in demanding a thorough over
hauling of The pension rolls. In leading
editorial this morning, entitled THE Feel
ing About Pensions" it points out tina:
there has been much change in public
opinion regarding the pension business
during the past year, and that there are
thousands OF voters who were heartily in
favor year ago of liberal measures for The
benefit OF union veterans, but who are
now inclined to look with distru-t upon
measures heretofore enacted, as wei 81
now proposed, feeling that the business
NAV have gone too far for thu public
good" Ii admits the impossibilty al
meeting this distrust with strong and IN
qualified denial indeed, it declares that
facts have come to light which have "eone
far to impair public confidence in the
care impartia ity and efficiency OF the
service, and to increase the impression
that fraudulent claims may have been
granted in many cases through the IN
scrupuious influence Of agents"
Tie Tribune considers the situation so
serious that there Is danger lest the pub
lie willingness to meet the proper claims
of honest pensioners may be impaired, ii
not destroyed, by the feeling that the sys-
tenn las become a machine for the plum
dering of the country" In order to assure
the payment OF pensions, even to those
who are most deserving. it is necessary
tIok shoe ehal kNa ~ q IN
how far the rolls OK recipients of public
money have been swelled, whether of
late or in years gone by, whether by col
fusion, by fraud, by neglect or by cunning
and dishonesty which the hes. officials
could not detect, with names which have
no right to be there" The Tribune, there
fore, concludes that eff the present con-
gress desires to do the best thing possible
Tor union veterans, il will set on foot an
inquiry which shall clear the pension
rolls, so far as possible, of names fraudu-
lently added and re-establish public con-
fidence in the fidelity of the service and
in the real merit of the great body of pen
siuners."
"Scarce'y any former officer of the I'm
ion army" saws the Tribune, has not be-
come cognizsnt of pensions claims which
he knew ought never to have been con-
sidered, but which have been established
through false swearing or fraud of come
kind" The correctness of this opinion can
not he questioned. Occasionally a writer
for the press who served in the army
bears witness as TO his own observations
in this respect. The editor of the Port
land OTegonidn, for exan pie, who was in a
Vermont regiment, has declared that lie
knows OF his own knowledge that "since
the passage of the arrears of pension act
about every shirk ana utterly worthless
veteran OF his brigade has been success
full applicant for a pension. He told of
a WAGNER who had lost his leg by tum-
bling off his team while hopelessly drunk,
| but who got pension on the plea that
| he had lost it in action with the enemy F;
of another man who swore to having re-
| ceived injuries in battle when in point
of fact he was not present at all; and OF
several who shot OIL their fingers in order
| to escape from service and then had their
| names placed on the rolls as though the
wounds had been hOnorably incurred.
1t is not an exaggeration to say that
| there must be tens of thousands of such
shirks and frauds drawing pensions. The
! Tribune says truly that ''there is q wide
| spread feeling that thorough purging OF
the rolls would lessen materially the
charges which the government has to
meet" But IL is not simply question OF
saving the money out OF which the
treasury is thus swindled. The spectacle
! of a worthless fellow drawing a regular in
come from the government to which he
has not the shsiow of claim, has a most
demoralizing effect upon the community
in which be lives, and it would be grea,
service to the cause of good morals II the
rascals could be exposed.