The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-02-13
THE PENSION SCANDAL.

congress is bearing its legitimate fruit.
Never in the history Of the country were
the people robbed right and left with
more shameless audacity than by the
traffickers in patriotism who are mis-
using the old soldiers under the present
administration. Someone in Washing
ton has been collecting specimens Of
circulars sent out by these s~elf-consti-
tuted pension agents which throw some
side-light or the bad character and
loose administration Of our pension
laws. A Philadelphia Sawyer" sends
out a circular like this:
II You are drawing a small pension write
70 me or call at u Of my Offices ana ! will
have your pension increased. Many SOL
disrs are now drawing very small pensions,
and should apply for increase and r~eratinG.
Another circular, signed by an attor-
ney who claims to be q United States
pension claim agent and war claim at
~torney,' of Wisconsin, contains the fol-
lowing statement:
II claimant will pay strict attention TO
my advice and instructions, and cooperate
with me in the matter. I can place him OF
the pension roll in from five months to one
year At the outside from the date of appli-
cation. This is quick work, and if any
agent tells you he can do it in less time you
can safely call him a hunbug.
Another circular signed by an attor-
ney and dated from Washington March
4, 1889. ~solicits business on the following
terms. viz:
! have examined your case as it appears
upon the list, and think that you may be
entitled to an increase in your rate. / have
to say TO you that no person is better quail
fed to determine whether you are entitled
to I'm increase than yourself. Only about
sixty days are necessary to procure an in
crease. Request the officers to fill up the
blank, SO it is complete.
Another circular, issued from this city
and signed by IN attorney, holds out the
following inducements:
/ see by the records that you nave been
allowed a pension, and I desire to call your
attention to the fact that in nine cases out
of ten the pension is rated too low, and is
hardly enough to pay your doctors bills
and expense for medicine and proving up
your claim.
A circular, signed by an attorney who
styles himself the expert United States
claim agent" and dated from Murphys-
boro, Ill, is:
To-day l send You a blank application for
increase pensions, which please execute be-
fore some notary or clerk and return to me
At once, and then ] will get you q hand
some increase with no trouble or expense to
You. ] was engaged in the settlement of
all classes Of claims in the pension Office,
and consequently know just what Is to be
done in FOUR case, SO soon as l receive
your statement or application. Increase
claims / get allowed in from sixty to ninety
days, and original claims from nine to
twelve months.
Another circular, signed by an attor-
ney OF Ohio, and meant for distribution
among pensioners, says:
/ see that you have been allowed a pen
sion. and know that within a few days you
will receive your certificate from the pen
sion agent. In almost every case of origi-
nal pensions being granted the pensioner
il entitled to q higher rate than he receives
at first.
So noisome and offensive have these
claimants become that ever the admin
istration is disturbed by them, and AS
sistant Secretary Bussey has suggested
to Gen. Raum that the attorneys should
have their circulars edited in the de-
partment before they are sent out. The
sharks are not likely to be seriously
hurt, however, 10 long as a republican
administration which bribed it's way in
to power by promises Of just such legis.
tiol as it has enacted, controls the pen
. sion office and the treasury.