The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1891-02-28
WARN FOR DEMOCRACY.

In leading editorial article en-
titled . The Feeling About Persons,
the n. Y. Tribune points out that
there has been much change in
public opinion regarding the pension
business during the past year, and that
"there were thousands Of voters who
were heartily IN favor a year ago of
liberal measures for the benefit Of the
Union veterans, but who are now in
clined to look with mistrust upon
measures heretofore enacted, as well
az new proposed, feeling that the bus
iness may have gone too far for the
public gOod.s 1t admits the impossi-
bility of meeting this distrust with a
strong and unqualified denial; indeed,
1t declares that facts have come to
light which have '.gone far to impair
public confidence in the care, impair
tiality and efficiency of the service,
and to increase the impression that
fraudulent claims may have been
granted in many cases through the
INSCRIPTIONS influence of agents"
The Tribune considers the situation
SO serious that there is danger "lest
the public willingness to meet the
proper claims of honest pensioners
may be impaired, if not destroyed, by
the feeling that the system has become
machine for the plundering of the
country In order to assure the pay
ment of pensions even to those whc
are most deserving, it is necessary that
there will be an investigation as tc
show far the roll of recipients of pub
lie money have been swelled, whether
by collision, by fraud, by neglect oil
by cunning aud dishonesty which th'
best officials could not detect, with
names which have no right to b'
thcre.r The Tribune, therefore, con
cludes that "if the present Congress
desires to do the best thing possible
for Union veterans it will set on foo
au inquiry which shall clear the pen
sion rolls, as far as possible, of name
fraudulently added aud re-establisl
public confidence in the fidelity Of th,
service and of the real merit of tn
great body of pensioners.'
"Scarcely any former officer OF th
Union army says the Tribune, cha
not become cognizant of pension
claims which ought never to have beef
considered, but which have been es
tablished through false swearing o
fraud Of some kind"
The correctness of this opinion cal
not be questioned. Occasionally
writer for the press who served in th
army bears witness as to his own OBJ
servations in this respect. The edito
of the Portland Oregonian, for exam
pie, who was in Vermont regiment
has declared that he knows of his owl
knowledge that "since the passage o
the arrears of pension act about ever,
shirk and utterly worthless veteran o
his brigade has been a successful ap
plicaut for pension.'
He told of a wagner who had los
his leg by tumbling of his team Will
hopelessly drunk, but who got pen
sion OH the plea that he had lost 1t II
action with the enemy; of anothe
man who swore TO having receives
injuries In battle when In point OF fac
be was not present at all aud of sew
eral who shot of their fingers in orde
to escape from service, aud then ha'
their names placed on tho rolls a
though the wounds had been honora
bly, incurred.
1t Is not an exaggeration to say tha
there must be tens Of thousands o
such shirks and frauds drawing pen
sions The Tribune says truly tina
"there is widespread feeling that
thorough purging Of the rolls woul
lessen materially the charges whic
the Government has to meet" But !
is not simply question of saving tn
money out of which the treasury
thus swinded The spectacle of
worthless fellow drawing regula
income from the Government to whic
he has not the shadow Of claim ha
most demoralizing effect upon tn
community in which he lives, and
would be great service to the caus
of GOOD morals Ii the rascals could