The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1892-12-16
Tramp, Tramp. Tramp - The
March to National Bank
rupt0y.

ruptoy.
The increase during the past two
years IN the number OF persons draw
Ing pensions from the government is
shown by tho astonishing hgnres here
presented:
Pensioners. increase.
June so 1880. -. Ss7.sA4 .....
June 50 1891. -. .e70.160 1So, ,2lO
June 30 1893. ISIS, ,o0o 1oe, ,s03
During twelve months 800 900 new
pensioners have been added 10 the al-
ready enormous list.
Is anybody blind TO tho Significance
oe this exhibitl II 90, let him 90 back
twenty years ~ 1871, when the war
had been over for seven years and
every just claim upon the governments
bounty had presumably been presented
and allowed. In that year. 1879, Gen.
James Abram Garfield. speaking 10
the House Of Representatives both -
legislator and rs veteran Of the Union
army, declared that the pension list
was then swollen beyond sll account" !"
Il am the last man." said Gen. Gar
nsid, Ito say = word against voting
pensions TO oil persons who deserve
them. But wish 10 say to the House
that more frauds are being perpetrated
on the government by claim agrnts in
different portions OF the country than
from almost any other single source. y
In that same year. while discus1ing
the general financial situation.
Gen. Garfield, ~ chairman Of
the committee on appropriations, e.
pressed the opinion that "we may
reasonably expect that the expendi-
/ tur.. Sr~ s~acaSrr = v{lIt, H4Ar akAaAi-
| ~ decrease, unless eur legislation
| At the time when Gen. GARFIELD de-
clared that the honest and legitimate
pension expenditure of the United
States government had reached its
hlgh-water mark, and might be OK
pected thereafter steadily to decrease
the number of pensioners OF all classes,
IN shown by the commissioner report
when last issued, WAS nj .495. and the
aggregate Of their pensions So ,80l .S9l.
Twenty years lAter the number Of pom
sionevs has increased more than $40
per cent, and the annual pension ex-
penditure Of the government between
400 and 500 per cent.
| The expenditure on account OF PEN
siOns during the present fiscal year will
use 1p every dollar Of the appr0prix-
tion Of 4144, ,058 900, and occasion de-
nciency estimstsd By Commissioner
Raum at el0, 500 900.
The commissioner lowest estimate
OF the appro priatiOu required Tor next
year Is $l65. 900 600. Competent judges
believe that the Fifty third Congress
" i'll ba called upon to vote pension Ap-
preparations exceeding 900 900 900 an
nually.
These figures stagger the imagina-
tioB. No other evil which has grown
out Of Republican rule 10 comparable
tn this. No scandal that has ever
stained the government Of any country
hss equaled this stupsndous blundeI
OF the taxpayers In the name Of Grxti-
tude 10 the nations defenders. Thirty
years after the close OF the civil Wal
we shall be paying million pensions
or as many pensions A. there were sol.
diers in the Union army At any one
time during the war. We shall bo pay.
ing. on sccOunt OF war closed more
than thirty years ago, sum Of money
three times greater than the total IN.
nual expenditure Of the United Slater
government at the time VIXEN the Wal
began.
| But this ID not the whole story. Be.
bind the army OF 076, ,O00 pensioneri
there 10 = reserve force of about half 4
million claimants waiting for tho ma
chinsry of the pension bureau TO 'ad1u-
dicats" their claims under existing
laws; and the pension bureau il aus
tering them in 1t the rate Of 100 900
year. And behind the reserve force 0l
actual applicants, whose claims are OF
file at Washington, there ID still an
other reserve, an uncounted army
waiting only for the passage Of new
laws extending the scope Of the gov
srnnent's expenditure.
How long will 1t be before every sur
vlvor Of the Union army. Be hs hero OF
sneak. four years soldier or thirty day
recrnit, feeble or 1t slwArt. rich or poor
will figure ~ beneficiary of m eIee
mosynary institution which has no par.
allel in the history Of the worldl
The time has come fer change ol
policy. The pension list Ii manifestly
swollen with fraudulent and unworthy
pensioners. IL the roll cannot b puTi
fed. and the annual expenditure cul
down to thirty million or 20 which Cen
Garfield declared TO be the maximum
short OF unwarrantable extravaganza
then the Dependent and Disability ac
would better bs repealed outright.