The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-07-13
service and show its origin in the ser

it was necessary for him to show that it
was received in the line of duty. The
board of pension appeals, which is sort
of hybrid law factory attachment to the
pension Office, has practically abolished
the rule requiring the soldier 10 prove
that the disability is the result of injuries
received in the service and in the lines of
duty. Their decisions go to the extent Of
holding that soldier was in the line Of
duty if he was hurt in a drunken brawl,
robbiug hen roost, or stealing whiskey.
You ask what is the purpose of this
change of policy. It seems manifest, as
I have before indicated, th:,t it has been
done for political reasons; done on the
idea of using the public money for the
purpose of influencing the political ac-
tions of those who are to be the bene6ci.
aries"
ITO return again to the question of an.
nual expenditures. If, as you estimate,
$3.50, 100000 will be necessary to cover
the disbursements for the next fiscal year,
where is this extravaganza going to stop ?
Will $160,0O0,O0O be the maximum
amount, or will it 60 to $170,000,O00?
And if it does go to 100000, isn't it
likely to 60 to $20O,Oo0,000 ultimately {?
And if this be the case where shall we
get the revenues with which to meet these
payments7 The treasury is practically
bankrupt now"
"It the pension Office" replied Mr..
Enloe, "is to be continued to be used as 8
political machine no man can tell where
it will stop. But from present indications
I would say that it would not stop as long
as soldier can be found in the country
who is willing to put price upon his
patriotism. I have had an occasion to
give the matter some thought, and in q
discussion on the floor of the House I
expressed the opinion that the present
rate of adjudicatiug pensions, in view of
the number of applications now on hand,
it would not stop short of s200,000,0O0
per annum. It will be necessary to eth
er limit Government appropriations to
the salary list in support of the army and
navy and the payment of pensions, to the
exclusion of everything else, or to fed
new sources of revenue. The revenue
might be. increased to some extent by
abolishing prohibitory duties and bring
ing the tariff down to revenue basis, but
doubt if it would furnish sufficient rev.
enue to cover the expenditures. I think
we will be forced to adopt the income tax
to pay pensions. I think the imposition
of graduated income tax on all incomes
over $4,000 would be the easiest and most
equitable way of raising the money to
pay pensions. 1 think it would be better
to place the burden of taxation of those
who are able to bear it rather than i'm
pose it on the labor of the country,
which is already overburdened. The sys.
tenn would not be so injurious as it is if
the pensioners we're equally distributed
throughout the country. As it is now
some localities have few if any pensioners.
Such localities are consequently drained
of part of their earnings, which is as
completely lost to them as fdestroyed by
FIRE or food, because it is taken from them
and distributed elsewhere, never to re-
turn"
"When will the pension Office investi-
CATION clone and what will be the result
of it7"
"1,he investigation is drawing to close
for this session and the report will prob
ably be submitted to Congress within the
next ten days or two weeks. I intend to
ask the Committee not to adjourn finally
until next session, so that certain matters
which they have not time to investigate
now may be inquired into when Congress
meets again. I think it would hardly be
proper for me to express any opinion as
to what the report of the Committee will
be. I think, however, that the report
will be satisfactory and will be fully sus-
tanned by the evidence taken. I shall
urge the propriety and the necessity of
taking the pension bureau out of politics.
I hope the Committee will recommend its
transfer to the war department, where it
properly belongs. I believe if that bureau
was placed in charge of regular army
officer it would cease to b. political
machine. That would do much to correct
abuses in the system. also think that it
would be wise to confer upon the Secre-
tary of War tho power to thoroughly
overhaul the present pension list, with
authority to eliminate from it all who are
not legally entitled to pensions, and all
whose circumstances are such that they
don't need to be pensioners on the boun.
ty of the Government. I think every
true soldier and every right. thinking cit.
izen would be willing to trust the army
officers with the exercise of such power.
The regular army officers have been
trained and educated to high sense of
honor and lofty patriotism. They would
naturally sympathize with soldier who
had suffered misfortune or injury in the
service of bis country, and would be pre-.
pared to do full justice, while they would
entertain a righteous contempt for the
fraud, the sneak, the deserter and the
bounty jumper. Their sense Of honor
would be safeguard for the public treas
ury and guarantee of justice to the SOL
dier."
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