The Indianapolis journal., 1892-12-01
Interesting Facts from the Animal Re-
port of Commissioner Green B. Raum.
Nearly 100000 Pensioners on the Rolls and
7SS.O61 Claims of AL Kinds Psnding-$l65.-
0O0, 900 Needed for Next Fiscal Tear.
How the Worlds Fair Souvenir Coins
Will Be Transported from the Mint
President Harrison's Message TO Congress 70
BE Delayed Only One Day--General New
ton Likely 10 Hear Something Soon.
MR. RaUm's REPORT.


Number OF Pensioners on the Rolls, and
What They Cost the Governmsnt.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 3d.-The annual TO
port of Mr. Green b. Raum. Commissioner
of Pensions. made pnbIic to-day. shows thai
there were on the pension rolls. June 80.
1892. S76.06S pensioners. an increase during
the year of Ie9,9o6. There were added N
the rolls during the year 222.937 new pen.
sioners. and 2.447 pensioners previously
dropped were restored 70 the pension lists
During the year 25. SOC persons were dropped
from the rolls.
The total amount expended for pensiont
during the fiscal year was slS9. .0S5 6l2 Foi
the present fiscal year sl44. .956. 600 is appro-
priated, and taking the cost of the pension
allowances during the first four months of
this fiscal year as q basis of calculation.
the Commissioner estimates that q de-
fciency appropriation of SiO.5 .62l will be
necessary to supplement- this years appro-
priatiop. An estimate OF :. G5. .O00, 900 Is sub
mltted for the next fiscal year. but Com
lowances for pensions shall be made during
the hscal year TO como as during the fiscal
year ended June 30 last, this amount will
not be large enough. He says, however,
that it 10 di iii Quit to forecast pension pay
ments 90 far in advance, and that as Con-
Rress Will be In session no embarrassment
Will arse If his successor, In the light OF
actual cost of the work for the first six
months of the next fiscal year. finds that q
further appropriation will be needed.
Under the dependent and disability PEN
sion act 92o,957 claims have been filed, Of
which number 403. $50 have been allowed.
The pension payments under the law, up To
Sept. 80. 1892. amounted to s76.4s4, ,443. The
Commissioner heartily commends this dis
ability law. He admits that since the
passage of the law there has been great
deal of unfavorable comment upon the
pension system in general. and that It has
been said that the country Is In danger OF
being bankrupted by extravagant and un-
deserving pension legislation. But" he
comments, "a casual consideration of the
great change In the mode of the lives of
these men and the conditions to which
military life in time of war subjected them
must suggest that the strain upon tho life
powers OF tho soldier was so great as to
make permanent inroads upon the vital
forces which would necessarily result in
the Development of multitude
of ailments and disabilities beyond
the reach of medicine. 1t is this class
of citizens who now constitute tho great
body of those who are on the pension rolls.
Good health and the ability to perform
labor were their capital; when these were
gone they were In great measure deprived
OF tnctr means OI support. a very large
proportion of the men who carried the
musket have been unable to keep up with
their nei gh bors who remained at home In
the great struggle OF life and the claims OF
these persons for assistance from the gov
ernment rest upon the broadest foundation
of justice"
ORIGINAL CLAIMS.
The Commissioner says that the policy Of
the Office for three years has been TO use
the larger part of the official force upon
original claims, believing 1T just and
proper that those who have never re-
ceived pension should have theu
cases considered in advance of those
persons seeking an increase of pen-
sion. During the past fiscal year 224,0s7
certificates were issued In original cases
and 20, 7S1 In increase claims. Commissioners
Raum Is Of the opinion that If this policy
be pursued until the close of the fiscal
year 1894 the adjudication of original
claims will be substantially completed, and
that at the close of 1894 the highest number
of pensioners ever TO be on the rolls will
have been placed there. There are 449. $40
original claims pending. of which number
1O9. COO ere apparently complete. lt 10 inn
portant both for the claimants and the gov
ernment to dispose of the original cases as
soon as possible. as first payments date
from the filing of declarations, at the aver
age rate of sll month. AS rule. the
claimants are far inferior 60 their neigh
boTs N physical stamina and ability TO
perform manual labor for a living and are
greatly in need of the money.
Renewed attention is called to the neces-
sity of claimants preparing their cases
properly in order to ex pedite the work of
the bureau. During the year first pay
merits were made IN 3)6.243 cases. re-
requiring an expenditure of Si5. 144. 167. in
cluding $50. 2S2 original claims amounting
to S37, 1885,, ,2SS. The average value of orig
inal payments was Slz6.55. and of original
payments under the disability set s1772d.
The aggregate annual value of the e76. .06S
pensions on the rolls June 80, 1892, was
SIG, ,S79, $780, At the close of the fiscal year
there was balance on hand from the APP
preparation for pensions of S2.2S9.714. and a
deficiency in the appropriation for payment
of fees and expenses OF examining surgeons
of Sos 900. The number of claims of all
kinds pending Oct IL. 1892. was 7Ss.06l. of
which 35S, 434 were hled under the disubill-
ty act.
The revolutionary and 1872 war-roils are
rapidly dwindling. Only twenty widows
and two daughters or revolutionary yeter-
ans are on the former roll. The survivors
of the ar of 1872 on the rolls now number
only 165. against 2S4 ear before.
Mr.. Rsum closes with a comparative state
ment of the work done under the Cleveland
and Harrison Administrations He says:
The total number of original certificates
issued from March 4. 1889. 10 Oct 81, 1892.
was $50 565 and the total numUer of PEN
eion certificates of all GLASSES issued during
said period was So, ,04S W while during the
period from March 4. 1885. to Oct. 81. 1855.
the number of original certificates issned
was 1ho, 769. and the total number of cer-
tificates issued during that period was 402-
3S5. being an excess of original certificates
issued during the period of your adminis-
traton of 334. .796. and an aggregate excess
OF all classes of certificates of 40, 663 The
average cost to the government Of each cer-
tificate granted during the Cleveland sd-
immigration was s2l.35. aud during the
present administration Si04l. The work
of the Office was very fax In arrears when
Bureau of Pensions, while to-day the busi-