The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-02-09
OUR PENSION SYSTEM.
Views on the Subject Expressed by
Prominent People.

The Boston Globe Of Sunday, Jan. %, give
the opinions of several prominent gentlemen
regarding the present pension system of ou1
Government, from which the following extracts
are made:
Gen. Nathaniel p Banks says: 81 feel thai
the right of the veteran to the assistance of the
| Government-which he helped to keep whole
| is undoubted aud whenever it can be estab-
| lished beyond reasonable question that the
claim is just the claim should be honored.
| II fear it is true, however, that there are
abuses in the present system of administering
| pensions, and there is no question in my mind
that revision of the system would be very de-
sirable
"How this can be accomplished is matter of
detail into which have neither the time nor
| the strength to enter.
| THE principle of the pension system deem
| equitable and proper; and, after the correction
of the abuses that prevail under 1t. it ought to
| be possible to secure q condition of pension adj
ministration that will not be open to the crit-
| cisms which are now justly made"
! James K. Churchill Department Commander
| Department of Massachusetts,: ~ have always
| advocated service pension, but am satisfied
with the present pension law. think il is q
| good one. IL there are those who are unworthy,
and are receiving pensions under the provisions
of said pension BILL don't know Of anyone
better qualified to judge of such cases than the
authorities under whose supervision pensions
| are granted. know that it has been great
blessing to the veterans and their families and
widows Of comrades who have answered to their
last roll-call, all W0rthy, who could not obtain a
pension under any previous pension law on &C
count of impossibilty to procure the evidence
required by such law. AS for the roll of
honor part Of the pension, that is title that
can be used by anyone who Desires"
Gen. Hazard Stevens: ga pension roll that
to-day-27 years after its close-musters a
larger army than was ever present for duty at
any one time during the war, and that draws
annually heavier sum from the earnings of
the people than it costs Germany to enroll her
entire male population and maintain nearly a
million men under arms may safely be said to
be quite a burden upon the resources of even SO
rich Nation as the United States
F" 1t is more 1t is demoralizing alike to the
undeserving recipients of the Nations bounty
and to the Nation ITSELF
" 1t is discreditable to all, but especially dis
creditable to the claim agents. the politicians,
and -protectionists to whose combined and
persistent efforts the evil is due.
=" The veterans themselves might, and per-
haps ought to, have resisted such lavish pen
soning. Many of them did protest manfully.
Many to this day disdan to apply for pensions
to which they we'll entitled as thousands
who draw them, and some of them have even
returned pensions fairly earned because they
no longer needed them. Blame the veterans.
It's growing the fashion. 1t is not the least
evil of these pensions that they are alternating
the respect and gratitude of the people from
the men who saved the country"
Gen. A. P. Martin: AS 1 understand it. the
object OF the pension system originally was not
reward for services in the army and navy
during the war, but rather was intended to
provide for the disabled and infirm who had
been injured, or whom hardship and exposure
had afflicted with disease while in active SER
vice ON the field of battle, or in the performance
of military duties. There should he no ques-
ton, it seems to me- of the justice Of this orig
inal plan, and SO far as know, there is no OBJ
lection to 1t on the part of either political party
or OF any number of people. Moreover, it
never was intended that every soldier regard
less of the service he rendered, should be enti-
tied to pension On the indiscrimnate plan
which seems to have prevailed of late"
Gen. Michael Z. Donohue: 81 have not time
to indulge in more than a very general state
ment on the subject of pensions. But l am
convinced that radical reform is necessary in
this department of Government affairs. / do
not believe that the pension roll should be re-
duced amply on the ground that too much
money is being paid to the veterans and their
families. but think that an honest and ener-
getic man would find it easy to purge the PEN
sion roll of many names representing unworthy
no doubt that such man would find ready
approval of his course by his c0untrymen."
Geo. Fl. 1nnis, Past Senior Vice Commander
of Massachusetts,: "To reform the abuses which
oxist under the present pension system, it
seems to me necessary for the Government at
Washington to make important additions to its
corps of pension employees. l mean to say that
in many cases injustice is done to the worthy
veteran by the long delays which occur in in
vestigation of pension claims. If the Pension
Department were very much enlarged, so that
all claims could be considered and decided very
much more quickly than they now, such an
improvement would serve two purposes"
Maj. George 8. Merrill, Past Commander in
Chief, GAR: "Should the present pension
roll be enlarged and if go. to what extent?
Assuredly yes, and by the addition thereto of
the names Of every honorably discharged vet
eran who to-day is in such necesstous circnm-
stances as to have confronting him the grant
ing of pension or the spending of his declin-
ing years in one of the public pauper' houses of
the country after an honorable service in de-
Tense of the Nation.
e 1t is not fair argument upon the pension
question to say that large numbers Of names
have been improperly added to the pension roll.
This is solely matter of administration and
while no one at all familiar with the operations
of the Pension Department for moment be-
leves that there is now upon the list a large per-
CcutaSo VI lupIOpcIIy tucIo tudu Wbulu
pertain to any official business of like magni-
tude. the number, whatever it may be, is not
chargeable to the law itself, but to its admins
traton'
Mr.. Harrison Hume: "should the pension
list be enlarged or diminished2 Enlarged,
most certainly. Justice demands it. For some
years to come the number of pensions that |
ought to be granted will probably exceed those
that lapsoby death. Nothing is said by the !
pension reformer about the death rate. Four
teen have died in Boston, and filed pauper's |
graves within month; how many others |
do not know. The death rate is increasing
every year. The long and weary marches by |
day and night, the malaria of Southern swamps, |
the nervous strain of battle, all these things |
are beginning to tell upon the health and |
strength of the youth of '61'65. In few short |
years the pension list will be diminishing not |
by the pseudo.r eformer, but by one whom even |
he cannot cheat-Death
1t will be increased for few years. because |
there are thousands Of veterans who have |
scorned to receive pension who will soon find |
their power and ability to obtain o livelihood |
lessened by the results Of their service to the |
Hint for Maidens.