The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-03-04
SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 1893.
pension Talk in the Senate.

There was talk on pensions 10 the
United States Senate on Monday. 1t was
brought on by some remarks BY Senator
German. who called attention TO the Senate
and the country that the pension bill car
RED sl66, 600, 900 for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1894, and that this amount
would not suffice by from five to twenty
millions, no one could tell how much. MIR.
German also said that by the methods OF
the Pension Bureau no one could give any
approximately correct information on the
requirements of the Office, that no one
could tell when the maximum payments
would be reached and there would be
decline, or can tell anything about the NOR
tally. He said the government should
employ actuaries, as insurance companies
do, and that the pension committees Of both
houses should consider the pension laws
and recommend such reforms that may
suggest themselves. 10 conclusion Mr..
German said that be had carefully gone
over the matter of pension expenditures,
with an officer of the government and
private secretary, and his conclusions were
that the pension lists would ultimately con-
tain 200 900 names and the expenditures
for pensions would run up to possibly $780,
100000 year.
Messrs. Allison, Teller, Plat and Cullom
all Joined in the talk, and the tenor of their
remarks was substantial agreement of the
facts as stated BY Mr. German, but that
they could not see how any material re-
auctions could be made in the matter of
pension. They all believe that there are
but few fraudulent pensions paid, and
instanced the fact that last year there
we're but l47 indictments for obtaining
pensions by frauds and l22 convictions;
therefore, no considerable reduction in pen
sion expenditures can be made, except by
reducing the amounts now allowed for dis
abilities, and this they would all oppose
They said further the people would oppose
any reduction, and on the contrary were
able and willing to pay, even if the pension
appropriations should reach two hundred
and fifty millions year.
This would indicate that these Senators
are unaware of public sentiment, and have
but little knowledge of the vast number of
persons who are drawing money from the
government who do not need it. There
may not be very large percentage on the
rolls who are there contrary to law, but the
laws themselves are contraryto the sentiment
of the country, which favors such pension as
will make up the deficiency in earning liv-
ing caused by disability. Thousands of per-
sons are receiving twice as much in pensions
as they could earn if they had never en-
listed. Men who would be day laborers,
earning three or four hundred dollars year,
are receiving twelve hundred dollars year
pension. Thousands more are receiving
pensions who are in no way incapacited
from prosecuting their professions or bust
ness, and thousands more are drawing pen
sions for diseases that are in no way con-
nceted with their army service. If the
pensioners in Maryland are fair criterion
to judge by, one-half of the million pen
sioners do not need pensions, and one-half
of the others would have been more useful
citizens if they had never been placed upon
the pension rolls.
If the pension bureau were placed in the
charge of the War Department, as was re-
Gently proposed, and administered upon
business principles and upon the sentiment
that the pension roll should be roll of
honor, and not as political machine, there
would be vast reduction in pension pay
ments