Daily Texarkana Democrat., 1893-05-31
HONEST REFORM.
Government Offices Receive Endorse
ment from an Unexpected Source.

Commissioners OF Pensions Bussey's
disability ruling and thereby provid-
ing for an annual saving to the toiIers
of the nation of twenty millions of
dollars, has naturally received the un-
qualified approval of all disinterested
and unprejudiced persons. This was
only natural, however, as the
act, of itself, was sufficient
to command admiration and approval
of every devoted and patriotic heart
But the approval has not, as might
have been expected, stopped here.
Indeed its noble sentiments have
penetrated into the very heart of the
Grand Army of Republic, as illustrat-
ed by the open endorsement which
the Secretary's act received from the
of the Noah i. Farham's
post, G. A. r., resulting as the public.
already knows, in the expulsion of
these noble and hardy spirits from the
great order of pension receivers.
This expulsion of the post by the de-
partment commander, was caused by
Its action in passing resolutions and
sending out circulars favoring a re-
vision of the pension laws without
the approval of the department and
national officers of the G. A. r. A
member Of the post, was wounded
during the war and who does not
draw pension because he does not
need 1t, said:
"Our action is approved by all self
respecting members of the Grand
Army of the Republic, but | don't
think that any post will at present
pass similar resolutions. They do
not want to lose their characters. We
don't object to legitimate pensions.
We do object to the present system
Of wholesale robbery. For instance, |
know of a man who claimed that he
was so seriously injured during the
war that he should have a pension of
300 a month. BY special act it
was given to him. Notwithstanding
his severe injuries, the government
finds his services so valuable now,
that they give him an important Off
ce and $1,000 year salary.
'sThen there are men who never
went to the front and who did not
discover that their home-guard duty
had injured their health until twenty
years after the war and then they got
a pension. That IS the sort of abuses
we object to and that Congress should
investigate. They are stain on the
Grand Army of the Republic and a
disgrace to this country"
Mr. Leaser a prominent member,
said: "There is no doubt in my mind
that thousands of undeserving men
are drawing pensions, and the best
part Of Farnham post is opposed to
this iniquity. We went to the war to
save the country from disunion; we
want to save our country with being
burdened with paying pensions of
800 month to men who are getting
salaries Of $1,000 a year in the govern.
ment service right here in New York;
we want TO save the country from
paying widow pensions to women
since the war ended; we think that
the pension agents who are drawing
at least $3,500,000 every year from the
pocket of the country, are more dan
gerous than the men who fired on
Fort Sumpter, for the men of the re-
bellion were brave men, while these
are corruptors of common honesty,
abettors Of perjury and public cut
purses"
at will cost this country about
$200,000,O0o for pensions this coming
year. II Is very reasonable to say
that $15O,OOO,OOO of this is uDdeserv-
ed. Nobody has any idea of the
enormous fraud Of the pension list.
"Here Is sum for the mathemat-
ical to solve: There are twenty-four
widows Of revolutionary soldiers.
Now we know how old these girls
must have been when they married
the continentals. Now get the num-
Der of revolutionary soldiers and the
number Of the soldiers Of the rebellion
and figure out how many soldiers
widows there Will be in 1865. There's
just one case on record, that Of Com
rade John +. Hewitt Of California, in
which comrade drew pension and
having recovered sufficiently to get
his own living gave it up. Wasn't
that splendid%