The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-06-02
THE PENSION DECISION.

BosToN, May ga Washington spe-
cial says: Probably the most important
pension decision ever sent from the Of
flee of the secretary of the interior to the
commissioner of pensions has been filed.
1t is believed by those high in authority
in the pension bureau that it will reduce
the payment of pensions under the act
of June 27, 1890, between Sl5, ,00O, 200 and
$20,000,000 annually.
1t involves the repeal of an order
passed by Gen. Raum and approved by
Assistant Secretary Bussey, and return
to the language of the statute requiring
the disability not Of service origin to be
such as to prevent the applicant from
earning support by manual labor.
A Herald reporter asked Col. Albert
Clarke, secretary of the Home Market
Club, Monday, what his opinion was of
the recent pension decision. He re-
piled that he was going to speak in Yer
mont tomorrow, and had prepared
something to say upon that subject and
upon pensions generally. He granted
the reporter permission to copy what he
had prepared, and it is as follows:
"Indeed, on account of the magnitude
of the sum thus annually expended,
many people profess to have taken
alarm, lest the pensioners shall bankrupt
the country. Much of the talk has been
for political purposes, but we are bound
to recognize the fact that many patriotic
mel in both parties think that liberality
was carried too far in the act of 1890,
which granted pension of So to Sl2 a
month to any honOrably discharged
soldier who had become disabled with
out his fault from earning living by
manual labor, whether the disability was
| incurred in the service or not. 1t ap-
pears that the commissioner of pensions
was more liberal than the act itself and
rated all cases at the maximum. Last
Saturday an order was issued by the sec
retary of the interior revoking that inter
probation and directing that allowances
shall be made according to the degree of
disability between the limits fixed by
law. It's claimed that this decision, il
old cases are re-rated, will save to the
government some 500, 900 or $50, ,000,-
600 year. Be the amount much OIL
little, l agree that if any soldier has OBJ
tanned a pension by fraud, or if the com
missioner was too liberal in his interpre-
tation of the law, the error should be cor
rected.
"There has been, however, an indis
criminate onslaught upon pensioners and
upon the Grand Army of the Republic
which reflects no credit upon either the
accuracy or the patriotism of some ol
our leaders of public opinion. They
have denounced too many and con
demned too much. l denounce, and Sc
does every good soldier, all manner Of
fraud upon the government, and espec
tally fraud upon its benevolence. But
fraud is one thing and suffering another
In the name of all the brave and honor
able men who gave up their opportuni
ties in civil life, and risked eVerythin;
for their country, who toiled and Tough
with all their strength, who fordeC
streams, slept in swamps, stood guarC
through freezing nights, faced ever,
kind of storm from snow to lead, suffered
in hospitals, starved in prisons, narrowl,
escaped death scores of times, and short
ened their lives, every one of them, b.
several years, denounce this seeming
forgetfulness of the fair promises tina
were made when volunteers were sought
and pity the shrivelled souls whicl
fear that few millions, or even man
millions, paid to our own people, hardl
a dollar of which goes out of the cOun
try, will bankrupt government whic
has reduced its debt from $64.43 pc
capita in 1869 to $l2.s6 per capita i
1892.
"The census shows that the per capt.
wealth of the people has just abou
doubled during the last 30 years, and a
forms of public indebtedness-fed
state and municipal-have decrease
about 10 per cent. Many are not aware
but such is the fact, that during the las
25 years the payments of interest to til
holders of government bonds has exceed
ed all the pension payments in the sam
time by 43 per cent, or nearly one-hal
And yet we were glad to pay the publ
creditor dollar for dollar in good money
though we remember that during mos
of the war the soldier received his sma
wages in a currency which was deprl
ciated from 10 TO 143 per cent. The yea
that the war closed the interest paid
the government amounted to $4.20 pc
capita. Last year the pension payment
amounted to only S2.07 per capita. Thu
the heaviest burden upon the people f
pensions in any year was less than on
half that for interest in one year.
MANY, too, are not aware that a col
| oidarahla nortion Of tha nraoant Ioro