The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-12-17
President Cleveland's Policy Bit
terIy Condemned.
INNOCENT MEN MADE TO SUFFER
The Hunt for Fraud a Pretext for
Cutting Deserving ren Off
the Rolls.
PENSIONS FOR SOLDIERS.

growing out OF an lem in the urgent de-
fciency appropriation bill appropriating
100000 for special examiners. consumed
he entire day in the House. Under the
lead Of Cannon an assault was made
against Cleveand's pension policy. es-
pecially that portion Nhich resulted in
revocation order 164. and the subsequent
stop age of the stipends of thousands of
pensioners. Livingston of Georgia and
Enl0e OF Tennessee defended the admins
tration and Lacey of Iowa and Morse of
Massachusetts opposed it. Breckinridge
took the floor first and explained that the
bill contained appropriations amounting
to 1861. 1895.
The only item an:agoniZed was the ap-
preparation of 100000 for special pension
examiners. Touching this item Cannon
thought Ii was time for Congress to eX-
anime into the manner in which the pen
sion office was being conducted. He re-
ferred to the clause of the Presidents mes
sage declaring that every neighborhood
had its fraudulent pensioners and re-
viewed the action of the department in
cutting off thousands of pensioners. There
had been much allegation of fraud, but
little had materinlized on cross-examina-
ton. OF the 235 special examiners in the
department.. dozen were employed
to run down these alleged fraudu-
lent pensioners. All pensions cut off
were credited by the Commissioner to the
credit of the amount saved by the office.
One million dollars of rejected pensions
had been classified as S1,000.oO0 saved,
yet after the rough examination it was
found that but S31 600 hsd been actually
paid out to pensioners who had secured
their pensions by forgery. perjury or false
mpersonation. He undertook to say that
there was no more fraud in the admins
tration of the affairs of the Pension Office,
which diSbursed annually S1S0.000000,
than in the adjudication of cases in the
courts of the country. The Fifty-f first
Congress had appropriated $3.50, 0O0, 900
for pensions. The Fifty-second, with 40
Democratic majority. appropriated $685.
100000 to meet payments on account of
pensions. Order 164 was responsible for
much of this magnanlmity. yet the present
head of the Pension Department and the
Secretary of the Interior now undertook,
after this construction had stood four
years and been acquiesced in by Demo-
cratic House of Representatives, to re-
verse that construction.
sit was an act" said he, shaking his fist
ominously, akin to crime. The infamous
ruling OF the administration was that men
receiving pensions, whose cases had been
proved. were stricken from tle rolls. Look
at the Bennett case, which was known from
one end of the country to the ether. If
such ruling had been made by a Republi-
can administration. by Rapm or Bussey,
after construction of the laW had stood
three years and been ratified by Congress,
h e would attack it as he attacked it now"
That's right" shouted EDloe, give it
to Raum!"
"Oh. no." replied Cannon, 81 will not go
for Raum, because in Gods court of
chancery he is not guilty, and your COM
missioner is. Comparing the work of
Raum and Lochran. seven months of the
administration of each showed that Raum
had issued la, 600 certificates and Lochran
$4,000. In the same period Raum had re-
iected $4,000 claims and Lochran $1,000
Lochraa had kept up with Rum on re-
jectioDs, but Raum had beaten him two to
one on issues"
That's greatly to his credit" shouted
some one on the Democratic side.
81 do not think So" replied Cannon.
land l think my judgment will be the
judgment of history. / do not desire to
attack the Pension Office. but do attack
the atmosphere # that flee, which for an
honest claimant is 20 degrees below Zero
Laughter. II makes matters look gloomy
for the 800, 900 claimants Gnder the acl of
1890 whose claims were not adiudicated,
and for the 100000 pensioners under that
law whose pensions are in jeopardy"
Applause on the Republican side
Livingston replied to Cannon. The ap-
preparation under discussion, he said, was
to provide for field examiners for the pen-
sion Office. Cannon had not challenged
The propriety or justice of the appropria-
ton, but had occupied his time in casting
shadow over the administration of the
pension office and in attacking Secretary
Smith and Commissioner Lochran for the
revoking Of the order of April. A Demo-
crat. North or South, was always under
suspicion when he criticized pensions.
Secretary Smith was a Southern man, but
he had not been in the Confederate army.
Lochran had been a soldier in the Union
army and gallant one. Cleveland had
not been in the army. but he could assure
the House and the country that justice was
distinguished men. All applications were
scrutinized with care, as they should be.
No self-respectng man in the land would
believe that Cleveland. Smith or Lochran,
in beating the brush for fraud. was actua-
ted by desire to deprive honest soldiers
OF their pensions. 1t was true. however,
that this war against nworthy and unde-
serving soldiers should be prosecuted vigor-
ously.
Blair. Stone, Picker. Cannon and Bing-
ham harassed Livingstone Mt every step.
and Blair declared that he did not object
to wedding out fraud, but he did object to
making that pretext cloak for deliber-
ate conspiracy to deprive honest pension
ers of their pensions.
Livingstone replied that the sole purpose
of the administration was to purge the
pension rolls of names that dishonored
them.
Lacey followed Livingstone. La open
ing he read from recent interview with
Lawrence T. Neal, author of the tariff
plank in the Democratic party. Ninety
per cent If Democratic aisaffection. Neal
said shonld ha OH IN fhn a