The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-17

sioner Of pensions. Judge ,s.ochren, Of
Minneapolis. is sonnd laws, and was
gallant soldier of the UniosA who began
- private in the First NJ nesota regi.
ment and came out in thre: years q .
captain. He was in the famoss charge at
Gettysburg when hia regime,,. suffered .
heavier loss than Any othes regiment in
any battle in the war. Ju*se Lochren
went into that charge lieutenant and
came out Of IL the ranking cs.acer of the
regiment Of forty-two men. sie field off,
GERS and every captain having: been killed
or wounded. ::
No honest veteran has anything to fear
from such q man Is Jud:s Lochren;
worthy pensioners will have s:sll faith in
gallant comrAde who has cas.,ed KNAPP.
sack and gun in the ranks ed knows by
experience the hardships and:sufferings OF
the private soldier. Judge Esachren may
be trusted to approach his week in spirit
of keen sympathy with all mesl who have
an honest right to . pension: and he 10
sound lawyer enough TO poirts: out for cor
rection by congress such dxects in the
text Of the present pension lsys As inter-
fere with its salutary administration.
There is need of rcformatics. in the pen.
sion bureau; there q need of.amendment
of the pension laws. so that 4. shall be i'm
possible for q man of pecrsiiary means
ample for his own support ana. that OF his
family to draw pension. Tssre are hun
dreds of men todag possessss of incomes
from property sufficient to e;pport them
without labor who are on thgoension roll
and have been paid q large .amp sum in
arrears of pension. These rids, pensioners
have legal right 10 place o.. the pension
roll. but they have no mos:.i right TO a
pension. and if there il no oay in which
they can be legally exclude; from the
pension roll. they ought to u blacklisted
and published for tiae information Of the
public. 90 that every state ms know vino
these rich men are that are 8. destitute Of
pride as to swell this number. of the pen.
sion rolls. :,
The pension roll today den:.snds an an.
nual appropriation of over:Efl5o, 600. O0o
with the prospect that il wiltc>reach 500.
10000 before the steady and t:..2id increase
10 checked For oIr enormous pension
roll both parties are responk::,le. aud the
Democracy are chiefly responsible for the
utterly indefensible act OF iSs:e granting .
service pension 10 all surysssors of the
Mexican war who h.sd served :: XIV DAYS in
Mexico or en- route thereio. Under thi,
Law every veteran Ok the Mesvcan war or
his widow draws Today sLa, month
With this ugly precedent Of }c.service pen-
sion for Mexican war ye;era::s. Il il folly
10 expect that the disabilities: aension law
of 1890 will ever bs disturbs.: IL ia far
more likely 10 De supplemental ten years
from today by service pens.sa 10 Union
veterans.
There is only ons way te reduce thu
amount, Of the annual pensioc@ srpropria.
ton and that IS By suhiectin.sthe roll n
severe but Jus, scrutiny. hich will
purge the roll of al fraudu.e;:Z claimants,
Gen. Sloeum believes there sS thousand,
Of persons on the t5sas today IA, have no
lawful Claim 10 rension. y, was onlv
the other day thai 8 wor1~a WAS dis.
covered in Rhode Is and wh,gefor several
years has been drawing 3 pe..,.ion a. the
widow Of . man who is s,iil rc.inr. Pres.
ident Jackson. who had beers soldier for
many years. declared. IN a mtseage 10 con.
gress recommending = es-e.,l scrutiny
into the circumstances ans. claims Of
every person drawing . r:xt.sion, ''the
homes: veteran has nothing II fear from,
such q scrutiny. While th=$ fraudulent
claimant ~1.l he detected ai.5 the public
treasury relieved 10 an amoG:s far greater
than has heretoto,s been .tsuspecsea."
This was the sentirntn; e1rresaed hy Gen.
Grant when he vetoed an extt.;ysrani PEN
sion ball: II has b4en expressed by such
soldiers ~ Generals s.ecgm, s!boon. Bar