Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-07-21

CORRUPTION IN THE PENSION
OFFICE.

No favoriiism shown by the Pres.
ent administration The Weather
Long Session of Congress PrOba-
bIe-rhe Currency Question Will
Hr AmicabIy adjusted.
From our Regular Corros;oldencc.l
WASHINGTON, u. c., July ii, 1898.
Facts are stubborn things, and now
that the Democrats have an oppor-
tunity to examine the pension roll
they are turning up every day to
prove that the claim made by Demo-
Gratis for years, that millions of dollars
were being paid out Illegally for pen
sions, was correct. Cases are numer-
Gus where men are drawing $72 n
month for total disability and are in
addition following Ordinary ayocations
and drawing the same salaries as I'M
injured men. Two cases OF this sort
turned up this week right here in
Washington; one man. a musician
regularly employed, and the other a
government clerk, and there are many
more here. These two men were re-
examined and their pensions reduced
to SIT and S23 a month respectively,
and so apparent was the justice of the
reduction that neither of them availed
themselves of the right to appeal from
the decision of the board OF examiners.
A little incident occurred this week
at the Pension Office which shows
t. at politics does not enter into the
present conduct of that Omce. a
Democratic Congressman called TO
protest against the reduction of the
pension of a prominent Democratic
worker in his district, and said that
the man had influence enough to
throw his district, which is close, to
the Republicans. The papers in the
case were produced and it was conclu-
sively shown that the man was draw
ing larger pension than he was ell
titled to, and the Congressman had to
acknowledge It, although he still
asked that this particular pension be
not reduced. He was informed, as
other Democratic Congressman have
been who called upon similar errands,
that the policy of this administration
was to administer the law as it exists,
without regard to the politics OF the
pensioners.
Secretary Morton thinks the work
Of the Weather Bureau should be con-
fined to the purposes for which it was
established and that the employment
OF high-salaried scientific experts to
experiment along lines which nobody
really knows anything about is all
wrong, and in consequence of these
thoughts he has notified several pro-
fessors who have been engaged upon
work that was of no immediate prac-
teal use either to the Bureau or to the
public that their services will be dis.
pensed with. The Secretary intends
that the entire talent of the Bureau
shall be devoted to improving the
daily forecasts Of the weather, which
he believes to be the work which is
the most beneficial to the public.
How the fur would fly" remarked
q man who knows considerable about
the inside workings of some of the
other so-called scientific bureaux OF
the government, eff q man like Nor
ton was put in charge of the Geologi.
cal and the Coast Survey offices. He
knows enough about science not to
allow himself to be bamboozled by the
lake scientists. whose sole object in
life is to hold on to the snaps they
now have"
Senator Voorhees,, whose long Con-
gressional experience makes his
opirion valuable, takes no stock in
The talk about the extra session being
\ short one. Speaking Of it he said |
Congress will probably be in contin-
nous session until August Is, 1894, If
not longer" Representative Wilson,
'f West Virginia, the gentleman who
IS thought to stand the best chance of |
being the chairman Of the Ways and
Means Committee of the House,
should Mr.. Springer not get it again,
also thinks the extra session will run
INTO the regular session and that the
latter will be an unusually long one. |
Mr.. Wilson thinks the tariff will be
AIKEN up just as soon as the Ways and
Means Committee is announced by |
Speaker Crisp, and it is expected that
will be Immediately after the House |
goes through the formality OF re-elect-
ing Mr.. Crisp Speaker.
Many misstatements have been |
made concerning the alleged antago-
nism between the administration and |
The silver Democrats in Congress. |
Wheeler, of Alabama,
10 and has been for years q silver
Democrat. and this is the way he ex-
pressed his antagonism: 81 have un-
bounded confidence in President
Secretary Carlisle and the
Democratic party. Mr.. Cleveland |
struck the keynote in his letter of ac-
ceptance when he demanded legisla-
lion which would give adequate money
Tor our business needs, and also legis.
lation which would insure the proper
of this money throughout
The country. Under his wise leader
ship we will be able to frame measure
which will be satisfactory to all the
interests of our land" Dem.
In No Position TO CRITICIsE.-l
Under the heading of "School Book