Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-05
THE PENSION DAnGRR.


The most gratifying and assuring thing
in the whole matter of the growingzpe
eion roll is that the subject is no longer
to be discussed by party orators and
narrow gauge newspapers, but at last is
being taken up by publicists of ability
andcharacterwho are giving the country
their views in the independent period
icals. Thus, the most notable paper in
Harper's Magazine for January is re-
view of the pension legislation of the
country, and its tone is 50 sincere that
its conclusions. win not be doubted or
impaired by suspicion of unfair treat
ment.. Not a few financial journals also
have taken occasion to refer to our pen.
sion burden as one of the most alarm
ing factors in the conduct of the govern
ment the next few years. A few writer's
have gone go far as to say that the need
Of providing for this great and growing
outlay will ioree us to consider and pro-
vide new means of taxation as we'll as
increased rates under, in some lines, the
present method.
But perhaps the most significant of
all the recent to the sub.
ject comes to us by way of dispatch
from Washington to New York paper
of recent date, and is in substance as
follows: There are now on the COM
pleted files of the pension bureau the
names OF almost 100000 veterans, or
their widows, the proof OF whose claims
is finished, and who could be added to
the pension rolls within a week. These
names have been upon the completed
files for months and their number
grows daily. The question OF placing
upon the pension rolls at once was the
subject of special cabinet meeting the
other day. This information was
brought out through visit made by
Representative Dogn of Ohio to Assist:
ant Secretary Bussey, today. General
Doan called upon Buseeys to protest
against the present order of Secretary
Noble prohibiting the commissioner of
pensions from giving to members of
congress, or anybody else, 1.-The status Of
pension claims. incidentally General
Doan stated to General Bnssey that, in
his opinion, a grave political error WAS
being committed by the present admin
istration of the interior department, in
not allowing at once the penaion claims
upon the completed files. .taa as1si
The dispatch further says that the
reason for the delayed final action on
this great body Of completed cases was
the lack of funds in the treasury, and
that the real facts will out only
when the ways and meanst committee
make their official recommendations.
That there is something more or less
serious in this prospect is not to be
doubted, for the Republicans seem
almost glad to lay this burden down,
while the best informed Democrats in
congress make no secretsof the serious
interferencelof the pension needs with
the proposed tariff reduction. ''e.
Itappears that the whole number Of
names on the pension rolls, if there
really be 200, 900 to add, as alleged, will
amount to l ,047 900 This is in excess
of the number ever on the army rolls at
any one time and more than 100000
beyond the largest number o.
soldiers ever present fof duty al
any given period. These facts
are vetY serioue, whether they. ere
proved to be absolutely exact or not
Sure it is that the pension outlays have
outrun all former calculations and the
public mind is open TO credit the high
est estimates. The, secretary, of the
treasury estimates $i68 900, 900 for 1Sss
and $4,000 900 for 1894. 81 If I'VE add
the usual deficiencies these figures will
be swelied $4,000, 900 more. According
to these figures the fiity-third congress-
will have to provide over $3.50. .000, 900 tc
cover two years appropriations for pen
t-sions alone.
These are the figures, not Of partizar
newspapers nor of croakeys or borrow
ers of trouble of any sort or class, bui
OF businesaand trade journals that 'trea
OF the money question in its broadss
phases, and the CONCLUSIONS Of, thess
Rriters begin to point to the necessity