The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-04-14
CLEVELAND AND THE PENSIONS.
The Interests of Union Veterans Being
JeOp2rdized.

1
| Jeopsrdized.
The most important piece of news, il
true, which has come from Washing
ton since the present administration
began was published the other morn
ing. 1t was given no prominence and
may have escaped general attention.
1t reads as follows:
''The president told a recent caller that he
had informa ton which LED him 10 believe that
the force OF clerks in the pension office could bt
reduced by about four hundred or five hundred
TO the benefit of the government. not only in
economy, but in the more rapid disposition OF
the work.
This proposition to cut down the
clerical force of the pension bureau is
equivalent to proposing to stop the
work of adjudication. The number
left would barely suffice to attend to
the pensions now actually allowed.
There are now on the roll fully 900, 900
pensioners. To look after this vast
number is no easy task. There are
eighteen pension agencies, scattered
from Augusta to San Francisco.
The proposition virtually is to arrest
all progress in the adjudication of both
original and increase cases, except such
as may be specially favored. OF course
good many exceptions would occur,
but as a rule action upon applications
would be at standstill. That is NJ
Cleveland's pension policy. He is look
ing about for a commissioner who
would carry out that policy as relent-
iessly as he himself did the veto policy
during his first term. Let us see what
this would mean.
First of all it would not mean any
economy in the long run. Very likely
Grover Cleveland and his confederate
secretary of the interior, Hoke Smith,
do not know it, but, as n matter of fact,
the United States saves nothing by
stopping adjudication. The claims,
when allowed, dated back to the day
of filing, not of allowance. Often a
pensiOner who gets a few dollars a
month gets several hundred the first
time. Even if payment could be put off
for this entire administration, or for
the rest of the century even, there
would be no real economy about it.
The practical object in view might be
entirely defeated and still do the treas
ury of the United States no good.
The object in view is to bring relief
to the veteran or his widow. The
Cleveland policy, if maintained long
enough would rob them forever of such
relief for the benefit of their heirs
The claim cannot outlaw or lapse.
This is feature of the case which can
not be changed by any hostile executive
action or inaction. Mr.. Cleveland can
prevent a great many old soldiers and
poor widows from getting their deserts,
if that is any satisfaction to him, but
their loss will be the gain of their law
full heirs
In his last annual report the COM
missioner of pensions stated the UNI
Der of pension claims then pending to
be about 500, 900. The number adjudi-
Gated during the last fiscal year was
81, $50, or about 1000 a day. Grover
Cleveland, having spent good deal of
his time during his first term in look
ing up claims which had been favora-
bly, passed upon by congress with
view to reversing the congressional adj
JutlICdIlOL, SuOulu Dc dDle 10 IOTIn some
idea of the magnitude of the work in
volved in taking up and deciding on an
average 1000 claims day. Under the
policy of the Harrison administration
it would take about two years more to
dispose of original cases and bring the
work of the Office down to date. There
are, roughly speaking, over 500, 900
cases involved in the proposed clogging
of the wheels, including those yet to
be fled. OF the cases disposed of last
year, 224, O41 were original claims, the
79,1S1 increase cases
about three to one. The original
claims deserve the preference, and too
much care cannot be taken to head off
frauds and imposition, but the Cleve-
land policy, as foreshadowed in the
Washington dispach, involv-
ing unnecessary delay in both classes
of cases, is cruelty mean and wholly
Chicago Inter Ocean.