Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-29
AN INFAMOUS RECORD.
rhe Pension Policy OF the Harrison Adj
zufnfsfrztfon.

AN INFAMOUS RECORD.
rhe Pension Policy OF the Harrison Adj
ministratfon.
The letter addressed to the president
If the United States by former en-
oloye of the pension bureau gives a
clearer view than anything before pub
lished of the infamous record of our
pension administration under Commits
sioners Tanner and Raum- The outcry
against Tanners recklessness was due
70 his outspoken candor, and it led to
MS withdrawal from Office, but his sue
.essor was even more reckless and I'M
scrupulous, and the new law of 1890
gave him greater scope. The main diff
ference was that where Tanner was
open and brazen in declaring his poll
", Raum was crafty and secretive in
carrying out the same policy with in
creased opportunities.
The value of Mr.. BHrnett's testimony
lies in his citing actual cases and testi-
flying from absolute personal knowl-
edge. After having been years in the
service of the pension bureau as clerk,
special examiner, supervising examiner,
and reviewer of field work, he finally
gave up his place rather than be longer
that saturated the administration of
the bureau. Before taking this course
he gathered facts sufficient to justify
it and to enable him to reveal what had
been going on about him whenever the
administration might become friendly
to efforts at reform
1t appears very clearly from this rev.
citation that the policy of the last adj
,cfr 70 1eaS
as possible upon the pension rolls, and
to scatter from the treasury of the
United States as much money as posi-
BILE among claimants for pensions. This
seems to have been the deliberate pur-
pose of Gen. Raum, and it must have
been in pursuance of an understood
policy of his superiorS. 1t was evident
ly part and parcel of a party policy,
which included at once the buying up
of the soldier vote and the dissipa-
ton of the revenues of the country so
that reform tariff would be difficult
if not impossible 1t was in keeping
with the whole spirit of the Fifty-frst
congress, which passed the Mckinley
tariff, the Sherman silver purchase act,
and the disability pension act
Mr.. Burnett'S cases are merely sam
thousands. They show that pensions
were granted for disability where no
| proof of disability was furnished and
in the face of adverse reports from the
examiners. Disabilities were credited
to service which were proved to have
had their origin before enlistment or
| long after discharge. The record OF
''desertion' was changed to ''honora-
in thousands IF
| and pensions were granted to bounty
! jumpers" and sneaks. Evidence shown
| to be forged or fraudulent was accept
ed, and the proviso of the law regard
| ing disabilities caused by the applicants
own vicious habits was practically ig
nored. The pension rolls are befoule6
with the names of hundreds of men
who receive the bounty Of the govern
ment on account of loathsome disease:
| due to their own vices.
In short. it was impressed upon the
force of the pension bureau from tn,
commissioner through all the grade:
that the object was not careful scru
| tiny, strict compliance with the law
| and the protection of the public treas
| ury from fraud and extravaganza, bu
| the passing of as many claims as posi-
| BILE in the speediest fashion. If eXami
| ners were disposed to be scrupulou
| they were overruled, but for the mos
| part they were induced to conform t.
| the expectations and requirements O
| their superior officers. The action O
congress in providing for pensions ha
| been lavish, but the conduct of tn,
pension bureau under Commissions
Raum was infamous in its recklessness
| and it is costing the government proba
bly, not less than fifty million dollar
year.
All this will doubtless be stopped un
+; der the present administration, bu
| that is not enough. The mischie
| should be undone so far as it isnow pos
| sible. The service of the pension bu
! reau should be completely reformed
and the pension rolls should be purged
| Mr.. Burnett makes some practical sug
gestions on this subject, which may b.
| of value to the government. He think
that within year the whole one mil
| lion claims could be overhauled ant
| those eliminated which are founded il
fraud, false representations, and disre
gard of legal requirements. The ma
| tional administration is overburdenet
| with the heritage of the iniquities O
the four years of Saturnalia that pre-
ceded it at Washington.-N. Y. Times