Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-12-04

Ss,ooO,0OO in postal finances for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1894. It was antlc.
ipated that there would be surplus in
come of at least $s,500,000, but the bust
ness depression has had an opposite
effect.
The president says, that he is of The
opinion that the free delivery system
should not be further extended than per-
mitted under the present law.
The Navy,
The report of the secretary of the navy
contains history of the operations of
this department. during the past year and
exhibits most gratifying condition Of
the personnel Of our navy.
The progress in the construction of
vessels has not been as rapid as was anti
cipated. There have been delays in the
completion of unarmored vessels, but for
the most part they have been such as we're
constantly occurring even in countries
having the largest experience in naval
ship building. The difficulties seem now,
however, to have been all overcome and
armor is being delivered with satisfactory
promptness.
Pension Matters.
The secretary of the interior has the
supervision of SO many important sub
jects that his report is of especial value
and interest. On the 3Oth day of June,
1898, there were on the pension rolls
96G,O76 names, an increase of S9,944 over
the number on the rolls June 30, 1892.
The number of persons remaining on
the rolls under the act of June 20, 1890,
which allows persons on account of death
and disability not chargeable to army
service, was 459,953.
The number added to the rolls during
the year was l28634 and the number
dropped was $500. The first payments
on pension allowed during the year
amounted to $33,756,549. This includes
arrears or the accumulation between the
time from which the allowance of pen
sions dates and the time of actually
granting the certificates. Although the
law of 1890 permits pensions for dis
ability not related to military service, yet
as requisite to its benefits disability
must exist incapacitating applicants
from the performance of manual labor to
such degree as to render them unable to
earn support. Execution of this law in
its early stages does not seem to have been
in accord with it's true intention, but to-
ward the close of the last administration
an authorized construction was given to
the statute and since that time this con-
struction has been followed. This had
the effect of limiting the operations of
the law to its intended purposes.
The discovery having been made that
many names had been put upon
the pension roll by means
of wholesale and gigantic frauds the
commissioner suspended payments upon
a number of pensions which seemed to
be fraudulent or unauthorized, pending a
complete examination, giving notice to
the pensioners in order that they might
have an opportunity to establish, if pos
sible, the Justice of their claims, notwith-
standing apparent invalidities. This, l
understand, is the practice which has for
long time prevailed in the ponsion
bureau, but after entering upon these
recent Investigations the commissioner
modified this rule so as not to allow, until
after complete examination, interfer-
ence with the payment of pension, aps
perently not altogether void but which
merely had been fixed at rate higher
than that authorized by the law. 1 am
unable to understand why frauds in the
pension rolls should not be exposed and
corrected with thoroughness and vigor.
Every name fraudulently put upon these
rolls is wicked imposition upon tho
kindly sentiment in which pensions have
their origin.
Every fraudulent pensioner has become
bad citizen; every false oath in support
of a pension has become perjury most
common, and serves to rob the people not
only of their money, but of the patriotic
sentiment which the survivors of war
fought for the preservation of the Union
who ought to; have and which should inspire
thousands of neighborhoods to have we'll
known fraudulent pensioners dropped
from the list.
Recent developments by the bureau
establish appalling conspiracies toward
pension frauds. By no means the least
wrong done Is to worthy and deserving
pensioners who utterly ought not to be
condemned to such aspersions, nor should
those who attempt in the line of duty to
rectify these wrongs be accused of enmity
or indifference to the claims of honest
men.
The sum expended on account of pen
sions for the year ending June 80, 1898,
was 1856, ,740,4 ,467.14. The commissioner
estimates that $1G5,000,000 will be re-
quired to pay pensions during the year
ending June 80, 1884
The Indians.
The condition of the Indians and their
ultimate fate are subjects which are re-
lated to sacred duty of the government
and which strongly appeal to the sense
of Justice and the sympathy of onr peo-
pie. Our Indians number about 248,O0O.
Most of them are located on 161 reserva-
tions containing s6,11G,531 acres of land.
About 10000 of these Indians have in a
largo degree developed civilized customs.
Lands in severalties have been allotted to
many of them; such allotments have
been made to 10000 individuals, during
the last fiscal year embracing about
100000 acres. ...
/ am sure that secular education and
moral and religious teaching must be i'm
portant factors in any effort to save the
| Indians and lead them to civilization.
believe, too, that the REIMBURSEMENT of
tribal relations and the holding Of land
in severalty may result in favorable con-
ditions ard toward this consumation. 1t
seems to me, however, that all allotmsnts
of land in severalty ought to be made
with great care and circumspection.
There is danger of great abuses creep
ing into the prosecution of claims for In