Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-01-13
THE PENSION ROLL.
Further Answer to the Democratic Her
aid


the Herald of December Seth. 1892. we sre
impressed with the tone If these articles,
which would lead the average reader to
think the only pensioners on the rolls were
rom among the soldiers that fought the
rebellion to the death. saved the country
from destruction and preserved among the
nations of the world the principle of self
government by the people of the United
States; and judging from these clippings
be writers appear to desire their readers
to b elieve those men who did so much
'or this country were a sorry lot of soldiers
"A set of freebooters or plunderers, as 1t
V ere. who are now trying to follow up the
same line upon the government in applying
for pensions Shame upon such set OF
writer's for the public press, and equal
shame follow the editors Of a paper that
would publish such unjust clippings. We
would suggest to the ''young men" at the
mead of the Herald that while "Uncle
Jake" lived and had it in charge 10 such
alse and libelous articles appeared IN Its
columns against the soldiers, and II they
want to retain the respect OF the decent
element of the Democratic party they will
40 more give place to such ratings against
pensions and pensioners. For the benefit
Of the "young men" at the head OF the Her
aid we will give them little information
they don't seem to possess, which may NOT
be strange when we think they were in
their "baby clothes" when the men on the
pension rolls, were earning, by the hardest
kind orservice, the right to be there and
draw pensions from the government.
At the close of the last fiscal year the
number of pen sioners Of all classes on the
rolls OF the pension office was $40 O6o. T.
arrive at the number Of soldiers of the war
of '6I TO '65 on the rolls, who seemed to be
the special targets of the Democratic press,
we uIust make the following deductions:
Widows and daughters of Revolutionary
soldiers. %; surviving soldiers of war OF
1912. I65; widows of soldiers ofwar OF 1872,
6 65I: sury ivors of the Mexican war, 10.
2I5; widows of soldiers of Mexican war, :.
2S2; widows OF soldiers and sailors OF oI I"
/ 1865. under general laws, ILL., 25S; widows
.,f same war uuder act of 2Itn OF June.
| 1890. AZ GLIB, making total to be dedncted
| lss 2O6. leaving soldiers of war OF '6l to 60
on the rolls, 6S7. .S62 How does this COM
pare with the HerdId's figures that say
there are over 900, 600 pensioners on the
rolls" Any body can figure out the magni
| tude of this Democratic lie.
Here are some more of the Herald s
| cliDpings-choice bits of lterature, select
| "a By the worthy young editors from other
pspers. because the Herald clipper was so
| Impressed with their truth, perhaps. We
quote: 1t is u startling fact, that a. We
| get further away from the war the number
| who took part in it increases. Ii We were
| 10 state that there are mere persons apply
| ing for and drawing pensions to-day tbau
| the entire army rolls rad on them during
the war it would scarcely be believed, ana
| ct such is the truth. The number ot men
enrolled and who saw actual service,
| whether for a day week. q month or "a
| wear. a. soldiers from the time the war
| commenced. in 1861. until II closed wa
| I620 600 The number ol pension claims
| rhat are now heing paid and pendlcg are
| ,676 O68 ar SO COS more than the total en
| iIstment in the army amounted to Ihls i
| A select morSpl OF Democratic literature
| The records of the War Department show
| that all enistmeD;s from '6l t. % amount
| ed to over two and bali million men, or
| !. mere matter of million more than our
1 DtW"CT NpIiuy, uupttu iioui ""''Nf
| puts the number of enistments Any per
| son can figure out how near the truth be-
| comes in his reckless statements. What a
| consu,nate falsifer the writer of the above
| article j. anyway. And what must We
| think of a paper in our midst that would
| clip and put in It's columns such uhialr
| Dishonest and false statements as appear
| IN the issue of December Both lasif
| 1t is Just such false and Unfair statement
| "a these. published in q certain class ri
newspapers. that keeps certain number
| If people in u sorry frame OF mind on TINS
pension question, who, If they only haG
| the truth given them, would think verl
different on the subject One of the diff
| culties with some Of these editors is, tLr
wrong fellow are drawing the pensions,
| AMI that is why they are mad. The m""
who tried 10 DESTROY the government are
the men some of these editors, whose clip
uings appear in the Herald. wonld be plea
ed 70 s,-e on the pension roll In tnelr
charges. .that thousands ot f;audulen
pensioners are on the rolls" they don
seem L. consider the great bumber of per
sons they thus charge With corruption and
dishonesty Let US look at II moment
It. won!d implicate the psnstoner himself.
the hoard of surgeons o whom ne Is sent
Tor examination his witnesses who MAKE
the prObI pl ui-hDliitg, tHp tAhihiu'io III Wv
Pension Department, the board "f surgeon
in the dt partment who finally iix the rate.
| sn if the statements referred 10 are true.
here musr lie a sorry lot of men in tn"
| Pension Office. nearly all of whom were IL
| the Office curing the last Democratic ad-
minirtration. But every person wh" knows
ANYTHING about the mode ~ procedure
| know they are not only untrue but false IL
every particular and a newspaper that bus
any regard for the truth would not make
| such statements
MODE OF OBTAINING A PENSION.
| Every pension must be granted III der
| some law on the statOtr book. The apph
| cant must make out his claim for pensi Gn,
| setting forth the disability; he uust bt
| sworn 10 II before IA magistrate authorized
To administer oatls; must bave two wit
| nesses 10 be sworn that he is the person
he represents himself 70 be. Hls claim Is
| sent tu the Pension Office and placed on
file He is then ordered 10 appear before
board of three surgeons, VINO examine
him To ascertain il hr IL suffering iroin dis
| gbi!it, and what it is. and before he can
get pension these surgeons must report
under oath that he has disability. He L.
then called upon To prove by other persons
the disability. tbs witnesses have u
state ali they know about his disability and
be- sworn 10 these respective statements.
| When the proofs are all sent to the Pen
| sion Office the case is referred 70 an exalnip-
| er, VINO goes over the whole case, To see II
| the pr0ui made comes within the require
ments of the law-what disability the sur
! geons found, whether his witnesses make
the required proof and briefs out the whole
| case. The case then goes To the board ot
review, compused Of expert examiners,
who 90 over the case and approve or re-
iect IT, If approved then it goes to the
medical board composed of surgeons, who
60 over the work of the local board of surs
geons who made the examination of the
applicant, and If found correct, then this
| med cal board fixes the rate, when
the claim is complete and certificate issues.
This is the routine each and every soldier
| claim has IT, 90 through To- he allowed, and
any person can see that these haphazzaTd,
reckless assertions we see in certain papers
are made without knowledge OF
what they are talking about, and yet many
of these statements 90 10 the people iii
| newspapers without contradiction, are read
by many who don't know any better, an d
10y these means great injustice IL done the
men who faced rebellion in its strongholdS,
| fought IL Ia the death, saved the honor OF
| the stars Bnd stripes, made the United
States the gre attest, graudest and best ma
tion under the sun-the one whose light Oi
liberty aud free institutions Is sending in
| spirstion to all people of the world, prov
ing that free people is capable OF self