The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-02-24
The Occasion for Pension Reform.

pension reform with fairness, patriot
ism and perfect candor.
1t has been so considered hitherto
for the reason that demagogues and
blatherskites have always made of
every reform proposal an opportunity
to overflow with distempered utterance
calculated, as they believed, to win
votes for themselves, and for the fur
ther reason that a species Of moral
cowardice as to this matter seems al
ways to overcome the judgments of
men who should be reckoned upon to
aid reform.
Now that the war veterans are
coming forward to protest against the
looting of the Treasury in their name
and to demand reform, there is hope
that the moral backbone of those who
have hitherto been inclined to panic
over every suggestion of reform may
be somewhat stlffened.
The matter is simple enough when
candidly considered 1t is the duty
and the pleasure Of the Country to
take care of its defenders who reed
Its care. For every man disabled in
the service the country is glad to pro-
vide. TO every old soldier who has
fallen into want by reason of age or
disease, whether injured in the service
or not, the country rejoices to pay a
pension. Nobody has one word to
say in objection to pensions for the
helpless widows, orphans or dependent
near relatives of dead soldiers. In
brief, there is nowhere the least de D..
sire to Abridge the bounty extended
to those who need ard are worthy of
it.
But under existing laws large sums
are paid to men who do not need
help. Upon the plea that they are
unable to earn living by n,dnuui
labor, many men who are earning
large incomes as lawyers, merchants,
statesmen, bankers and the like are
drawing from the Treasury every year
money which is needed for the better
care Of the really helpless. Surely
this wrong should be stopped.
Again there il reason TO believe
that many names have been fraudulent
ly placed upon the pension lists.
There can be no possible complaint
of efforts to discover and expunge
these.
Still again, by a combination of
carelessness and cowardice, Congress
has been led to pass a multitude of
special pens'on bills, usually in batch.
es, unconsidered and even unread A
few of these have provided for really
meritorious cases. The greater num-
Der have simply placed upon the rolls
the names of persons who have no
conceivable right or claim to be there
and whose applications had already
been rejected by the Pension authori-
ties
Under operation Of such causes the
pension list has come to be a charge
greater than that of maintaining a vast
sta;ding army, and every dollar of the
money comes out of the earnings of
the people.
In common fairness to the mass OF
the people who pay the nearly $2oo,-
900, 900. and in justice to the worthy
pensioners themselves, every honest
and patriotic mind must desire the eli
mlnation from the rolls of all fraudu-
lent and undeserving pensioners, and
all pensioners who have abundant
means of their own.
1t is sham patriotism which pro-
fesses to see in efforts to that end the
least suggestion of hostility or disre-
pect to the men who defended the
country in its hour of need. 1t is dem
agogy seeking to befool the "soldler
vote" in its own selfish interest
World.