The National tribune., 1893-10-12
TO SAVE $190,OOO,OOO
Without a Single Veteran Being
Charged With Fraud.

'
The HIorld has led the New York papers
in the attack upon pensions, and its great
circulation has made it an especially formi-
dable antagonist. From this and other
evidence it is clear that the article outlines
the plan Of campaign which has been de-
cided upon among the pension-haters, and
the carrying out of which they will attempt.
The article begins:
The work of examining the pension claims
allowed by Raum under his famous order No lo4,
has progressed far enough to enable careiui es'-
mate to be made of the great saving that will be
effected by reviewing these conservative
calculation puts the amount nj $685.
Inasmuch as the Commissioners of Pen
sons reports that the total annual value of
the 3650S4 pensions so far allowed under the
act of June 81, 1890, to be only $42,323,S88
it makes pretty blue outlook for the pen
soners under that act to talk of taking Sl2S,-
100000, away from them, or more than the
entire value of their pensions for three
years.
The article goes on to show how it is pro-
posed to save the $3.50 900 "squandered"
on veterans:
This stupendous sum includes only the cases
allowed by Raum under the act OF June u. 1SsO
All this money will be saved without charging
n single pensioner with fraud. The only charge
made is that President Harrison's Commissioner of
in ia okp icai
for his party and to redeem pledges of Republican
campaign orators. distributed the peoples money
to ali corners without regard to the validity OF
Claims and in open defiance of the law.
The claims granted under Raums Interpretation
of the act of 1890 numbers BOG, 600. and the exam
nations already made disclose the fact that only
about so per of them will stand the test OF that
provision of the law requiring that pensionable
disability shall be of character ncapacitating the
claimant from earning a support by manual labor
Only 10000 of the pensioners under this act will,
therefore, continue TO draw their share of the
bounty provided by the Government for disabled
veterans OF the remaining so per cent. one-hait.
about 75.0O0 will be dropped from the rolls.
They will be shown to have suffered no disability
preventing them from earning support by manual
labor and as it the sole purpose OF the law to
relieve q class SO disabled, without regard to
whether the disability might be of service origin or
not. they will be stricken from the rolls. These
pensioners have been drawing annual pensions
averaging $3.50. making total expenditure for
Is 900 of SO. 000,o00 per annum. The expectation
OF life in these is about IL years so that had
these pensioners been allowed to remain on the
rolls they would in tEa, period of time have drawn
from the Treasury ss9,ooo,ooo.
This makes very dismal prospect indeed
for the class of veterans whom it was in
tended to relieve by the passage of the Dis
ability Bill. One-quarter Of them, the
World says, arei to be dropped outright.
though they haze furnished all the proof
required by the Pension Bureau under Com
missioner Loehren's predecessor, and may
not be able to furnish it again, or add to it,
owing to the death or removal to unknown
parts of essential witnesses. This will
"save" $99,0O0,0O0 by robbing rs 900 men
of their wel-earned rights. and at the time
when they are in direst need Of the money.
The remainder of the S128, 100000 is to be
got in this way:
But this il not all. The Commissioner of PEN
sons has discovered that about % per cent. of the
allowed under tho act OF 1880 have been rated
too Iigh and must be reduced. The average of
this reduction Is estimated at $50 per annum. which
for 70 0eO cases would amount to 81 100000. In the
ii years these pensions estimated to run, the
expenditure would be 500 700 900. which, added to
the saving upon rejected cases makes a grand total
of SIPS 100 000 and not penny OF this vast sum
Is withheld from veteran justly entitled 10 it.
Is not this a fine scheme? The whole in
tent and purpose of law, soIemnly enacted
by Congress, after more than eight years of
careful consideration, and which has been in
operation for three years, this paper says, is
to be nullifed, and its beneficiaries, most of
whom are on the verge Of the grave, are to
be plundered of rights which they earned
with their blood. What ingratitude!
What downright rascal,ty!
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