The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-05-25

PURGETHE PENSION ROLL.


cation" on the subject of the pension
roll. Both houses of Congress have
left Washington, and nothing is going
on there which demands particularly
the attention of the public. So that
now is an suspicious time for begin
ming work of recovering the pension
list into a "roll of honor" There is
no true Union man who would set his
face against this good work if he knew
the facts of the case. The veterans
the men who did the fighting under
the standards Of the Union-are more
concerned in the matter than any
other class in the community, and it
affords us much satisfaction to state
that the Grand Army Gazette has no
sympathy with the senseless clamorers
for ga roll of ill desert" Its editor
was disabled on the battlefield, and is
incapable of earning living without
assistance-that is, such assistance as
he already receives. He declares for
ferreting out the bogus pension claims,
and appeals to all honorable citizens
regardless Of party, to give informa-
ton to the present administration
which will enable it to right this great
wrong" "No American" says he,
"can afford to neglect this important
matter.
"With a pension-roll greater than
the number of men in the field at the
close of the war, and with an expendi-
ture of $4,000, 900 year for that
one item, it behooves those interested
in the real veterans, as we'll as the
tried and true veterans themselves, to
be up and doing" And that these
tried and true veterans understand
the merits of this matter is proved by
the following paragraphs from the
Grand Army Gazette. We quote.
"In the Department of Pennsyl-
vania at its recent encampment reso-
luton was introduced declaring it to be
sthe sacred duty of every member Of
the Grand Army of the Republic to
use his best efforts to make the
pension-roll a true sroll Of honor,
and to see that the name of no person
appears on that roll except that of a
worthy recipient of the bounty Of a
grateful and most generous people,
"In this purifying process every
comrade can be enlisted who has
given honorable service in his coun-
trys hour of need. And it is as much
a patriotic duty. If you know Of a
person receiving pension in your
town who is not honorably entitled tc
it by service in the field, and the name
to the new Pension Commissioner fol
investigation.
"Or if you fear the wrath Of the no.
service wearers of the bronze button
who might drive you out of the Grand
Army of the Republic post because
you will not connive at fraud, send
the names and addresses to the editor
of the Gazette at the office of this
paper, and we will see to it that proper
investigation is made
That crippled Union veteran evil
IDENTIFY "means business He does
not like TO be in the company O
bounty jumpers and bogus soldiers
He does not hesitate to style these
unworthy pensioners "Grand Army
mountebanks." He is ready and
willing to give to Mr.. Cleveland's new
Commissioner of Pensions all the assis.
lance in his power in the good work
of pensioning the worthy and Deepen.
sioning the unworthy. This new com.
missioner is said to be the right man
in the right place. If the veterans Of
the Union Army will do what nobody
but themselves can do-namely, beal
willing testimony to the " ill-deserts'
of the bogus pensioners now enrolled
among good men and true-he will
join hands with them in the important
undertaking of making up pension
roll which shall be an everlasting testi.
mony to the courage and merits o.
every man whose name shall appear
upon it. "It is not the worthy that
need fear.''
We give another extract from the
Grand Army GeSeHe:
"There will be some startling
revelations in two or three years we
are convinced. We have some evidence
already which will be prepared for the
new Commissioner of pensions.
"Every dollar paid in fraud is
wickedly stolen, not alone from the
patient taxpayers, but from the de.
serving veterans. Strike, comrades
while the iron is hot, and if it should
scar some bogus claimants SO as to
leave mark by which they may be
known OF all men, there will be nc
cause for regret.
"Purge the pension roll of honor
of fictitious claimants and recipients
There is no politics in this.
"Honest veterans do not fear the
light however searching"
Let not Southern Congressman be
afraid to stand by the President and
the Union veterans.-G Hea0
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