The National tribune., 1893-12-07
THE r,ssstoS PROGRAM.

4
Representative, o,Neil, of Massachusetts,
who occupies 'the important position Of
Chairman of the Sulreommittee on Pensions
of the Housem Committee, recently I'M
burdened himself tea World reporter in an
interview of much significance to veterans
and their friends He said:
The total appropriation for pensions for the
current fiscal year Sl6653i $50. aud for the first
time in many years II is probable that deficiency
appropriation will be needed. 1t Is even possible
| that small surplus may he turned into the Treas
ury For the fiscal year iS95 Commissioner Lochren
estimates that about sl62 0C0 will be needed or
almost $4,000 600 less ian for the present year. tits
remarkable fact that this reduction comes not from
cutting off any from the pension-rolls, but be
cause for the first time the Bureau disposes of PEN
sior '''s faster than they come in. This is shown
by l. ct that on Oct. r. 1892, there were pending
7SS, Gel claims. while July T. 1923, not quite nine
months later. the number had been reduced to ILL.,
600. From these figures IL appears that the fling OF
new will moi again exceed the number of cases
acted upon by the Bureau. and it Is also apparent
that the maximum number OF pensions to be
granted will he reached before the end OF the fiscal
1895. it, indeed, il is reached before next
July. From that time the large sums OF money
disbursed the first payments will no longer
swell the appropriation bill. and these claims
| are adjudicnted the pension appropriations will
| rapidly decrease, owing to the deaths Of the PEN
sioners. who are now getting far along in years.
In the coming year more than S25. 1000 will be
needed for first payments. and it IS fair TO assume
that after 1895 tho annual appropriation will be
diminished by at least that sum.
The first thing that attracts attention in
this remarkable statement is that with
I'll 900 cases which have been lying in the
Pension Bureau awaiting settlement for an
unknown number of years, it is proposed to
cut down the pension appropriation for next
year $4,000,000. AS the average annual
value of the pensions now paid is $133.32
this must mean that at least 80, 900 deserving
claimants will be denied their pensions.
What has become of those 100000 claims
under the old laws which it was claimed
had been perfected under Gen. Raum's adj
minstration, and side-tracked" by him in
order to give preference to those arising
under the act of June 81? 1t was said that
it seemed that 20 per cent. of those would
probably be allowed. Are these to be- held
back until death has so reduced the number
that place can be found for them inside
the limit of S162,0O0,O00 or less year?
Again, Mr.. O'Neil says that S25,000.000
will be used next year for first payments.
The average first payments last year were
$240.19. At this rate only about 104, 100
new pensioners would be placed on the roll
an average of but 1000 week-an abb
surdly small rate of aIowance-out of all
reason, when it is remembered that the
Pension Bureau has, 5000 employes-2O0O
in the office and 5000, including Surgeons,
in the field. This is only about one allow
ance per weok for every two and ono-half
employees. re
Again, Mr.. O'Neil @ponts with pride y to
the fact that about 1000 cases were settled
in nine month"; He forgets to state that
five of these nine months were under the
previous Administration. Even this is only
settlement Of anaVerage of $500 eases a
month. and it would take SO months or
nearly seven years, to finish up the whole
I'll, 900. With an annual dealh-rate among
these of 81 per 1000 per annum, 10000
of them will be dead before their claims are
settled.
The whole scheme is alarming. Let us
have none of it. Let us demand of Congress
that every claim now before the Pension
Bureau be settled by Dec. 81, 1894.
Let every comrade ask this of his Senators
and Representatives.
Write at once.