The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1893-12-08

those pensoned on account Of disabilities
OF aeash m resulting from army and navy
service. The number of persons remainip.
on the rolls June 80, 1893, who were pen.
sioned under the act OF June o. 1890,
which inc;ude also pensions on account OF
death and disabilities not chargeab.e to
army service, was 459.555. The number
added to the rolls during the year was 1a3,-
h4. and the number dropped was 33.6sn
lhe ilrst payments on pensions allowed dur
Ing the year amounted to $3a. 576, $40 0S.
This Includes arrears or the accumulation
between the time from which the allowance
OF the pension dates and the time of act
uaily granting the certificate. Although
the law Of 1890 permits pensions for disa-
biiitieS now related to military service vet
as requisite to Its benefit a disability
must exist In incapacitating applIrants
from the performance of manual labor to
euch degree as to render them unable to
earn support The execution of this law
In its early stages does not seem TO have
been in accord with its true intention but
toward the close OF the last adm abstraction
an authoritative construction was given to
the statute, and since that time this con-
struction has been followed This has had
the effect of limiting the operations Of the
law to its Intended purpose. The discovery
having been made that many names hal
been pnt upon the pension roll By means of
wholesale and gigantic frauds the com
mission suspended payments upon a mum
Der OF pensions which seem to be fraudulent
or unauthorized pending a compete exami-
nation, giving notice to the pensioners In
order that they might have an opportunity
to establish, II possible the tusticr OF their
claims, Notwithstanding apparent inva!idity.
am unable to understand Why frauds In
the pension rolls should nat be exposed and
corUrtea with tht'rrlchn .ss aud vic0r Ev-
cry name frand'acntly put upon these rolls
is wicked imposition upon the kindly sen
tinent In which pensions have their Origin.
The Indians.
The condtou of the indians and their uiti-
mate fate are subjects which are related to
a sacred duty Of the goynramcpt and which
strongly appeal to the sense OF Justice and
tn' sympathy Of our people. Cur Indians
number about 2iS,rC0 Most Of them are 10
Gated on sixteen reservations containing &c.
llu.o3l acres OF land ALsou, 1900 of
these Indians have TO y large degree.
adopted civilized customs. l-anus in several
E nave beea allotted to many of them.
SLeh a.lotments ave been made to 10000
thIvidulS during ithe last fiscal year,
embracing about l,0Ou,oO0. The number Of
Indian government schools open during the
year was l91, an increase of II over the pre-
cedlng year. Of this total II were on req
crvations, OF which 73 were boarding schools
and 81 were day schools. Twenty boarding
schools and five Gay schools supported by
the government were not located ON r,s-
ervat.ons. The total number of Indian chill
dren enrolled during the year attendants
or oil schools was p, l39, an increase OF
l,23l over the utoilluent for the previous
year
he law providing that, except in speciM
cases, army otlicers shall be detailed as In
dian agents it Is hopeu well prove sue.
ceSSfu experiment.
There is danger OF great abuses creeping
into the prosecution of claims for Indian
depredations, and | recommend that every
possible safeguard be provided against tho
enforcement or unjust and fictitious claims
OF this description.
Tariff Reform
Economy In public expenditure Is duty
that cnnnot innocnntly he neglected by
those entrusted with the control Of money
drawn from the people for public uses.
it must be confessed that our apparently
endless resources, he familiarity Of our
people with Immense accumul itlons of
wealth the growing sentiment among them
that the expenditure OF pubic mcney
should in some manner be to their immedi-
ate and personal advantage; the indirect
and almost stcathy manner In which a
large part Of our taxes ARE exacted, ard
r desen Grated sense Of official accountability
have led to growing extravagance In gov
ernmentai appropriations.
The duty Of public economy Is a!sO Of
immense Importance in It's intimate and
necessary relation to the task now In hand
OF providing revenue to meet Cover ument
expenditure and yet reducing the peoples
burden of crate taxation. After hard
struggle tariff reform is directly before
US. Nothing 50 important claims our atten,
tion and nothing clearly presents Itself
both an opportunity and dnty-an OPP
portunity to observe the gratitude of our
fellow citizens. duty imposed upon us by
our oft-repeated professions and by the
emphatic mandate OF the people. A.,er full
discussion. our eonntrymen have spoken In
favor of this reform, and they have con-
6ded the work OF lis accomplishment to
the hands of those who are sOlemniy pledged
to 1t.
II there s anything In the theory Of rep
and their desires, If pubic officers are really
tho servants OF the people. and II political
promises and professions have any binding
force, our failure to give the relief long
awaited will be sheer reereancy. Nothing
should interfere to distract our attention or
disturb our effort until this reform Ia ne
H,,J
While we should staunchly adhere to the
principle that only the necessity Of revenue
Justfiics the imposition Of tariff duties and
other federal taxation, and that they should
be limited by strict economy we cannot
close eyes to the fact that conditions
have grown up among Us In which Justice
and fairness call for discriminating care in
the distribution OF such duties and taxation
as the emergencies Of our government
actually demand. Manfcstly, II We are to
aid the people directly through tariff re-
form one Of the most obvious features
should be reduction In present tariff
charges upon the necessaries OF life. The
benefits of such reduction would be pal
pable and substantial. seen and felt by tho
thousands who would ne better fed and bet
ter clothed and better sheltered. These gifts
should be the willing leiefactions of gov
ernment whose higher function Is the pro-
motion OF the people. Not less closely re-
lated to our peoples prosperity and we'll
upon tie importation Of the raw materials
necessary to our manufacturers.
The world would be open to our ingenuity
and enterprise This cannot be while fetlral
legislation through the imposition Of high
tariff forhids to American manufacturers as
cheap material as those used by their compe
ttors. 1t Is quite obvious that the enhance
ment OF the price OF our manufactured pro-
ducts resulting from this policy not only
confines the market for these products with
In our own borders to the direct disadvan-
tage Of cur manufacturers, but also In
creases their cost TO our citizens. TIE inter
ests Of labor are certainly. though Indirect.
ly, involved In this feature Of our tariff
system. The sharp competition and active
struggle among our manufacturers to supply
the limited demand for their goods, soon ill
the narrow market to which they are con-
fined. Then follows a suspension OF work In
mills and factories: discharge Of employees
and distress In the homes Of our working
men. Even II the often dlspruved assertion
l<..x. r.A