The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1893-10-21
WASTE IN THE PENSION OF
FTCE.

| FICF.
Evidence is coming from every
quarter, and, without exception, it is
evidence detrimental to the character
of the national administration. MIR.
Cleveland went into Office pledged to
"purge the pension list. As an east
ern exchange well puts it, "purge" in
the vocabulary of northern copper
heads and of southern secessionlsts
means reduce, when applied to list
of patriots. Among his first demands
of the chiefs of departments appointed
by him was that which required the
secretary of the interior to "remove
100000 names from the pension rolls
| during the first fiscal year." He had
appointed man who was proprietor
of the most rabidly sectional news
paper in Georgia and the son of a Con-
federate officer to preside over the de-
oartment ia which the claims of union
soldiers are heard and determined.
This appointee, Hoke Smith by name,
was ready and willing to do the presi-
dents bidding. By his own confes-
sion 1900 pensioners were 'sus-
pended" i. G., dropped from the rolls,
during the first four months of his in
cumbency of the Office of secretary of
the interior.
The misery, the absolute suffering
entailed upon 10000 men and their
families suddenly, without hin. of
danger, deprived of their sole means of
sustenance may be imagined. In not
single case was proof of fraud or
misconduct existing against them.
One and all were suspended on "sus-
picion of lrregularity." What airy
stuff was considered ground of "sus-
picion" is known only to the AL
mighty, the puuisher of cruelty, to
Satan, the inspirer thereof, and to
Grover Cleveland and Hoke Smith,
the glad promoters thereof. The basis
of "suspicion,ss however, was SO very
flmsy that Smith himself-though not
until driven by storm of indignation
has reinstated 5000 of the sus-
pended $4,000 without daring to al
low a court to judge of the unworthi-
ness of his pretended grounds of sus-
picion. But not the less have $4,000
brave and unworthy men been made
to suffer without cause by order of
Hoke Smith, who was ordered by
Grover Cleveland to ''reduce the pen
sion rolls by 100, 900 within the year"
More than 5000 still are suffering "on
suspicion.
The rule of law and humanity is to
presume a man innocent until he is
proved guilty. The rule of President
Cleveland is to hold pensioner guilty
of fraud until it is proved that he can
not be otherwise than innocent.
1t costs something to maintain an
army of spies engaged in trumplng up
grounds of suspicion" against pen
sioners. The last congress appropri-
ated 100000 to be used by the depart
ment of the interior for investigation
and prosecution of pension frauds.
Mr.. Clevsland's administrator of this |
department has spent every penny of |
this liberal allowance in four months,
and has not proved half dozen cases
of fraud. At this rate it is more
costly to reduce the pension list than
to increase 1T. But those who hate the
veterans of the union armies have
been pleased-and every one of such
voted Tor Mr. cleveland.
Having expended his years allow
ance in four months, Mr.. Hoke Smith
is waiting for Mr.. Cleveland to ask
to give him an extra allow
ance of 100000 more for prosecution
Of the nasty work of pensioner.hunt-
ing. If asked for it is likely to be
granted. A Democratic congress that
dollar to needy soldier
Of TIE union is quite likely to multiply
BY two and half the usual allowance
for prevention of real or pretended
pension frauds.