The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1893-05-12
wAsHTsGTos LETTER.
regular correspondent. .
%asHIsoTos, May /, lS9,

"AsHIscros. May /, 1898.
fudge Lochren, the democratic commits
sioner Of pensions. takes charge Of the pen
sion bureau this week, with the full
knowledge that he has undertaken the task
Of his life, and by far The hardest job that
will fall to any bureau chief under the pres
ent administration. He fully shares Presi-
dent Cleveland s ideas that the { pension.
list should be role Of honor. and from The
start ii will he his earnest endeaYor To make
il SO. No soldier legally entitled to PEN
sion has anything to fear from Judge
I.ochren; it is those who are drawing pen
sions without any legal right TO them that
are In danger from the new administration
of the pension bureau. The roll il to be
gone over carefully as rapidly as possible
without negiecting the current business Of
the Office, and the rascaIs. when found. are
not only 10 be dropped. but where ever it
can be done they ere to be compelled to
repay the nooey they have Illegally drawn
! from The government. In tkis good work
Judge Lcehren will be glad Of the CO. oyer
alton Of every good citiz.n- IL any citizen
in any.part Of the country knows Of any
man who draws pension without being
entitled to it be should at once communi-
cate with Judge Lochren, giving the facts
a, far as he knows thep. in order that an
official examination may be made. 1t il
believed that the old soldiers themselves
viii aid in this work as soon as they he
come convinced. as they soon must be, that
only the frauds are in any danger Of losing
their pensions.
Secretary Herbert has been so busy since
he took charge Of the nayy. department
making preparations for the naval review
TO say nothing Of an attack from the griF
that be has had no time 10 inquire into
several notorious abuses known to exist IN
his department, but he viii do 50 now.
Prominent in this list OF abuses Is the prac-
tic. of granting long leaves Of absence TO
naval officers with txo thirds pay, in order
that they may enter the employ OF private
parties or corporations, thus drawing two
salaries. The very nature Of the employ
ment Of these officers. as will be seen BY
list Of the most prominent of them hereto
appended, Is in Itself scandaious, and would
not be tolerated by any other government.
and probably viii not much longer By the
United States: Commander Polgcr, who
was for some years Chief of bureau of ord
nance Of the Eavy department. was last
pear granted leave Of absence for two years
on the ground Of i'll health. He Immediately
entered the employ Of the company which
controlled the Harvey process for imprOv
ing steel arTn0r plates, and which has large
contracts with the government. contracts.
too. which he, as chief Of the ordnance
bureau, had been instrumental In getting
awarded to that company. This transac-
ti0n doesn't look altogether straight does
it! Lieut. Swift has been On leave since
August /. 1850, and during all this time he
has been in the employ Of Sellers & Co. o
Philadelphia. who have sold the navy de
partment big balls Of tools. etc. Hsany Of
which were designed by Lieut- Swift, xho
also negotiated their sale 10 the department.
Lieut. Commander Symonds. and Chief
Engineer Robinson got one yezr's leave Of
absence each, in order TO acspt positions
with private parties at The worlds fair.
Lieut. Commander Cornwall has BEEN on
leave of absence for two years and under
salary to tie Thomson Houston Copper and
Nickle Co., to look after its contracts with
the navy department. Lisat Stone has =
three years leave dating from March l6,
1891, and draws ssGs1o. year from Car
negle & Co, TO look after their steel con-
tracts with The navy department. Lieut..
briggs joint inventor Of rapid firing gun
used in the navy. is on leave and IN the
emplot of the company that manufactures
those guns. Chief Engineer Towne. after
long service in preparing for the depart
msnt, designs for machinery for naval res
ssls. was granted leave Of absence foz two
years in order thai be might draw 5000 a
year fom Crsmp and Sons for superintend
ing the construction Of the machinery b
has designed in tie course Of his regula,
duty. Chaplain Holt is on leave engages
in literary work. Civil Engineer Menocal
is on leave. and is chief engineer Of thi
Nicaragua Canal Co. This is only partia
list, bat it shows bad system