Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-06-29
pension Reform. "

just now lne DEMOCRATS are IalklDR
very, glibly about pension frauds"
and the wonderful reform" they are
going to bring about in the pension
service. The people are becoming
somewhat familiar with this fraud"
racket. There was time in the his.
tory Of the Democratic party when its
promises and professions meant
something, but that was a long time
ago. In these modern days people are
not so much alarmed at the loud noise
made by professional politicians.
When young political upstart finds
himself suddenly elevated to Office, be
is Invariably going to play thunder in
unearthing the frauds" and "jobs"
of his predecessor, and he always has
some patent on plan by which he pro-
poses to reform" both heaven and
earth. Witness, for instance, the loud
lamentations and wailings and pro-
fessions Of the Populists at Topeka.
Judging from dwellings mouthings,
Breidenthal's manifestOes. Osborn's
"Ollcial" Communications, ATtZ's
military demonstrations, Little's light
on law, Peffer's New Discoveries"
and the terrible rumblings that come
from the State Insurance department
one might imagine that fraud and cor
ruption are found lying around in
great chunks about the State institu.
tons, and that this great and "only
State administration since the war;" is
going TO bring about political millen.
mum on very short notice. Six moons
have come and gone and still no start
ling revelations of fraud have come
to light, nor has any evidence Of
reform" appeared above the horizon.
The Democratic cry Of fraud" and
promises of reform" which come
from Washington, are just rs mean
ingless and insincere as those which
come from Topeka. The great battle
cry Is "pension frauds" Various
Democratic estimates have been made
as TO the probable proportion which the
the frauds" bear TO the whole num-
Der OF pensioners. The New York Sun
thinks that at least one fourth of those
who get pensions are frauds" The
IT. Louis Republic thinks the percent
age zone in three" Others who take
lite less pessimistic view of the
human race graciously admit that pos
sibly the frauds" may not exceed one
In ten. Mr.. Hoke Smith says there
are "frands, i" and he knows. About
three months ago he gathered to-
gether his mighty energies and set out
upon the great mission Of "unearthing
pension frauds"
So far, by the hardest kind of dredg-
ing and the most prodigious efforts and
many premonitory symptoms in the
way of extremely vague but tremen-
ously terrific outglvings, the entire
Democratic pension fraud" bowling
outfit have succeeded in putting their
finger on one poor old man down IN
Pennsylvania who is drawing pension
on account Of partial deSfness, which
does not necessarily prevent him from
learning a support by manual labor"
and lone widow down in Missouri
who lost her son at Charlottesville
but it is not quite clear that she was
solely dependent on this Oh FIR sup
port rs she had another married son
living ut the tune, beside two grown
daughters and, as Mr., Smith intmates,
that these grown daughters might
work out" and support their poor
old mother"
The discovery Of these two frauds"
has led this administration to promul-
gate to a credulous public that 1t pro-
poses to save at least twenty million
dollars by the "unearthing Of similar
frauds" which have been permitted to
draw pensions by an INSCRIPTIONS Re
publican administration. 1t will only
require the "unearthing" of $50, 900
more frauds" like these to make the
promise good and the Democrats have
found two, after four months of most
interchangeable industry. Verify, this
country is in the midst of grand and
awful time. The great cataclysmal
phenomenon at Topeka is going to be
elipsed by the mighty upheaval Of
pension reform" which is likely to go
laundering down the ages as the grand
achievement of Mr.. Grover Cleveland's
second administration.
The cowboy race is over and what
has 1t provedY