Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-09-14
ONLY A FALSE PRETENSE.
A FOOLISH ATTEMPT TO DECEIVE
THE PENSIONERS.

Spasm of Patriotism intended to Last
Sixty Days When the Slaughter Win
he Increased.
WASHINGTON, Sept. The attempt
of the Democratic Administration to
fool the people into the belief that the
pension suspension scheme has been
abandoned or materially modified is the
subject of general and not very favor
able comment tonight. 1t is too trans
parent: the pretense that it is modifi-
cation of any considerable importance
of the system ny which the pensioners
are being slaughtered by the wholesale
is looked upon as absurd.
1T merely delays for 60 days the
time OF cutting off the heads of these
men," said Congressman Curtis of
New York. Instead OF suspending
the pension of a man on a mere suspi-
cion, as mas been the case, and allowing
him to prove his right to have it re-
stored. it notifies him that if he doesn't
prove his right to it within 60 days he
will be cut off. That's all 1t merely
grants him little longer lease of life
and the glorious privilege of drawing a
few dollars more in pensions while he is
proving over again his right to the PEN
sion which was long since conceded to
be due him"
Only Trap.
That about tells the story. The new
order, issued for effect, changes the
situation only in the fact that it per-
mits the pensioner to draw S12, or per-
haps S24, more before being cut off. In
point of fact, it is intended to increase
the number who will be eventually
swept off the pension roll.
The process of suspending summarily
every man against whom the finger Of
suspicion could be pointed was raising
such a storm of indignation that the
Democratic Congressman from the
North and other Democrats from that
section had warned the Administration
that to press it further in this way
would be suicidal. Letters had been
sent TO the Pension Commissioner and
information had also reached the Presi-
dent that the raid on the soldiers was
being made too openly and on too broad
grounds. 1t became necessary to make
the public believe that the work was
being checked.
This ingenious scheme was devised
by which the pensioners who are at
tackled can be left on the pension roll
while it is being done. This, it was
argued, would not only make showing
| Of or hr1f OF fha at
the men who are undergoing the inves-
tigation and re-examination.
LulliDg Them to Sleep.
The experience has been that the mo-
ment they were suspended most of them
made such loud complaints to theiI
Congressman and others that they be-
came very troublesome in working up
sentiment against the plan which is ex-
pected to cut down the pension roll
enormously, so it became good policy
to give them an anesthetic to keep them
quiet while the process was going on.
1t would only be a matter Of few dol
| lars each. and if the thousands who are
under the operations of the examining
boards are kept comparatively quiet
meantime it will be practicable to in
crease the number ordered for re-ex-
animation, so it is probable that the re-
| suit of this order will be in the end al
increase in the number of men dropped
permanently from the pension rolls.
The Department, it is understood, feels
sure of the work that its new pension
examining boards will do. They are
| picked men, as the Confederate sharp
shooters were during the war, and they
can be relied upon to drop thousands
and thousands of the old soldiers from
the rolls as fast as they have a shot al
them. 1t is in the new examining
boards that the Administration puts its
trust, and the mere matter of delaying
final action on the cases period OF &c
days until after the Ohio election,
amounts to nothing if it will lull the
public and the victims themselves into
state of partial unconsciousness and
thus permit the work to go on at an in
creased speed.