Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-05-14
CARELESS CRITICISMS.

statements, recently published an ed
itorial in which it quoted and endOrs-
ed certain statements of the New
York Times, under the caption, Pen
sion Fraud Exposures" which was
inaccurate and unjust, and which, the
source from which it came consider
ed, tends to throw contempt upon the
pensioner and odium upon the pen
sion department. The avidity with
which the editor of the Herald seizes
upon the statements of the Times in
dictates that the editor has no partic-
ular love for the pensioner. The
following is his article:
tsThat well-known organ of reform
and investigator Of abuses, the New
Yo K Times, has been turning it's
search light of late upon our pension
system, and the disclosures are shame
full and humiliating. Cases Of down
right fraud have been given in detail:
For example, a pensloner who is
dancing master, another who is an
athlete, a third who is a b1cycllst;
others to whom the government
presents cork legs "whO still retain
their natural limbs, and who simply
have the artificial members caShed as
a triennial bonus" But the most
startling statement of all is the follow
ing: that Z" there are now more
persons drawing pensions from the
United States on account of the civil
war than there were mustered out OF
service as late as November q, 1865,
nearly twenty nine years ago; and
there are in addition more than
700, 600 applications for pensions on lie
awaiting the action Of the Bureau"
1t is further stated that there are now
nearly 800, 900 more pensioners on the
rolls than there were troops in the
field at any time during the war!
While we heartily approve Of pens
ioning generously every needy and
deserving soldier, we demand, i'll their
higher interest, that fraudulent cases
receive their just deserts.
The above, While it may not be en-
tirely devoid of truth, conveys a
wrong impression and is a scandal on
pensioners in general and libel Of
the Pension Department.. In an4wer
to the article above it may be true
that dancing master somewhere is
pensioner; it also must be true that
in order to obtain q pension at all
he had to have some disability, which
by law, entitled him to receive pen
sion. That disability had TO be sworn
to by board Of eXaming surgeons;
it had to be affirmed by certain wit
nesses, and the pensioner himself had
to swear to it in the presence Of a
magistrate. Possibly the poor fellow
I,o Ioc ho6
perforated by rebel bullet, still be-
ing able to dance a quadrille or to
show the mysteries Of a "pigeon
wing" to his class of pupils. 1t IS
stated that s'another is an athlete"
AS his disability is not named above
it is difficult to abuse or to defend
him. He may have had a half dozen
injuries which under the law entitled
him to pension. He may have lost
his hearing in the army and still be
able to engage in athletic feats. If he
is fraud, somebody is doing some
pretty tall lying every three months,
and the Department is allowing itself
to be deceived and defrauded when
there is no need of it. A third one is
"a bicyclist." Who knows but that
and returned home more dead than
alive, and in his effort to earn some
thing has learned to propel his wheel
back and forth from his work? It
would be unjust to deprive a man of
his pension because he can walk or
work, and we are unable to see why
bicyclist should be debarred from his
pension for the mere crime of riding
a Safety" 1t is stated that govern
ment is providing cork legs where the
pensioner still retains his natural
ones. There might be a possible case
of this sort, but the statement is 50
improbable that we doubt it. Wicked
as all might be who would have to
perjure themselves in a case like this,
the ease of detection and the crime
done would make it practically i'm
possible for such a crime to continue.
'sThe most startling statement'' to
which reference was made would, in
deed, be startling if it were not false.
If either of the editors who have as
serted that "more persons are draw
ing pensions on account Of the civil
war than were mustered out of ser
vice." will consult history, they will
learn that more than two and half
millions were called into service. At
least two thirds of these were active
participants in the war, and might be
entitled to pensions under some Of
the pension acts. A further investi-
cation would show them that the en-
tire pension roll at this time is con-
siderably less than one million. This