West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1894-05-31
THE PENSION SCANDAL"

thing like IT IN point Of eXtTav-
agance and bArefaced dishonesty.
Everybody knows this bat the
number OF men IN public life who
nave courage enough to admit that
they know it is ludicrously small.
Whenever the general assertion is
put forth that, D view Of the i'm
meUse size OF the pension roll and
be.notoriVus laxIty that has long
prevailed in the administration of
the law, large number of the pen =
slons paid must be fraudulent, the
answer is: Vague assertions
prove nothing. Give us specific
cases"
The New York Tunes has done
the American people an excellent
service by furnishing the thing thus
demanded. 1t has. indeed. not
undertaken the 2igantic task of
overhauling the whole pension roll,
but 1T has laid before the public "a
demonstration sufficiently cnnclu-
sive. 1t las sent IT'S reporters to
several inland towns in this State
TO inquire into the cases of individ-
ual pensioners living there, and
thus 1t has been able to spread be-
fore the public an array of evidence
the representative character Of
which no falr-minded man will
deny. Here we have lots of men
drawing pensions for disabilities
incurred in the service and in the
line of duty" who have given no
evidence of the existence of the DIS
abilities alleged-men who were
Tor twenty years after the war
notably strong and able-bodied
men who draw increased pensions
for increased disabilities, while they
are no more disabled than before :;
men who draw the maximum pen-
sion for total disability preventing
| them from earning support ut
manual labor" but who are earn
ing Il living by manual labor as well
ms they ever did before; men who
have for years been drunken loafers
INDUCING in all sorts OF excuses.
but ere drawing pensions under a
law which provides that no disabil-
ity which is the result of his own
vicious habits shall entitle man
to pension men who are rich.
and should be ashamed to help in
draining the Treasury women
drawing widows pensions long If
ter having forfeited their right to
them and so on. And the pro-
portion OF such cases to the tot j
mber of pensioners in those To-
calltIes is more tnuu sufficient. fully
to satisfy the saying that the pen
sion roll is "honeycombcd with
fraud"
The proposition of the Times that
u commission composed Of old sol J.
dlcrs be charged with conducting
an examination of the whole pen
sion roll seems to us commendable.
Then method should be devised
to make the Intervention of the
pension attorney between the APP
pllcant and the Pension Office nm
necessary, and thus to d;sarm the
principal agency of mischief.
The above extract is from the old
reliable and thoroughly independ-
ent Harper'S Weakly, of New York
City, and we desire to call the
special attention of New Conner
on the Watch" alias " Man OF
Marques" or"Col." Francis Mar
ion Huffman, J0urNaI war cor
respondent from Marques, to this,
In reply to lot of his rot that ap-
peared in the last issue OF said Pr
per. He wants the name of mt
least one fraudulent pensoncr and
we will certainly oblIge him to his
hearts content, although it may be
very embarrassing to some of his
friends, before we get done with 1t,
and they will be cIamoring for the
" Fool-killer" to get in some work
up about Marques.
From the Pension Act approved
June II, 1890, granting pensions tC
soldiers and sailors who are in
capacitated for the performance oil
manual labor, Section 2, reads a.
follows
" That all persons who served
ninety days or more in the militar,
or naval service of the United
States during the late war Of the
rebellion, and who have been hon
orablY discharged tberefrom, and
who are now or who may hereafter
be suffering from mental or phys.
ical disability OF permanent char.
acter, not the result Of their owr
vicious habits, which incap tcitates
them from the performance Of man.
ual labor in such degree as tc
render them unable to earn sup
port, shall, upon making due proof
Of the fact according TO such rule.
and regulations as the Secretary oil
the Interior may provide, be placed
upon the list of invalid pensioncr.
Of the United States, and be en-
titled 20 receive a pension not OK
ceeding twelve dollars per month