The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1895-11-29
coNcERNlNo PENsloNs.

sions is before us, and from it we
publish the following instructive
land interesting facts.
The numberof pensioners ON the
rolls june 30, 1894, was 9675l4.aud
the number on the rolls June 80,
1895, was 970,521 The amount Of
money expended on account Of PEN
sions for the years ending June 30,
1891, and june 30, 1895, were $780,
S0446l05 aud Sl39S07, ,33730 re-
spectiyely
During the past year 39,lS5 new
/ pensioners were added 20 the rolls,
4 206who had been previously drop
ped were restored, and 43.4ll were
/ dropped for various causes, show
/ ing a net increase during the past
year of $50 pensioners and $3.50
% over the year ending June 30,
1894 Had itnot been for the pas
sage of a new law increasing all
pensions paid Of the rates of 81 and
81 per month TO S6 per month, The
expenditure for pensions the past
year, in comparison with the total
amount paid during the year end
ing June 80, 1894. would have been
decreased 5l,772,12A
BY Commissioners Lochren's just
administration OF the pension laws
/ S10,201 ,33528 Of the Sl50.000,000
appropriated for pensions bas been
saved to the taxpayers and left as
a balance in the Treasury, and the
amount of pensions paid last year,
as compared with the expenditures
of the former Administration, has
been reduced Sl7,195, ,9Sll4
The above enormous saving is
largely due to the fact that impair
tial Investigations have shown that
20,359 pensioners were in receipt
of higher rates of pension chan they
were entitled to under tbe law, and
1885 have lost their pensions en-
tirely on the ground thai to have
received said pensions would have
been in violation of Inv.
The commissioner further says
that during the past year 294 per-
sons have been tried and convicted
| for various crimes committed in the
procurement Of pensions, and 257
indictments are still pending in the
United States courts. In this con-
nection the commissioner cites the
discovery Of the gigantic pension
frauds Of Buifaloand Western New
York, which frauds, itiswell known,
were unearthed by Special Pension
| Examiner Walter S. Ayres, of our
ownand county phereading pub
lic is more or less familiar with the
facts, that Pension Examiner Ayres,
while being harrassed by numerous
civil suits for damages, which suits
never had any foundation in fact or
in law, succeeded in showing that
certain corrupt firm of pension at
torneys in Buffalo, n, z, and Vi
! cinity, had made and filed in the
Pension Bureau at Washington
: 1881 false papers in support of pen
sion claims, and that in said false
: papers there had been fraudulently
collected or about to be collected
J. from the Government the sum Of
! $439,094, and further, that while
! honest and deserving claimants
) were protected, 60 indictments and
many convictions were secured in
! the United States courts.
The significance of the compi.
: : ment paid Pension Examiner Ayres
! ! can only be appreciated when it is
! known that there is perhaps no pre-
vious ins'an in which commits
! sioner Of pensions made the partic-
ular work Of an examiner a special
: feature in his annual report There
q are about three hundred and forty
y intelligent gentlemen holding posi-
!, tions similar to Mr.. Ayres, and the
9 fact, that Notwithstanding their eff
z fcient work as examiners, special
Z and honorable mention should be
9 made Of Mr. Ayres and one other
I only, renders the compliment any
7 thing but an empty honor.
K The country at large is to be con-
: graduated on the fact that in the
/ matter Of pension expenditure the
1t mgh-water mark has been reached,
+ and that this class Of claims against
Il the Government are now being ad-
u d. -. ii -. . -. q - 4 . :. 8