The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-09-22

efareFG Than 1OT Aut IEcstous 800
nat will steadily Decrease Unless Mor'
Liberal Laws Increase It-Nes Gain Ii
o,,x 15ANo Further Revision of thu
List NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. for Frauds
speciaI Observation-Disclosures.
washington, Sept. N.-Dominfc L
Mummy. commissioner of pensions has
made mis- annual report for the nscai
,sar ended June 3d. 1896, to Secretary
Francis. He says:
There were added to the roll for the
,,yrent year, 4O,374 new pensioners,
Ind there were restored 1878 who ned
ssen previously dropped. total OF
i4,247.
..Dq,rine the same period the losses
we're. 29. 1898 by death and l,l4I by re-
marriage. (widowts); 1854 by legal hml-
.a6ion (ninors); 1852 because of failure
10 claim pensions for three years. ana
222 for other causes, an aggregate or
"A 0es The net gain over the previous
rear was only 1914 and it may now be
,afsIv assumed that the roll from this
.i~na forth will show marked ana
ready decrease, unless congress should
,rract still more liberal provisions than
,-a NOW upon the statute books. me
tata of mortality among our pensioners,
,ar.;jcQ1Iarly among those vino served
9,lrfng the war of the rebellion, Is rap
,C,y Increasing, the number reported
deceased during the year for exceeded
that of any corresponding period IN the
history of the bureau.
'sIIne whole number Of pensioners on
the roll June 30, 1894 was 970,65S, While
hae rolls show a Slight gain in numbers
over the year Immediately preceding.
The amount disbursed for pensions was
n3SH4.761. a decrease Of 81, 592,575, as
COMPARED with the previous year.
There are 495, 664 pension claims
nsnding at the close of the fiscal year,
233.337 being applicants for increases,
and are made by persons now on the
rolls
ESTIMATES.
Although the last years estimate of
sI40 600. 900 for pensions was sl,I9Oo20
r,scrs than was necessary for the past
fiscal year, the commissioner duplicates
that for the next fiscal year STATING
frat he believes THAT adjudicatons
ogl make the full amount necessary. III
Is his intention to push the settlement
uf cases as raptd5y as possible. An est
mate of S.. Dps, $50 is made for misceidan-
e-oq,s pensions. The commissioner says
the payment by vouchers is working
wall. Some difficulty is experlenced In
tSe form of vouchers in Germany, ana
the state Department has been request
ed to give peroons authority to admin
.ster oaths. There are 6Ol Offueo
States pensioners i'm Germany.
REVISION AND PROSECUTION.
Describing the revision of the pension
list the commissioners says:
.ST,bare is no founda tion for the err
,>-,-ars,s impression that II ds the initeFl-
tion still further to revise the lists. as
the pursing of the rolls commenced IN
OUGHT to be understood, however, that
There still exists purpose to main tam
tine pension roll as the nations roll or
honor
Concerning prosecutions, he says:
offenders against the pension laws
have been so vigorously prosecuted our
ing the past three years that the calnla-
mad work of the law division has been
materially lessened. Through the COM
bined efforts of The law division ana une
specaal exam inhtion division there mas
been refunded to the United States dur
ing the year SZu,Jo-, 'HIihSi %iNfc'- ''N'O
recovered as tine outcome Of civil suits.
During the year 339 indictments were
found and There were 242 recommends
lions for prosecution The number or
convictions was 1877; the number of SEN
fences $50, and So offenders against THE
pension laws were taken into custody.
I am glad to state that the rigorous
measures instituted by my predecessors
have apparently discouraged violators
rsf the pension laws and rendered the
business of procuring fraudulent pen
sfons unsafe and improbable"
RECOMMENDATION
Commissioner Murphy conmendS the
work of the special examiners and says
that the additional force OF $50 should
be continued. The cost of this force
during the year was S497.95S. He says
the pension building Is at present inade-
uul4ite for the work, and makes some
sugg HStions as to improvements. He
recommends an increase to 50 PEI
month of pensions to survivors of the
Mexican war, and also recommends
pensions to widows of officers and sol
dieIS who died from causes originating
In the service prior to March 4, 1861.