The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-13
PAYMENT OF PENSIONS.
Agent Spencer Denies that There Has
Been Any Intentional Delay.

To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal:
In the issue of yesterday the Journal made
a very incorrect statement in relation to
the payment of pensioners at this agency.
In this article 1t s said:
For weeks before the date of the pension
payment it was limited that the close con-
nection between the Democratic State COM
mittee and the pension agency would cause
the sending out Of the checks to pensioners
IN indianapolis to be delayed, in order to
turn them against Representative Over
street, who was most influential in securing
the change of the method from partial to
entire payment by checks through the mail -
i desire to state that neither the chairman
of the State central committee nor any
member of the committee has ever made the
slightest intimation to me that they desired
anything of the kind. If they had t would
have made no difference to me. We treat
all pensioners alike at this agency, no mat
ter what their politics may be. and this will
be the rule followed while I am pension
agent Again the Journal says:
Two three are quoted where
vouchers were put in the postoffice here
before 10. o'c.ock Monday week. for which
returns were not received until Saturday"
This may be true so far as the vouchers
having been placed in the postoffice. but I
wish 20 state emphatically that every vouch-
er received at this agency up TO 1 o'clock
on Monday afternoon was paid and the
checks delivered to the postmaster not later
than $50 O'Clock Tuesday evening, May 5,
unless the vouchers were improperly execut-
ed and had to be returned to the pensioners
for correction. About five thousand checks
were delivered to the postmaster on Monday
night, about five thousand more Tuesday
noon, and the remaining checks on all
vouchers received up to o'clock on Monday
were delivered to the postmaster at $3.50
o'clock Tuesday evening. Under the new
arrangement we were delayed some; the
clerks in the office had nothing to do until
1880 O'Clock on Monday, because we had not
q sufficient number or vouchers to commence
work on. You state further in your article
Ensley was agent the mass OF payments by
check and otherwise was made by the close
of the third day. which In this case would be
on Wednesday night"
This statement is not true, and will ven
ture the assertion that you cannot get Capt
Ensley or any other pension agent that
ever filled the position to make such state
ment. Since have been pension agent we
have made the payments as accurately and
as rapidly as ever they have been made al
this agency, and the present payment is
no exception.
Personally / am very much in favor of the
new arrangement, and so far as any com.
plants have been made to me against Mr.
Overstreet have universally stated that ne
was not to blame for any action he took
in the matter; that every G.. A r. post in
the United States had recommended the pas
sage of such a law, and Mr.. Overstreet was
led to believe that he was doing just what
the pensioners desired. So far as l am in.
formed, this agency is the only one in the
United States where payment is made sc
promptly. AT other agencies the clerks work
the same number of hours that they dc
when no payment is being made, but at this
agency, during the quarterly payment, we
commence at z O'Clock in the morning anG
work until s:Sa at night, giving proper re,
pensioners paid up to and including Saturday
was 60,323: the amount of money disbursed
s., 207, S51 90. NJ. ". 3. SPENCER,
United States Pension Agent.
Indianapolis, May u.