The National tribune., 1896-02-20
AN OPEN LETTER.
To the Honorable Senators
and Representatives in
Congress Assembled.

pected some wide-reaching pension legis
lation from you at this session how in
tensely they would be disappointed i
this were not given them, and how they
would feel that large portion of their
indignant protest against this Admins
tration's pension methods had been
wasted.
We also showed you, with a clearness
! that we think was unmistakable, that nc
other legislation would meet this oman,
date of the people" so fully and salts
factorily as Service Pension Bill.
We feel that we cannot enlarge upon
this latter feature sufficiently. The Just
complaints of the people against the
present Administration of the Pension
Bureau are based upon its taking away
the pensions Of deserving men and
women without cause, upon unjustifiable
reductions Of pensions, and upon the
denial Of pensions to those who are
clearly and legally entitled TO them.
Beyond all doubt, Service Pension
Bill will come much nearer remedying
all these than any other measure that
can be proposed. 1t will put stop to
the dropping of pensioners and the denial
Of claimants by making a pension mat
ter Of right to every honorably-dis-
charged soldier or sailor. 1t will settle
the vexed question of "vested right /"
in a much more direct and satisfactory
way than any of the several measures
looking to that end now before you. 1t
will stop reductions by making a mini
mum below which no pension can be re-
duced. 1t will simplify the whole ques-
ton of pension allowances, by clearing
away vast and intricate system of ex-
aminations and re-examinations, especial
investigations" and what not, and save
the Treasury a large sum annually ex-
pended in these unending and futile cir
cumlocutions. 1t will put an end to all
the present soul-wearing and heart-sick-
ening delays by making the immediate
allowance Of pension to every deserv-
ing veteran mandatory duty upon the
Commissioner. No matter what he may
think of the law he must execute its pro-
visions, and that with the utmost prompt
ness. Its beneficial effect will be felt at
once in every community in the loyal
portion of the country. In every one of
your Districts there are hundreds of
your constituents who will be at once
benefited by it, and thousands in every
Northern and Western State.
An immense advantage is that the ex-
penditure under the law can be calcu-
lated to a certainty. There can be no
to fIighten timorous souls, that
it will commit the Treasury to an outlay
of an unknown magnitude, and which
may constantly increase. At the very
utmost there cannot be to exceed 200, 900
men eligible to the benefits of the law
who are not already on the pension roll.
To give every one of these pension of
sS month, which it is unlikely will be
done, will cost but S19,200,000 a year.
If the pension is made s12 a month it
will cost but s2S, 100000 at the very
outside. In reality it cannot cost nearly
so much. In the first place, very large
proportion Of these men would never
apply for their pensions. In the next,
the expense of running the Pension
Bureau would be greatly reduced by the
Of its processes, and the
doing away with large force of highly
sa!aried and expensive employees. Then
The inroads of death would make a rapid
decrease in the expenditures. Every
quarter-day would show startling re-
duction in the number Of pensioners
presenting themselves for payment.
Next, gentlemen, we beg you to think
Of the immense benefaction of such
legislation. 1t will at once bring SUBJ
stantial relief to at least 100000 homes
where anguish and distress now reign.
1t viii prolong the lives of thousands of
veterans, by relieving their anxiety as
TO the support of themselves and fam
lilies.
There is still another important fea-
ture. The recent popular loan showed