The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-23
the wheel of national industry and
PENSIONS AND DEFICITS.


1t must be somewhat disheartening
to the administration, already in the
deleful dumps at the increase of deficit
in the revenue, to have the commits
sioner of pensions give it out that the
pension expenditures for this fiscal
year will be some $5,00O,OOO greater than
the estimates on which the appropria-
ton for the year was based. Mr.
Dingley, last March, said "our prob
lem is to provide adequate revenue
from duties on imports to carry ON the
government" and ne still has hopes
that that duty was performed, in spite
OF the unpromising opening of his reye-
nue. getter. Senator Aldrich dfsa greed
with Mr.. Dingley, as is well known as
to the efficacy of his measure, and pre-
dicted dire disaster to the party that
should be responsible for legislation
that would result in deficiency bills and
a probable issue of bonds It would
be far more reassuring to the admin
istration, torn with doubt and night
mared with present deficits, could the
commissioner of pensions inform it that
he would be able to follow his prede-
cessor and cover back into the treasury
million or two Of unexpended appro-
priation. But to be told that, after
two years of decrease and two more
years of diminishing pensioners, the
amount will have to be increased again
-
piece of news as it could be told
Aside from that the reason given by
the commissioner indicates that the
spirit of Tanner and Raum actuates
him. The increase is to come from
100000 old claims, (which it is the in
tention of the bureau to adjudicate as
rapidly as possible" To "adjudieate''
means to pass upon and allow or re-
ject. 1t is very evident that the commits
| sioner means to allow them, as he says
that the claims allowed would call for
something like $5,000,0O0," about the
| amount of his estimated deficit. These
will send the number on the roll above
the million mark, and that at a time
when a whole generators span has
| elapsed since the close of the war.
What can be the nature, what the JUS
tice of these 100000 claims that are still
pending thirty-two years after Apo
mattox? They can hardly be made I'M
der the general act that pensioned for
disabilities incurred in line of duty.
hi rtX &c,
to discover that he received pensionable
injuries in the service. There should be
a limitation to the right of such dis
| covery.
The only other act under which they
can come, eliminating the widows and
minors from the number, is the de-
pendent pension act of 1890, which pen
sions those dependent upon manual
it by disability not caused by vicious
habits. Worthy as was the spirit of
this act, it is common knowledge that
it has been as grossly abused and per-
verted as was any of the service acts.
and applications have been made and
granted to persons not dependent upon
manual labor for support, or, if so, not
lncapacitated for it. This knowledge
led to a stricter examination into the
merits Of each case, and it is probable
that very large number of these 20e,-
600 cases are not entitled to pensions
within any just administration of the
act. The only conclusion to be drawn
from this statement of the commits.
sioner is that the scandals of his
bureau are to be repeated and the roll
again made a list on which no high
minded soldier will care to see his name
placed Again we say, let the name of
the Union defenders be saved the con-
| tumely and reproach Of our present
pension methods by the repeal of them
all and the substitution of simple
service pension act Considerations Of
economy also demand it.