The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-23

Letters frsua Soldiers or the Union Conoerninr
Pension Frauds.

Pension Frauds.
To THE EDITOR OF The suN-Sir. Your
righteous attack upon tho Govornment.robbing
and ever-increasing army of pensioners must
impress all honest citizens and patriots.
have the honor to have boon n commissioned
officer, serving in the gallant Ninth Corps, but
while often besot by pension agents, / have not
consented TO rob the Government l claim to love.
know that many receive pensions who are no
moro entitled TO them than 1 am; and, as tho
law now stands, I have no legitimate claim
whatever.
suggest that the Pension Bureau BIO required
TO publish annually n list Of all pensioners with
In the delivery of each Post Office in the United
States, together with the claim of each; and
that such lists DO posted In conspicuous places
In every Post Office in tho land.
am sure that while no wrong would be done
to the many worthy pensioners, God bless
them! many a pretendor and robbcr would
blush to see such q list In his own homo Post
Office. f. v. WOLFE.
Dover, N. j.. Dec. 81.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: 1t gives no
great satisfaction to see that you are taking
hold OF the pension question. l trust you will
keep at It until the guilty ones are caught. for
/ consider 1t a national shame to allow this to
continue. l believe it could be stopped IL there
was a law passed to print a list of all pension.
ers, tho regiment. company, and nature of
wound or wounds and injuries. the amount re-
ceived per month, and requiring that a copy DO
sent to each Grand Army post. Also have a
copy In each Post Office and railway station in
tho country. to DO reviewed by tho public.
Finally. let there be offered o reward for the
arrest and conviction of any ono defrauding the
Pension Bureau and the Government.
In regard to the worthy pensioners, tho Gov
ernment can never repay them for what they
have suffered.
During the war l was injured In my head and
am never free from pain. / was wounded In my
right shoulder and suffer pains untold, / am
completely unable to perform manual labor
whereby to earn n living. I first received q PEN
sion OF 90 per month. They keep increasing it
until they now allow me SIT per month. This
is for the loss of the use OF my right arm.
NJ. r. ALLEN,
Late Troop B, First Regiment Rhode Island
Cavalry Volunteers.
WooDHAvEN, N. Y, Dec. 81.
To THE EDITOR OF TIL SUN-Sir. Your e1-
haustive and convincing article on pensions is
plainly the story of unmistakable frauds upon
our Government; dishonesty perpetrated in the
name of It's veteran defenders, the Union sur.
vivors OF the war of the rebellion. THE SUN 10
true to its duty as a newspaper.
1t Is the sincere wish Of very many ex.soldiers
that the Government at Washington cause to be
published some simple facts as to who the in.
dividual recipients are as they stand upon the
pension rolls to-day.
Let the names, residences, original disability,
and, II possible, date Of last marriage Of tho
beneficiary. appear In print Immediately for
public use.
In this way an aroused public sentiment will
reach the evil at once, and effectively. Being
specific. 1t will also afford deserved protection
to thousands who are II ade to feel the odium Of
generalities in print which seems to be neces.
sary now to bring the question OF enormous
disbursements for pensions before the people.
Let every honorably discharged soldier send a
postal card at least to his Representative in
Congress bearing this sentence: publish tho
Pension Rolls"
FREDERICKSBURG CHANCELLoRsvILLE.
NEW YORK, Dec. q.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: Having
read your article "Robbing tho Nation" and
believing 3 1t to be in the true interests of those
who volunteered their services to their country
and were unfortunate enough to be disabled on
the field of battle, I would make the following
suggestion:
Prior to the eighties It was the custom of tho
Government to have a pension hammer, a
surgeon of well.known integrity. in every city,
who was required to examine every pensioner
once every two years. to see II his disability had
decreased. When the present Board of Pension
Examiners was established this examination
was done away with. Now, IL this law was re-
vived, I believe it would be one of the most
e~ffectual means Of purging the pension roll of
the unworthy.
1t would to q certain extent prevent persons
from drawing pensions on dead veterans certif-
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