The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-20

come here since the war. and we are supporting
thousands Of those who live at homo and never
were here except long enough 20 accept the
bountles paid to DO mustered into the SERVICE
not going beyond the State line whore they
were enlisted, to DO discharged and 10 homo ana
say they have got rheumatism, and to say that
the American Government must support them
abroad. We are paying thousands abroad
to-day to widows of these soldiers In
foreign countries who never put foot
on American soil. and many OF them, l
venture to say, were unborn when their hus'
bands were In the wal In the United States.
For the man who never wasi In battle, who never
saw the enemy, who went home with his peck
cts full Of money which he acquired either ms q
substitute or from the bountics paid by local
governments-for such n man to be put on an
equality with an American soldier and to DO
supported abroad, and not only himself, but the
widow who survives him, I say 10 an outrage"
THE OF THE FRAUD.
In this speech Congressman Mutchler referred
to lust one abuse. He understated It. There
arc 1902 persons living In foreign countries On
the bounty Of the United States. Thoy receive
annually 1913. 9i5.sS In gold. an average OF
@152.62 a year each. But let us get at the
abuses and the frauds at home. and to do that 1t
is necessary to go right to the bottom Of the
business of granting pensions. To obtain a pen.
sion a man must 60 before a board of eyamln
ors. These boards OF examiners are made up
OF three doctors each. Their business as e.
aminers Is all neighborhood business. In small
communities they know all the men wnom
they examine. They are personal acauaint
ances, and in many instances personal friends.
They are subject to local influences, ana any
person who has lived in q small town or a VII
lage knows what local influence means ana now
powerful 1t is. The law requires that an appIi.
cation for a pension shall be filed setting forth
tho nature of the disability Of the applicant. ana
then he 10 notified that he 10 to appear betore
this board Of his neighbors and be examined.
As an example an actual case will be taken. 1t
was rotated to THE SUN reporter by an official
Of the Pension Office.
The war had been over thirty years. Rheu-
matism appeared then. and In his own mind the
man traced It back to q three months service In
the army in the war of the rebellion. In due
course the applicant was directed to appear be-
fore the Board Of Examiners. They searched
him with q fine tooth comb. but they could find
no trace OF the rheumatism from which he said
he suffered. Then they searched him. accord
ing to custom. for any other disability he might
have. His heart was all right. His lungs were
all right. There was no sign Of disease of any
kind. In fact. the applicant said he had never
been sick q day In his life. His hearing was per-
feet. When 1t came to testing his sight II was
discovered that his left eye was not as good as
the right one. The man had never known 1t
himself. He had never discovered that he could
not see as we'll out of one eye as he could out of
the other. Tho difference in no wise interfered
with his ability to earn a living. But what
was the result of the discovery He was ad.
vised by the examining board to make out a
new application setting forth defective vision as
the disability from which he suffered. and In his
examination on this new application he was
rated as four-eighteenths disabled. and he 10 to.
day drawing a pension Of 90 q month. The
reporter Is assured that there are thousands Of
cases similar to this.
NEW YORK CASE.
Here Is another example: A man prominent
In the city Of Now York. we'll to do, in no wist
needing assistance from any source. slipped and
fell on the ice two years ago. His wrist wai
fractured. He applied for a pension on the
ground OF disability under the act Of June "a
1880. which removed the necessity for acquiring
an injury in the service. He went before the
examining board of his district and got a rating
of four-eighteenths He has been drawing Q
pension OF $6 a month since then, and within q
few months he has cndeavored to have the ratt
raised to 80 II month, complaining bitterly no
cause he did not sue eed.
As with the other case this case is q sample o.
thousands. not Of thousands who have faller
and broken their wrists. but who have sustained
simple injuries from causes no more nearly
connected with their service in the army thai
the North Pole is connected with Now York.
Let 1t be remembered that Of the 37s. 900 VIII,
got on the invalid pension rolls through the nc
OF June 81, 1890. not one received an injur,
during the war. and not one was able to trac,
y any disability back to service in the war. Thei
disability, when they had any. arose subseq ueu
: to the war and from absolutely Independent
causes. So with the widows who ara drawing
pensions under that act. Their husbands die,
!, of diseases and causes not In any way traceabl
a to their war service. But. as has been show
and as is plain by tho records on their face
. moro survivors" arc drawing pensions thai
= there are survivors, and, as everybody know
=. thousands upon thousands OF real veteran
= counted among the 1877 900 survivors of tn
4 war are not drawing pensions.
t PERJURY AND FORGERY.
o How did the cheats and swindlers get on til
lists Tho answer made to that question by
Q pension Official Of whom 1t was asked was tha
they got on chiefly by perjury. They could &c
o on In no other way. With most Of the perjur
Q there was forgery. In q rural community wher
Q everybody knows everybody else the Govern
ment ts an easy mark. There are many person
who believe 1t is all right to cheat a railroad.
the conductor of q train does not ask them for
ticket, they will not give 1t up. II they 60 to
store. offer a bill In payment for goods and q
o more change than they are entitled to receiv,
% they pocket the change. II a bank clerk overpay
them on u check. they pocket the overpaymen
There are many persons who think it Ia a
right to do these things. There are more VIII
n think 1t 10 all right to cheat the Government
n they can. and a fair proportion of such person
1.-Two In tho rural districts. These are tho pc