Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-30
PUBLICATION OE The PENSION ROLLS.

This suggestion that the pension rolls
OF the government be publicly printed,
in order that the frauds may be de.
tected. is attracting general attention
from the press OF the country, and most
Of tho comment ia favorable.
Que paper, however, the Kansas City
journal, advances tho objection that
many worthy, deserving pensioners
would feel embarrassed and humiliated
ut the publication. "One's sources OF
income are his private matter" it says,
land ono ordinarily does not like to
spread his private matters before the
public" To this the New York Sun
makes reply:
Zones s0usceH OF income are not
private matter in SO far IA they snring
from tho Treasury of tho United States.
II the United States is paying pensions
TO persons who are not entitled to them,
the Games Of those persons ought 10 he
known for its own protection and for
the protection Of the honorable name Of
the honest pensioners. The Kansas
City journal sosma TO suppose that a
pension is a gratuity doied out TO the
poor O charity Illuminating to the re-
ceiver. Such view Ia insulting to tho
honest pensioners. The wages OF
soldier in active service during the war
were not more fairly earned than arc
the pensions given on account OF actual
disabilities. No man or woman whose
name has q right to be on tbs pension
rnlls will object to the publication oi
them. To them such publication will
bring honor and not ehame.
The peisnn6 who are sensitive"
about having tho pension lists pub
lished, and who will suffer feeling
OF embarrassment and humiliation" on
account of thu publication are the per-
sons who know that they have no right
to a pension. They are the persons
who are disabled enough 10 the eyes of
benevolent local examiners TO dessrve
a pension from the government, and
abls enough to work and earn money.
like unpensioned men, at their regular
business or calling. Some of them sre
well-to.ho people who are not too
natriotin TO take the governments
money for imaginary or tritling lisa
hility. And presumably some Of
them are persons ho are not anxious
to have their war record examined.
The publication OF the pension lists
will be au act of justice to all who
have pension and deaerva il, and to
all present or future deserving appli.
oants. The veterans demand il for
their own honor The country demands
IT as means of checking the waste Ut
this public money.
The New York Herald also takes up
the pension question IN forceful man.
nsr. and advocates making the rolls
public. 1t snye:
"a generation after the close Of the
TIM Initial 10
than Sli0, 600, 900 year to more than
three. quarters of million pensioners,
with claims Of nearly 200, 600 applicants
awaiting adjudication.
Is that unprecedented pension list
roll OF honor or is ii largely vitiated by
fraud? Is it made up entirely of worthless
who have a just claim to the bounty
OF the government. or does 1t bear toe
names OF thousands who have no such
claim and whose appearance in the role
OF public beneficiaries is an imposition
and swindleY On this very pertinent
query publication OF tha pension list
may throw much needed light.
10 such publication no honest, de-
serving penaloner can have any reason
to object To tbat class the pension
list Is roll OF honor and source OF
pride. And to that CLASS publication
Is due II necessary TO lead to the puri-
fcRtion OF the list.
Moreover, pension roll is in the
nature of a public record which tho
people have right TO see and know.
BY all means let il be made public"
1t is hard to conceive Of any valid
objection that can be urged against the
proposition to print. True, it might
coat great deal Of money, but it ia
reasonable to assume that the result,
in wedding out large numbers of fraudu.
lent pensioners, would be the saving to
the government each year of much more
than the cost OF publication. No
worthy, deserving pehsioner would he
hurt 10 the slightest degree, and the
frauds who would be exposed by the
publicity are not entitled to any eonsid-
Grafton.
by all means the pension rolls should
be made public. To do this would
simply he doing justics to the people
at large, and TO every honest. worthy