The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-11
A Woman on Pensions.

The first woman lawyer admitted to
the Cook county bar, and one of the
best, Ada c. Sweet, contributes to the
Chicago Times-Herald number of
suggestions concerning the pension
problem which are interesting as rep
resenting an educated and experienced
woman's view.
The cry of fraud which has been
raised aginst the pension system may,
she thinks arrest public attention and
interest to such a degree as to compel
retrenchment and reform. Close ex-
animation will reveal the fact. how
ever, that the names of but few per
sons who are not lawfully entitled to
pensions are enrolled. The place to
begin pension reform, in her opinion.
is in congress. The pension laws. she
says, should be carefully revised and
amended. But let us give her exact
words:
Congress will have to take the mat
ter in hand and act inteligently and
firmly before any lasting change can
be secured. or any saving can be made
sions. A commission should be created
to examine, modify and amend the en-
tire mass of pension laws. Without
some such medium of unbiased and
systematic work and basis of action no
good thing in pension legislation can
be expected. The printing and publ-
cation of the entire pension list is be-
ing urged. This measure will be valu-
able only if the list is. after publica-
tion, examined and commented on
publicly. Very few lmposters or
fraudulent pensioners will he thus ex-
posed, because as a matter of fact
there are only a few persons bold
enough to run the risk of the peniten-
tiary by committing perjury, forgery
and practicing false impersonation, all
of which are necessary, first to obtain
pension illegally and next to draw
the pension quarterly after it has been
granted. All pensions are paid by
checks drawn on United States sub
treasures to the order of the PEN
sioner. These checks pass through the
usual channels, the payee's signature
being indorsed as genuine by respon-
sible business men or banks, and so to
the sub-treasuries, where they are
cashed. 1t is no safe enterprise to
forge name on one of these govern
ment checks, even after the gantlets
of the pension office and the war de-
partment have been run. No pension
certificate is issued to begin with ex-
cept upon the favorable report as to
the soldiers service by the war de-
partment.
",rhe good to be expected from the
public examination of the pension roll
Is that the people will become aware
how many pensioners there are who
do not need pecuniary assistance from
the government or anyone else. This
may end in an expression of public
opinion of such force as shall compel
congress to amend the laws and revise
the pension list so as to stop payments
to those who do not need government
aid. 1t seems an expensive and un-
certain method to accomplish what is
simple, but it is going to be no easy
task To get congress into a frame of
mind for active work in the matter Of
ridding the pension system of it's in
consistencies and extravagances.
Miss Sweet believes that if the pen
sion list is ever published those PEN
sioners who draw by special act of con-
gress should be clearly indicated, with
the amount paid them. THAT alone"
in her opinion will show where q good
part Of the pension appropriation goes
each year, and in few of these cases
viii it appear that the pensioner Is
suffering from poverty" A careful re-
vision of all special acts would not lie
unjust 1t would verify or disprOve the
impression that when these have been
put through at the rate OF 100 or more
an hour as has frequently been the
case during night sessions of congress,
justice has not always kept pace with
speed.