New-York tribune., 1899-08-12
FYpFNDTTTPES FOR PENSIONS.

The brief summary Of the operations of the
Federal Pension Bureau for the year ending on
June 90 1899, which has just been issued by
Commissioner Evans, amply sustains the view
that Government expenditures for pensions are
hereafter TO show n definite and acceleratlng
ratio of decrease For the first time since 1891
the roll of pensioners has actually diminished as
result of the years additions and subtractions'
and the total amount disbursed through the pen
sion agencies has fallen lower than in any
twelve months since the passage of the compre-
hensive and liberal Dependent Pension act Of
1890 A balance of nearly S2,OOO.OOO has been
left unexpended of the Sal 100000 voted by
Congress for the Bureaus work. and there IS
every prospect that under the alert and intelli-
gent management of the present Commissioner
all even greater saving Will be made on the
somewhat larger appropration-S145OO0 100000
voted for the current year
II seems plain from the figures given In the
Bureaus abstract that the violent fluctuations
caused in pension expenditures by the act OF
1890 have about spent their force, and that the
ebb and flow Of payments will respond hereafter
70 purely natural causes The effects of the Do
pendent Pension law Of 1890 were imperfecty
foreseen by it's supporters, who did not realize
War had ended they were devoting nearly half
the Nations annual income to relieve the per
sonal disabilities traceable TO that great conflict
In 1891, before the possibilities Of the new law
had time to make themselves felt, there were
616, 100 pensioners Oh the rolls, and the pay
ments for that year aggregated SllSOO00Oo.
Two years later, in 1893, the rolls contained
966. 900 names. and the annual expenditure for
pensions had risen 10 a little over S15S 100000.
Through Mr. Cleveland's term policy Of repres-
sion reigned in the Pension Bureau, and though
nearly five hundred thousand claims under the
act of 1890 and earlier acts were pressing for ad-
justment the net increase from 1893 TO 1897 in
the number OF names carried on the pension list
was only ten thousand. BY means Of suspen-
sions. reductions and refusals to adjudicate
claims the annual expenses of the Bureau were
lowered to s141, 100000 in 1895 and $139 100000
in 1897. II was to be expected that with the in
coming Of the Mckinley Administration a juster
| and more liberal Bureau policy would be adopted,
| whose effects would soon be seen in material ad-
| ditions 10 the roll Of pensioners and percepti-
bic increase in annual pension payments Com
missioner Evans in bis first year in office
! granted more claims than had ever been allowed
! before In similar period Yet so fully had the
! normal causes which operate 10 reduce the rolls
resumed their potency that, though nearly sew.
enty thousand new claims were allowed in 1897
0S, the net increase in the number of pension
ers was only eighteen thousand and the ex-
pendIture for the year exceeded by only three or
four millions the average struck during the
Cleveland Administration
| The figures for 1S9S-'99 show, as already
| stated, falling off both In the number of pen
sloners and In the total of the payments made