The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-09-16
The Pension Danger.
The n. Y. Evening Post say.


The n. Y. Evening Post says:
At the very time when the eXpeuss.
If tho army have been greatly 10
creased over those Of any period slncc
the civil war, except during the brieI
contest with Spain, a fresh RAID upon
the public treasury Is instituted IN
the name of those who served IN the
army years ago. The action of the
Grand Army OF the Republic on the
subject of pensions, at its encsmp
ment in Philadelphia Yesterday,
threatens a new and serious danger
he President of the United States
is a veteran of the Union army, &
comrade of the Grand Army, and a
Republican in politics. 50 is the
Commissioner of Pensions. s. are
the great majority Of the ofliuals ln
the Pension Bureau In other words,
the whole administration Of the pen.
sion system is in the hands OF msn
who are friendly to the old soldiers,
aud who are members Of the party
which has always prided itself on It's
generosity toward the veterans
Despite all this. the Grand Army
machine has for long time been
cul'ivatIug a spirit OF intense hosul
ltv toward Commissioner Evaus OF
the PcuslOn Bureau, 4 determlu ed
purpose 10 break down al OF the de
fences against unjust claims which
now exist, aud = strong resolution to
secure yet larger grants from tue
Treasury. The more radical
leaders were bent upon securing de-
nuuc alton q Mr. Evans personally,
and demand for his removal, from
the Grand Army at the encsmpment.
They have failed in this purpose, but
they succeeded in putting through
resolutions which by implication
condemn his conduct in strictly en-
forcing the law, ask him to abrogate
rule which is especially offensive to
them, appoint a committee to seek
relief from Congress if it is not
afforded by the administrative officers
of the government. and demand
greater llberslty in the matter Of
pensions to widows.
The chief complaint against Com
missioner Evans is his enforcement
of what is known as rule No. 225
relating to the granting of pensions
under the dependent act of 1890,
which allows them to ex-soldiers who
are now unable to earn living, g,even
if their disability was not incurred
in the army. The Interior Depart
ment held. as far back as the last
year of President Harrison's admins
tration, that under the law OF 1890 a
pension cab be given only when the
applicant is unable to earn support
by manual labor, and this sound rule
has been enforced by Mr.. Evans.
The Grand Army insists upon the
restoration of rule No. l64, issued
o ;tober Is, 1890, which was revoked
by President Hsrrison's Pension
Commissioner January 7, 1893, be-
cause experience had shown that it
allowed too great license in making
claims against the government.
A gross attempt to deceive the
public as to the politicsl bearings of
this controversy is made in the report
of the committee, which represents
that the bureaus change of policy
was really made ty President Cleve-
lands Pension Commissioner June
9. 1893, "st time when it was
necessary to reduce public expendi
lures in order to adjust the same to 8
reduced income, and the pension
appropriation, constituting as it did
the largest item of expenditure, pre-
sented the most convenient branch
to the pruning knife" AS m 'tter
of fact, the Cleveland administration
took exactly the same position in
June As the Harrison administration
had done in the previous January.
The Pension Bureau has taken the
sound ground that soldiers widow
who already has an income OF 500 a
year is not entitled to pension. The
Grand Army demands an increase of
the Limitation to $3.50 a year. 10
other words, widow with an income
of $240 a year from her own resources
might still draw 500 a year from the
government and this in thousands
of rural communities where 1886 a
year is far more than single woman
needs for her support-indeed, does
not fall much short of what is re-
ceived by a host of laborers, teachers
and even country ministers, who
have families to support, and do sup
port them, upen 5000, $500, and even
$400 a year.
The serious feature of this action
is the revelation that, at this remove
of a whole generation in point OF
time from the civil war, the demands
of the Grand Army machine are more
sweeping and urgent than ever before.
The income OF. the government falls
far short of its expenses the cost of
the army grows every month with the
increase Of its size new taxes must
be laid in the early future, or the
Treasury must again before a great
while resume borrowing money to pay
it's current bills. Yet at such q time
a most powerful organization of old
soldiers serves notice upon President
and Congress alike that the bars must
be let down in the Pension Bureau,
or those who keep them up will be
punished at the polls.
On this same subject a Washington
correspondent Of the same paper
writes Indiana is a great pension
State" This was q remark fee
guently heard in the last Pfesidentisl
campaign In every snmmarY of the