The National tribune., 1900-02-08

That is, with s40O, 900 expended, and 157
convictions secured, each fraud discovered
cost the Government 50, SAT.
The Committee continues:
'These observations bring the Committee
to the conclusion on what NAV be called
official proof, that there is no just ground
for criticism of the administration of the
pension laws on the ground of fraud That
frauds have been perpetrated may well be
conceded; that there are persons receiving
pensions under the construction of the
pension laws who ought not to be the re-
cipients Of Governmental bounty can not,
perhaps, be disputed, any more than it can
be disputed that there are frauds in any
other administrative department, or that
there is perjury in the courts, or that there
have been corrupt decisions.
Again We regret that the Committee did
not strengthen this unanswerable state
ment by a comparison showing that the
per centage Of frauds among the pensioners
is much less than in any other department
of the Government expenditures.
The Committee, also, might have well
said that Eyans's own showing is an
even more complete refutation of the fraud
cianiors with which he has been filing the
country for the past three years than was
Cleveland's pitifui showing after all his
laundering in the preface as to what he
was going TO do.
The Committee takes UP the scheme
of publishing the list of pensioners, to
which Mr.. Evans was so welded when he
Grct epterad tho P,,raoI, a,
wisely and justly, and says:
"The Committee, however, does not think
that there is any sound reason for adopt
ing this plan. 1t would probably involve
a very great expense, and proba ably
an amount Of criticism and complaint
in regard to honest and deserving
pensioners, which would produce more
harm than good. The complaint evoked
by these advertisements would be undoubt-
edIy in the form Of letters to the Depart
ment. Such letters would doubtless be a
very unsafe reliance whenever the Depart
ment came to search for evidence upon
which to found a legal attack. The plain
fact is that the people Of the United States
do not solicit a modification or change TO
benefit. This is the essence of the whole
any considerable extent in the pension
laws"
The last sentence is very important. II
asserts precisely what THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE has always contended for. The
people are entirely satisfied with the pen
sion laws. and they want every man and
woman entitled TO their benefit TO have that
benefit. This is the essence of the whole
fight against Lochren and Evans, who
have with eggrcgious impudence assumed
that the laws are too liberal and that it
was their place to pare them down and
nulIify them 10 suit their own churlish
views as TO what soldiers and their widows
should have.
The Committee continues:
The laws are Seyere-none too severe
in regard TO frauds, and they are believed to
be enforced with quite as much yigor as is
exhibited in the enforcement of any portion
OF the penal law. But no plan has been
suggested TO the Committee by which more
vigorous or better results can be accom-
plished than the steady persistence of the
Pension bureau in its present habit in
this regard"
We can cordially indorse that. We all
want the laws against frauds as vigorously
enforced as those against other crimes
murder, robbery, stealing, arson, etc.
Where they are shown the punishment
cannot be made too certain or too severe.
Wha: we have strenuously objected TO has
been the Commissioner vicious calumnia-
ton of 500 honest claimants because he
has found one fraud.
After discussing come minor matters,