The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-11-13
SHAMEFUL ROBBERY
Of the UnI1ed SeaYes Treasury by
So.CaI.ad Vstsran&
UNDER PENSION System
Which 9ss ms 70 bs Rotssn 70
tho ceya. SpzE:sh.AmaFIcan
Vesevsns Raiairg by 2hs
Fszgjmsnt.

In bis annual report tie comnis-
sioner Of pensions discusses at !crsth
! the faults cf the preEent s!sssm Of pen
s:cuing acd tie difficulties il the Tsy
c! determining tie merits o. c'sins for
reas;3as snd increase. Attention IS
directed to tie frictica and uskind feal.
irg thst attends the sdmini'rscion of
the act CT Aug. Z, 1882, Thioh provides
thzt he epsn and notorious aapiSeEous
eobs:isetion Of q widow peosioGcr shsij
operate 20 terminate hsr pension, but
tie shgs1ea Of such a las would cpccrT
age aud permit suoh pensicDeSs 70 is72
in adultery and lishonor the memtTs
Of their Ecliier husbands while still en-
tcsirg the bounty OF the government,
snd % tie other hsud the gidog Fho
respects tas laH and hoaors secletV by
lsgs.iy entering into the marriage Geia'
ton lcaes her pension.
The commissioner etates that while
the law ia most deliosss and difficult
one to administer, Jet ne capuo5 re
commend it's r9peal. Attention is n
v;ted agsin to ths necessity Of rs2sal-
ing the act cf juno Z, 1888, wh.@h
EWep. away al limitations as to the fl
ing OF Widows claims unGer the general
laT, aod brought about conditions
which ere Standing invitation 70 f'e
fraudulent claims, the aErearages being
90 lsrge and chsncss Of detection so
small. Its stated thst widows claims
are Usually fled within 80 days alter
the death Ct the soldier, but since the
passage Of she law Of 1888, many cla!ms
haze been flled by alleged widows Of
soldiers that dad or WaTe killed during
the civil War. Referring TO ''sla7e mar
risges," the commissioner says that
wish shreWl and competent attorney,
backed By willing witnesses, the govern:
mont has no chance, and if the special
examiners of the bureau endea7or to
ascertain the facts, the Interested par
ties ory aloud that ''the spies" Of the
bureau are persecuting the poor Rld-
eTs.
In January, 1900, e rule was adopted
requiring guardians Of pensioners to
render to the bureau annual accounts
Of their receipts and expenditures OF
pension money. Guardians were found
to be craving pensions long sitter the
death Of their wards. Msny cases were
found where insane pensioners had
been placed in ssylums and othar pub
lie institutions aa indigent persons,
and the officials had 10 knowledge that
these persons Were pensioners, while
the guardians had drawn the pension
during the whole period. O!her eases
were revealed in which the guardians
were approrz:stins the pension to their
own use, while the wards we're being
maintained at pubic expense.
The report presents nuubar OF IN
teresting features connected with ths
fling Of claims for pensions on account
Of the var with Spsip aad the insurreo-
ticn in the Philip pine Islands. While
the civil war lasted four years and the
casuslties were enornous; and the
Spanish-Americaa Wsr lasted only
ac3ut four months with comparative
lew casualties, it is shovn tast three
years after the close Of the Spanish,
Amoz;csa war, claims for pensions
amounting to about 20 per cent. Of the
num5sr Ct soldiers engaged in that war
aaa b=en fied, while IL 1872, Or sa7en
years sitter the close OF tie civil war,
only about per cent. Of the soldiers
engaged in that EaE had iie1 clsins,
The con missioner sta.es thai ne Is
rot prepared 10 believe that .nose Hao
Engaged in the We with SpaiG, many
OF saem sons Of 7e&erans OF the c!V!I
1ar, we're less patriotic than their an
cestors, OF mora covetcus, bua IN ais
opirioo il is tbs fault Of Sbe sy5sam Of
panslonin5, with is active army o. a.
to:ney, so.lciaors s1d oIunmeIs, who
are pcaetica!!y licensed By tae govern
znsrl wl1a the promise cf $50 Tor casa
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