The National tribune., 1901-11-21
THE COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS
REPORT

THE COMMISSIONER OF TENSIONS
REPORT
At last, nearly FIVE months after th
close of the fiscal year, the COMMISSIONS
of Pensions has given his full report t.
the public A great deal is involved il
this wholly unusual delay. The COmmis
siOner has felt that he was making thu
fight for his official life, and has proceed
ed, as usual, very cunningly. From tim'
to time he would send out preliminar!
sketches of his report, and note how the!
were received, and what criticisms coulC
be made of them. and then modify hi:
real report to fit.
1t is Il volumiIous document, containing
10 pages, of which - pages are takeT
up with labored defense of his admin
istration, including moving details of the
ditiicu' ties encountered, and the wicked
ness of pension sharks" only surmount
ed by his singular astuteness and unpre
cedented devotion TO the public interests
OF course. these sadly-Overworked fairy
stories about his trials and tribulations
prosecutions and perils, are only believed
by those who are anxious to believe any
thing against the veterans, and are ludi-
crous to those who are acquainted with
the real facts. So long. however, as he
can get any newspaper notice 10y posing
as Il martyr to his sense of duty, we may
be sure that we shall have to endure his
constant reiteration of them.
The report is so long that we shall
have to discuss it piecemeal, from week
to week, and we shall therefore begin
with the beginning.
The first fact of note is that there are
997.735 pensioners on the rolls. This is
4,O21 more than there were on the roll
July !, 1888, the end of the first full year
after he took possession of the Bureau.
But in the meanwhile there have been
1902 pensioners added on account of the
War with Spain. The number of vet
Grams of the rebellion has been reduced
10,033, while the number of their widows
has been increased 1884, making the
total increase OF the four years on account
of the war of the rebellion but 3,301, or
an average of S25 year, at a time when
there were more than 100000 claims
pending, and all the claimants were rap
idly aging, and becoming more disabled
and needy.
Rightly considered, this single fact be-
trays the utter heartlessness of the pen
+l,
is the period in the lives of the survivors
of the rebellion which impcratively calls
for liberal Interpretation of the laws
passed for their benefit, and all speed in
the adjudication of their claims. Their
average age is past 80, and their disabili-
ties have suddenly become tyrannous. 1t
was a time when the roll should have
been greatly increased to meet the swift
and enormous accession of their disabili-
ties and consequent needs. Instead of
this, the number Of veterans is actually
decreased 10,033 in the course of four
years, or an average reduction of $500
Il year, and the average value of all the
pensions is reduced, until it is S21.63 a
year less than the average for the young
Spanish War pensioners.
There was absolutely no reason for re-
ducing the number of veterans on the
pension roll, except to make deceptive
showing, because the Commissioner ad-
mits that there must be about 1000
veterans, exclusive of deserters, who have
never received any pension.
How closely the tab has been kept on
the graveyard in making allowances is
shown by the fact that while the decrease
of the pensioners for wars prior to 1861
decreased 1854 during the four years. the
increase of pensioners on account of the
rebellion was allowed to be but 3,3O1.
The passage Of the amendment of May
9, 1900 is credited with an increase of
4,500 widows pensions during 1900. Had
it not been for this, the number of pen
sioners of the rebellion would have shown
still more remarkable decrease in Nj
Evans's four years.
The amount saved" and returned TO
the Treasury from the appropriation of
S144, 100000 is s5,471, ,9S5.I7.