Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-11-14
ALL ABOUT PENSIONS
The Faults Of the Present System
Shown BY the Commissioner.
"SLAyE MARRIAGES" CONVENTION.
a Statement Made That Twenty Per Cent.
Of Our Soldiers Of the Spanish War and
Philippines Have Filed Claims Z.
for Pensions.

Washington, Nov. Tin his annual
report the commissioner of pensions
discusses at length the faults of the
present system Of pensioning and the
difficulties in the way Of determining
the merits Of claims for pension and
increases. Attention Ia directed to
the friction and unkind feeling that
attends the administration Of the
act of August Z. 1882, which provides
that the open and notorious adulter-
Gus cohabitation Of widow pen.
sioner shall operate to terminate her
pension. Attention is invited again
10 the necessity Of repeating the act
Ct June I, 1883, which swept away all
the limitations as to the filing OF
Widows claims under the general law
and brought about conditions which
are said to be a standing invitation
to file fraudulent claims, the arrear-
ages being SO large and the charges
Of detection so small.
Referring to "slave marriages." the
commissioner says that with a shrewd
and competent attorney, backed by
willing witnesses, the government has
10 chance, and il the special exam
incrs of the bureau endeavor to ascer-
tain the facts the interested parties
at once cry aloud that "the spies" OF
The bureau are prosecuting the poor
widows. A number OF sample cases"
are cited in the report to show the
vicious effect of the law The COM
missioner declares that the law Is an
open invitation to fraud, perjury and
misrepresentation.
In January, 1900, rule was adopt
cd requiring guardians of pensioners
10 render to the bureau annual ac-
counts of their receipts and expend-
lures of pension money. The rule
was followed by disclosures which, in
some instances, were of a startling
nature. Guardians were found to be
drawing pensions long after the
death of their wards. Many cases
were found where insane pensioners
had been placed in asylums and other
public institutions as INDECENT per-
sons, while the guardians had drawn
the pension during the whole period
and either diverted it for other pur-
poses or allowed it to accumulate for
the benefit Of the pensioners legal
representatives.
The report presents a number OF
interesting features connected with
the filing of claims for pension on ac-
count of the war with Spain and the
insurrrction in the Philippine is
lands. While the civil war lasted for
four years and the casualties were
enormous, and the Spanish-American
war lasted only about four months
with comparatively few casualties, II
Is shown that three years after the
| close of the Spanish-American wal
claims for pension amounting tt
about 20 per cent. Of the number o.
soldiers engaged in that war had beer
filed, while in 1879, or seven years
after the close Of the civil war, only
about six per cent. Of the soldiers
engaged in that war had filed claims
The commissioner also calls atten
ton to the unsatisfactory conditions
attending the legal and medical ad
Indication of claims for pensions. Al
u remedy for these abuses the com
missioner recommends that travel
ing medical examining boards be,con
stituted