The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-09-05
THE LATEST ANrI-pENsIoN sCREED.


and perversionS, which are characteristic
of everything that proceeds from Mr.
Eavns with regard to pensions.
: In the first place, the records of the
Bureau are ransacked TO find shocking
cases of fraud to present to the public.
With the records for forty years of any
= great Bureau of the Government before
him, it is very easy for any man to make
a shocking showing. What could not Il
man find out and write of forty years
OF the Bureau of Customs, of Internal
Revenue, of the Indian Office, the Land
Office, the Patent Office, or the Post
office? Especially if he took the turbu-
lent, diSordered, formative years immed-
ately following the war, when all these
different systems had to be upheaved and
reorganized, and laboriously swedged
down to their present efficiency? Nay,
we can even go further. Our churches
are undoubtedly the best of our institu-
tons, and are doing Gods work most
acceptably. Yet what member of any
| denomination would care to have paraded
before him all that could be CLEANED about
the misdOings of the ministers, the
churches, and the members for the past
forty years?
Yet, even with the worst that can be
said against them, the veterans can
proudly challenge comparison-year for
year, and period for period-with the
same number of people dealing with any
other Bureau of the Government. Admit
ting ali TO have been frauds that are al
lesed-which is very great admission
they are incomparably fewer and less in
amount than those suffered by the Gov
eminent in any other disbursements of
equal amounts.
The editorial comments upon this ar
ticle show an Ignorance and willingness to
be led astray that is simply monumental.
For instance, i'll the Baltimore News:
The Government, by its pension laws, |
practically inSuIes the lives and health |
OF its soldiers. This is not found fault |
win. But when claims are to he made |
under these insurance policies. the Gov |
eminent, instead of requiring strict proof |
as would have been the case with an in !
snrance company, does its best to help the /
soldier make up his case. 1t places its |
records at the disposal of the claimant.
employs men 10 pass upon his claim who |
VIII give him the benefit of every doubt |
accepts evidence from unknown persons
whose credibiity has not been established,
'''iN iAiStih'tS dStIltS 10 pass CldllllS which
are not too outrageous on their faces. In
fact, 1t invites every man who once wore
Il ederal uniform to join in the raids on |
the Federal Treasury.
On the other hand, the Government
makes difficult the detection of frauds. 1t
lenleS pubic access to the papers of the
pensioners, although the neighbCrs of
claimants may be able in many cases to
demonstrate the weakness of the claim.
Al the same time, any representative of
the claimant. however remote his au-
ihorlty, Is given free access to these pa
Ders.
Could misrepresentation of actual facts
md conditions go further than this? We
10 not see any possibility. This astound-
ng stuff does not require any comment {
Or contradiction. Every reader of The l
National Tribune has personal experience {
II its supremacy absurd falsity.
The NGrs goes on:
The lax pension laws have created an
irmy of pension attorneys, estimated at
IO,OOO, and, of course, in order that this I
army may live. it is necessary that pen
lions be granted.
Mr.. Evans says that the total sum paid c
pension attorneys last year was $591, 245, l
which would be a triie over so apiece L
o each Of the alleged $4,000 attorneys.
Why don't those attorneys go into the
larvest fields of Kansas, where they can
'et from So to 81 a day: 4
Think Of that army spending a whole 7
ear IN Vaccinations which will result in u
dividend of so apiece, or the pay for a t
week of Waterman or Iaborer. +
The total original allowances last year Il
we're 41,I92, or very much less than 4
ne case to each of the alleged $4,000. a
According to Mr.. Evanss own show u
lg; the total amount paid pension attor- t
eys was but trihe over so for each Z
ase allowed, leaving nothing for the in
reases, etc. f.
The Acrs goes on: II
Another weakness in the pension sys- Il
EN- is lncOmpetency among medical OK Fl
miners. The method of their appoint I
lent is bad. They are often selected :
through the influence of claim agents; o
hey do the work near home, where ad- II
erSe action on the case of the claimant s,
nGht interfere with professional prac- G,
zee; they DO not like to resist political
reSsure, and sometimes permit their sym
athies to color their work a
The complaint among the veterans has .
cen that these medical examiners have :"
cen young graduates, without knowledge p
r sympathy with disabilities contracted u
! the service, and that it was to their c,
lterest to reject claimants, as they would :;
ct 50 each for another examination. -
Think of such absurd stuff as the fol
wing being gravely foisted on the public ::
Or general truth: 81
For instance, one attorney in Charles -
IN, 5. C., who was also a notary public.
'und it more profitable to execute aft =
avits than to represent his clients before d
lie Pension Bureau; because, whether
Use succeeded or failed, he could always ~
AXE his notarial fees, whereas, as an at III
'rney, he would get nothing if a claim
ere rejected. He was associated with "
nother notary, who was also a barber. 81
-e would himself execute the papers in
lses which he believed safe but those III
hich he found It ;.acessary to accom- vi
any with dangerous forgeries he would
I'm over to his barber notary, who would III
iecute them in large patches every Mon ~
~ morning. This attorney forged hun u
eds Of papers, filing claims in the names
dead persons, and giving fictitious ad- 81
'esses to the Pension Bureau so as to be "
Die to control the mail matter sent out %
ON there. I'll
Speedy detection in such clumsy fraud
this would be as certain as the rising pe
the sun, and the penalties are terrific III
I'd SIRE 10 ba innirtad Auy ay1 ,,;,ll