The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-22
PENSION GRABBING.
What Some of the Virsieia Papers Think

! Mnat some OF Inc Firsleta fepefS lnIlk
of Ii.
| The Norfolk Vir"inian-Pilct reproduces
| ar article from The Times on the pro-
| posed pension appropriation OF S3c,dD
| and adds:
All of which is a coura seous and time
| ly utterancc. Disclaiming any purpose
| to impugn the motives of the supporters
| OF the proposed increase, We are yet inl-
| PEELED to say that we doubt that love
! OF the Confederate soldier or the desire
| to help him is wholly responsible for this
| proposition. May there not be a good
deal of demagogy at the bottom of it?
! AS The Times says, there is no need
| for Virginia to prove her admiration for
! the men who served her So nobly and so
/ bravely IN tho sixties. We believe it is
| the desire of her people that not one OF
! than should suffer want, but at the same
! time, care should be exercised not to I'M
! pose any needless burden upon the State
| treasury. AS citizens who have proven
! their patriotism in the most convincing
way, we believe the old soldiers will them
selves take this view OF the matter.
The STATE IS likely 20 have large de-
| nlands upon its revenues as it proposes
| to put itself in line with the progress of
tn. Gay. 4ne Legislature Should NOT
| presume upon a temporary surplus to
| make appropriations out of proportion
| to the States income.
The Norfolk Landmark says: The
/ Landmark believes that the State OF Viz
! ginia should be as generous with the old
! soldiers-the deserving old soldiers-as her
| means will permit Every preCaution
| should be taken, however, to keep the
! State from falling into the hands OF
! sw-indler;. That something strange has
| happened in the enforcement of the pres
/ ent unsatisfactory law is clear enough
| The minority report of Senator's Glass
| and keezeli refers to the fact that some
| counties have added during the past year
! only a dozen pensioners to the rolls, Will
! other counties, OF equal population and
! OF no more prominence in the military
! service OF the State, have added hun
| .dreds. We are in danger OF travelling IL
| the evil pension path OF the Federal Gov
/ ernment. Whereas it was believed that
! the new pension law would cause the
| rolls to be purged OF aS many l;ndeSeiV-
! ing beneticiarieS as new benehciarieS were
| added under its wider provisions, the eN-
I act contrary has been true.
Virginia cannot afford to be careless
/ about matters involving the expenditure
| OF money. The idea OF great financial
| comfort may be badly abused the
/ truth is that while Virginia is on u
sound financial basis, she is there only
! as a result OF heavy taxation and very
/ skiIful tiuancierinG, and carries to-day
| a debt of $26,000,0O0. Few States in the
| Union, in proportion 20 their developed
resources, have such an onerous burden
! Of taxation. From what We can see OF
| the situation, we say unheSitatlngiy that
! Senators Glass and keezelI have done
| Virginia a timely service in calling 4 halt
| in the pension programme. II there hap
| pen to be any extra hundreds of thou
| sands OF dollars lying in the treasury,
| there is a shameful overcrowded and
| vermra-infested penitentiary to be re-
| placed with Il prison which will make
| possible the recognition Of the ordinary
demands of decency and humanity Try
| that.
| The Petersburg Index-Appeal says: The
! arguments in the minority report OF the
| Committee with respect to increased APP
| propriations for disabled Confederate
| veterans may we'll make the Taxpayers
! of Virginia pause and ponder the Facts
| therein set forth, and to conclude thac
! justice and the public welfare demand
| that the Legislature shall make haste
| slowly in increasing the pension burden
| of the State to 100000 annually, TO be
! distributed under the present imperfect
| and inequitable law. the failure OF which
| law is frankly admitted by the able gen
| tleman who framed it and who procured
| it's passage.
The administration OF the present law
| seems to have thrown the door wide open
to fraud so that persons not deserving
State help are afforded opportunity 10
impose on the State to the detNiment of
other persons that are entitled to such
aid. The report goes somewhat INTO
detail and produces figures to snow start
ling inequalities in the distribution OF the
former appropriation made under the
II. ,St
gets s525 while another county or about
the same white population gets nearly
$1,000 And again, another county with
5000 less white population receives over
Sc. OO0 There can be but one reasonable
deduction from these figures. and that Is
the one which the minority committee
and the author of the Parks law concur
in making viz: that the present law IS
too defective to prevent abuses by fraud
uIent claimants or to insure justice 10
honest and deserving Confederate vete-
rams. An appropriation of s5G0.O0o. OF am
other sum under these conditions, would
be a crime against the State Treasury
and against the people OF Virginia.
After showing how the Parks pension
act has operated, the Charlottesville FRO
sress says:
Now, in the very face OF these facts
and figures comes forward the senate
with a proposition 10 perpetuate this
systemic perpetuate it by the enormous
increase OF s1s5,000 over the amounts for
merly appropriated Instead Of striking
at the root OF the evil-instead OF replac-
ing the Parks law by some measure that
will really benefit the needy Confederate
soldiers, and at the same time cut out
the able-bodied and unworthy ones, TO pso-
poses to retain the latter. and at the eN-
pense of the former more than double
their pay for the future.
Was ever proposition. lacking crimina!
features. more unwise or more unjust
Yet there are other evils to be taken
| into consideration beyond the above. II
| s2aaEa ia anncanriatad for pcnsinus aS