Arizona republican., 1902-01-10
HOW TO GETA PENSION
No Favoritism Shown, GoVern-
 ment Aiding All Applicants
A Great System Built Up, Under Which
 One Hundred and Fifty Million
 Dollars Are Annually Distributed Among Che Million Benefciaries.

Washington. D. C.. Jan. i.-CSpeciaI.
 correspondence of The t;epublicanD-
 The report Of the secretary of the in
 terior for the fiscal year ending June
 3e, 1901. shows that there are 997. 735
 pensioners on the government rolls,
 and that during the year the enor-
 nous sum of S144 ,O03. .469.O1 was ex-
 pended in payment of pensions and the
 administration of the pension office.
 There are on the rolls the names of
 115,66I soldiers who served in the civil
 war. and also the names of 25.l22 men
 who served in the navy of the United
 States during the same period. It
 costs nearly s4,OOO.O0 per year to pay
 the clerks and employees of the pen sion bureau. and the medical examiners
 and others engaged Tn the administra-
 tion of the law. There are upon the rolls the names of nine widows and daughters of revolutionary soldiers.
 and 1928 of the widows and survivors
 of the soldiers of the war of 1872.
 No country on earth has been so
 prodigal in its bounty to the needy
 veterans of it's wars. The rates of
 pensions granted range from $l0o per month down to S6 per month. Not only is pension granted to q soldier.
 but to his widow. minor children and dependent relatives. under certain pre- scribed legal restrictions. Indeed. there are now on the rolls the names of 25S,411 widows, children and dependent relative of soldiers of our various wars. Since the foundation of the gov
 ernment there has been expended for pensions the sum of 2.S49. 113.372. il.
 In spite of the fact. however. that in the distribution of this enormous
 sum of money every section of the i ..fatr frr- f.G al hot
 hardly community exists anywhere in the land but has one or more per sons receiving some small share of this governmental evidence of grati- tude, yet there is great ignorance pre- vailing to the scope and intent of the pension laws in general It is honestly thought and stoutly main tained by many people that pensions
 are granted on favoritism. and that in some cases, no matter what the army service, there is no need of mak- ing application. as a pension will be withheld on the ground of alleged prejudice. Others have an idea that by virtue of army service alone a soldier and his survivors are entitled to a pension by merely calling the atten- ton of the pension bureau to the fact that a soldier served. and that he or his survivors are needy.
 The fact is that the pension laws
 have grown into a great system. and by experience in the adjudication of claims during Il long period of years
 rules of practice have been put in
 force by the secretary of the interior. which must be complied with before pension can be granted. There are certain things that must be established
 by the claimant before his name can be placed on the rolls under the law,
 and yet at the same time the govern ment furnishes every aid that is pos sible to secure to deserving claimants that to which the law entities them. The records of the war department are open for him and a great force of clerks in that department is con stantly engaged in looking up the records of claimants and verifying. and. at times. even correcting records. where it is manifest that an error was made. In the administration of the pension laws every presumption is in favor of the claimant that can be called ! in to his aid. and the papers he files become public records to which he. ! or his attorney, may have ready ac- cess. If a medical examination is re-