The National tribune., 1902-01-23
Hox.wASHrNGroN GArDxER,< srl

hON. WaNHiNtloNb bAtDNEiS'N SiE3.t IL.
The speech of Hon. Washington Gard
ner. of Michigan, on the Pension Appro-
priation Bill attracted unusual attention.
He began by stating that the soldiers of
the Mexican war had been treated more
literally in the matter of pensions than
the soldiers of any other war, and this
drew to him the fire of the Southern mem
bcrs and he maintained himself well un-
der their cross-q s-questOning. In the course
Of this a good deal of ignorance of the
pension question was developed. Snod-
grass of Tennessee, for example, supposed
that there was a service pension of So
month for all Union veterans, which i'll.
cluded teamsters, etc, and he wanted the
Mexican soldiers put on the same basis
Gaines, OF Tennessee, could not under
stand how some Union soldiers were pen
stoned at from SIS upward, while the
maximum for Mexican soldiers was SO.
Il was explained to him what he should
have known before, that the higher rates
are for wounds and disabilities received
in the line OF duty, where the Mexican
soldiers stand on the same plane as all the
others.
Mr.. Gardner was, however. in error in
allowing himself to be carried away by
the present silly clamOr of the Commits
siOner of Pensions over the number of pen
sion claims filed by the soldiers of the
Spanish war. This is one of the absurd
fakes, which Mr.. Evans is working to
death. Suppose that there are I'm undue
number Of these claims. Every time that
tbera i- hu lanst gtit. tI,pis.
partments, the Commissioners of the Land
Office, the Customs and Internal Revenue
Bureaus, the Indian Office, etc, get an
excessive number of claims. But none of
these officials keep up continued scrccches
for years on this. They rightly under
stand these regular incidents Of the pub
lie service in all its branches. Their Bu-
rcaus are organized to meet just such con.
tingcncics. They go to work with bust
ness prOmptitude to sift out the mcritor.
ious from the meritless. and bring all to
speedy adjudication. If the Commissioner
Of Customs or of the Internal Revenue.
spent anything like the proportion of time
wailing over the iniquities and alleged in
iquities discovered in his office, that the
Commissioner of Pensions does, the bust
ness Of his Office would come to stand
stiIl, and the papers of the United States
could find room for nothing else than his
luGubrious dole over the degeneracy of the
American people.
Mr.. Evans has worked clamorously for
over two years the astounding fact that
there were 1910 claims filed for disa-
bilitics incurred in the Spanish and Phil
ippine wars He has inccSSantly belab-
ored the pension sharks over this ter
rible result. Yet this 1910 included all
cases arising not only i'll the 2J0.0OO vol.
untcers of the first call, but also in the
J0.G0O i'll the second call, the regulars and
the navy.
1t includes not only the service in Cuba
and Porto Rico, and in camps OF instruc-
tiOn but a year of very hard service by
the first volunteers in the Philippines, and
two years of exceedingly trying campaign.
ing by the regulars and volunteers, who
took the places of the first draft. All
things considered, the number OF 1910
claims is not at all surprising. But from
Mr.. Eyans's publications i'll the press and
his reports, and from the speeches in Con
grcss, the public has been led TO believe
that substantially every one OF the some
thing over 100000 men who took part in
AL the operations by sea and land, in
the navy, regulars and volunteers, was
clamOring for pensions. Yet when it comes
down to exact figures Mr.. Evans can only
show 1910 claims for pensions filed by
regulars, volunteers and sailors for dis
abilities fncurred In service betyypnn