The National tribune., 1903-07-16

some 1laiclOuS not weather DuS Dit tHt
Cleveland Ohio Press. and it raved in
this frantic manner in leader besprinkled
| with scare lines in full-sized caps:
pension CORRUPTION.
"In the Spanish-American war in Cuba
Il total of 243 were killed on our side, in
| Guiding those who died from wounds.
Only about 10000 soldiers in all went
| to the scene of brief conflict.
YET 12.00U CLAIMS FOR PEN
SIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN AL
LOWED AND MORE THAN 10000
APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN
FILED.
1T is already clear that the pensions
for this little war will cost more than the
war itself. for. while the war WAS soon
over. the pensions will drag on for years
and years.
Civil war pensioners. 40 years after the
war. are about as numerous as they ever
were. Cuban veterans promise an even
longer lease of life. for they were picked
Young men. Fifty years from now it will
be no uncommon thing. perhaps. for the
Government TO pay Spanish war pensions
10 dependent widows who are not yet born.
1T is utterly impossible. of course. that
GO.OG0 of the men who enlisted in the
Spanish war. and only 10000 of whom
ever got to the front. should have been
sufficiently disabled aS to justify their de
maDd for pensions.
The thing is becoming a scandal that
seriously reflects upon the patriotism and
honesty OF the meH whom the Nation
would like to regard as ideal citizens. 1t
is bad enough to know that the Govern
ment is defrauded. bat it is worse still to
know that soldiers who might have fought
bravely. had the opportunity been offered.
can stoop to such Il palpabie attempt at
fraud.
The fault is. no Doubt mostly in the
Pension Department. The granting Of one
false claim breeds many ether false ella ms.
The ease with which Il fraudulent pension
can he secured encourages men to put III
claims they would not have thought Of Of
fcrng if sure 10 be subjected to close and
honest scrutiny.
There is seductivcnesS about a pen
sion hard to he resisted. And the loose
ness of the Pension Department is CO..
runting into sneakS and pc'iurers many
who might otherwise H. regarded AZ the
best men in the Nation
1T is :: fraud that should have lad
II on il the heavy hand
1t is little creditable to any publication
which claims to be Il newspaper to indulge
in such rlnting. The facts in regard to
the Spanish-American War pensions have
been 50 often published that there is an
solutely no excuse for it. The plain truth
is that something over half million OF
our soldiers and sailors in al have been
since 1898 engaged in very active OPERA
tons in the tropical climates of Cuba.
Porto Rico and the Philippines. After
rushing down from the healthy climate of
the North to the malariOuS regions of
Cuba TO compel the Spanish army to sur
render. our soldiers and sailors went to
the Philippines. where for over five
years they have been doing unheard-of
service amid the worst of surroundings,
with unusual strains upon them in follow
ing the willy and fleet-footed ladrOnes
through streams, lagoons. morasses and
over PERCEPTIONS mountains. exposed to the
terrific tropical sun. and yet. out Of, all
this service. but 10000 applications for
pensions have been received. 1t is one OF
the most astonishing things in the history
of wars that there are so few. English.
Dutch and French soldiers serving in SINH
lar regions of the earth have been almost
swept away by diseases. The astonish-
ment to any thinking man is that our
American troops have Jared so well. con
sidering all that they have encountered
and endured. 1t is an absolutely unpre-
cedented thing in history. and should be a
subject of great congratulation for any
man who has capacity for thinking upon
circumstances and conditions. The Press
makes an astonishing display of its own
ignorance by such publication.