The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-13
WARE IS HERE.
Laughs ut Latest Stories Of His
Resignation.
Wouldn't Deprive Applicants of
Pleasure by Denying.
THEY ARE POURING IN
Already 5000 Applicants for
Pensions Under New Order.
Total Number Affected He
Places at 100000.
THEY ARE POURING IN

E. f. Ware, United States com
missioner of pensions, reached Topeka
this afternoon and will spend a vaca-
ton of two weeks in Kansas. Besides
Topeka he will visit Fort Scott, where
he has property interests. and perhaps
some other Kansas towns.
yes, 1 am much interested to find
from the newspapers that have re-
signed again. said Mr.. Ware in reply
to a question. 81 find that 1 have been
resigning quite frequently now for
several months. The truth is, there
are about a dozen candidates for my
office, and to deprive them of hope
would be cruel. Every time 1 resign
they enjoy the news, and hence I feel
as though I perhaps ought to resign
regularly every day"
Relative to the new order of the
pension bureau, which created a
furore in some circles and for which
a number of eastern Democratic
newspapers wanted to impeach Mr..
Ware, he said:
applications for pensions under
the new age order are now coming in.
I presume $4,000 are already on file.
1t is impossible to tell how many of
these will receive favorable action, be-
cause many of them have been fled
under the mistaken idea that the age
order means that the claimant will re-
ceive a second pension-that is, if the
claimant is already receiving a pen
sion and is over 81, that he is entitled
to another. A considerable number
OF applications have been made under
the mistaken idea. Nevertheless, the
number of applicants so far who will
have their pensions raised two dollars
month is probably 10000, and
there will be thousands more before
the first of next January
THE total number affected by this
order is roughly estimated at over
great impetus to the amount of
work in the bureau. The organization
of the bureau was never more perfect,
and although there are over 200, 900
old cases on hand, the sections of the
bureau have been organized as we'll
as possible to handle new claims with
out detriment to the old.
More than half of the claims filed
50 far are for increases, but already
thousands of applications are coming
in that are original applications from
those who have never received pen
sions.
1.-The number of old soldiers who
have never received pensions is sup
posed to be about 175,0O0 and all of
these who apply are called original
applicants. At least $4,000 of this
number are under the age of 81 and
do not come under the age order.
Nobody can tell how many of the re-
mainder, who are over 81, will apply.
There is a good deal of sentiment
about this matter. For instance, a
number of my best clerks in the pen
sion bureau are old soldiers who
won't draw pensions, even under this
age order. It may be that not more
| than 20 per cent will put in applica-
lions under the order.
1.-The amount which this order will
/ cost the government has been grossly
/ exaggerated in many newspaper and
magazine articles. Those of So and
over are entitled to six dollars a
month, those of IS are entitled to eight
dollars, those of es to ten dollars. and
those of 70 and over to twelve dollars
a month. The great death rate among
| old soldiers will keep the pension roll
in such shape that the increase in pen
sion payments will not be perceptible
| to the taxpayer.
why this year there will be about
so. 600 pensioners Topped off the rolls
by death and by the fact that they are
not entitled to them, and next year
the number win probably reach $1,000
so that the rolls are not going to be
greatly increased