The National tribune., 1908-10-22

| swept away the moment the influence
| of Republican power is felt in Wasn-
| ngton. 1t will be again as it has been.
| The law will be executed without fear
and without favor That is all the good
| citizen wants and all the veteran sol
dier or his dependent widow or minor
children ask for.
Hypocritical Pretcnses.
At the present writing, the last days
| of September, 1896, want of good falth
| on the part of the Administration, even
in its excuses of poverty put forth for
| delaying and refusing just payments OF
pensions has been very clearly SHOWN.
| Since 1893, it is true, we have had a
| practically empty Treasury. The Com
| missioner of Pensions has been turning
back into the Treasury millions of dol
| lars at the end of each fiscal year,
saved, all of it, from the hands Where
| it belonged, the hands of honest, justly
entitled pensioners. That this appear
ance of economy was only an appear
ance, and that real economy was not
| what was sought, is clearly shown by
the change which has taken place in
| the Pension Department since the be-
| ginning of the present fiscal year. more
| pensions have been allowed since the
| Goth of June, 1896, than any acquainted
with the practice of the Bureau ever
| expected would be under the present
Administration. Many claimants who
have been anxiously waiting for three
years and half and have given up all
| hopes while the present party has been
| in power have been surprised during
the past three months by the allowance
| of their claims. Vast sums are now
| being paid out monthly thru the agency
lof the Pension Bureau. What has caused
this change? Simply the fact that at
the end of this fiscal year, June 80,
1897, the Democratic Party will not be
| in, to nf6n 10 1S RI IN NO oar
much of a deficit their successors have
TO face. They are paying without stint
now what ought to have been paid in
1893, 1894 and 1895. This fact alone
shows how devoid of honesty has been
their claim of economy. They were
content to make a show of economy
and reform. The real thing they care
nothing about. The Republican Party,
however, need not fear the tremendous
responsibilities which will be laid upon
it when it takes the reins in March,
1891 1t is true that it will have an
immense financial burden laid upon its
shoulders, but it will raise what money
is needed to carry on the Government,
for it is the party of resources, the
party of brains, the party of honesty,
and, above all, the party of patriotism.
Pension Frauds.
When the Pension Department was
established the idea was that its duties
were to ascertain accurately what PEN
sion was due the soldier from the peo-
pie of this country.
The efficiency of this Department is
not to be measured alone by the num-
ber of frauds it may discover, but by
the thoroness with which the business
of the Department is transacted, that
of adjudicating pension claims on the
evidence furnished.
Democratic newspapers and Demo-
tara in off toio olc in TIa art-
ment commenced crying fraud" as
soon as the Cleveland Administration
was uShered into power, and laid their
plans for defrauding the men who saved
the Government from destruction out
of their just dues, by appointing a
Commissioner of Pensions. A system
attic effort was commenced to discover
frauds, but the following facts from
the annual report of the Commissioner
of Pensions of 1895 show of what little
Importance this investigation was as
compared with the actual work of the
Bureau. The report says:
During the fiscal year now under
consideration the criminal section has
performed much labor, as shown in the
following figures: ..,-5.
Cases received ........ 1851
Cases referred to special
examination ..::..,.:.. 6,633
Cases submitted for GRIM
inal prosecution. ..... 301
Cases referred to admitted
files or to other divi-
. sions l2,124
Cases on hand. d.......... $50
IOIdl. 1870
Recommendation for prosecution. 309
Arrests of persons accused. 1913
, Indictments found ............ 464
/ Convictions had ............... 1874
Sentences imposed ............ 120
Acquittals &C
, Cases dismissed on mol pros. -.
, This was after year of unusual ef-
fort, and the expenditure of an excep-
tionally large sum of money. 1t will
be seen that out of nearly 10000 cases
turned over to the criminal experts as
having presumption of fraud only 46i
' were found to have sufficient faint tc
justify even judicial investigation, and
only 1874 were found guilty of the
charges.
If we divide these among the 1,G00,.
; 900 pensioners of the rolls-and it is
, entirely proper to do so-we will fine
the "taint of fraud" is about on the
same scale as the famous homeopathic
J Idilution, where a spoonful of the medi.
cinal extract was put in the Ohio River
at Pittsburg, and the dose for the pa.
' tient taken at Cairo.
No soldier wants a pension granted
to an undeserving comrade. No soldier
wants the honorable pension roll defilec
by placing the name of an unworthy
, comrade on it, and no organization i.
u more particular about making a thort
; scrutiny of the records of applicants fol
admission TO the Grand Army of the
Republic. No soldier can become &
!, member of the Grand Army unless h,
: has an honorable discharge" and be
n fore he signed the enlistment rolls "fol
= three years or during the war" he hac
S good reason to believe that if he wa,
e wounded in battle or was in any wa,
d disabled while in the line of duty" h,
:. would be pensioned
: The Democratic Party declare in thei
8 political conventions that they are i,
/. favor of liberal pensions to deservin,
a soldiers" but as soon as they got int,
q power they raised the cry of fraud
y and commenced the wholesale reduction
q and rejection of pensions. THROWN,
:, every impairment possible in the wa,
d of the claimant.
thence TO Victoria Tey Iybeya ,,-a