Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-12
DEFENSE OF THE PENSION ROLL


nROMPT and vigorous answer is made by the
National Tribune, the organ OF the Grand
Army of the Republic, to the charges of the
Worlds Work that the federal pension roll is
grossly padded. The Tribune recalls the campaign
carried on by President Cleveland (who it believes
was honest but misled by advisers) and his pen
sion commissioner, Lochren, which it says failed
to prove the charges now repeated by the Worlds
Work
The fact is mentioned that Mr.. Cleveland spent
about 100000 i'll trying to show up frauds on
large scale special detectives being sent into all
parts of the country The Tribune continues:
"a special commission was formed to
scrutinize the pension roll, and panic was
caused among the veterans by the demand
that they reprove their claims. Many thou
sands of pensions were suspended until this
was done The inquiry lasted during the
whole of Cleveland's term, and was beyond
all words the most severe and drastic over
hauling that any department of the govern
ment's expenditures ever received. The re-
suit was a vndication of the veterans and
the system, and placed their integrity be-
yond all question Never did an investlga-
ton result more satisfactorily to those inn
plicated."
In support of its contention that the number of
deserters has been largely overestimated, the
Tribune points out that the official records show
only four deserters to every 100 enlistments, the
number of the former being 10000 and of the lat
ter 2850000 On this score the Tribune says
MANY of these so-called deserters were
men who had served through the entire war
bravely and faithfully, and who when
the war was over felt that they had done
their duty and fulfilled their contract, and
went home without waiting for their dis
charges There were some thousands prOba-
bly, who resented having their regiments sent
out west to fight the Indians in violation of
what they believed to be their contract, and
went off home. Others were taken prison.
ers and wrongfully reported as deserters,
but even assuming the whole number OF
10000 actual deserters, what small pro-
portion they make, after all.
Finally the Tribune challenges the Worlds
Work to send a representative to any pension
agency in the country on any pension day and
make careful examination OF the men and Wo-
men who receive pensions and the circumstances
by which they became entitled to them. That
paper believes any fair minded man who will study
the pensioners at any one OF the agencies for
single day will go away convinced that not only
is every pension splendidy earned but that few OF
those whom he shall meet and examine have re,
ceived anything like as much as would in ordinary
Justice be given them for what they have done for
the country.
All of which makes a very good defense for the
pensioners as a body But it is not necessary tol
defend them. Everybody knows that the great
mass are noble brave men who deserve all theyl
get and more. What we cannot understand is why
thev and their spokesmen of the press never have
any word of denuncation for the leeches that
crooked pension attorneys and politicians have put
on the roll admitting their comparatively small
number to the original enstments), and for those
to whom President Taft referred in his last mes
sage as persons who may, from mere mercenary
motive seek to obtain some legal relation with an
old veteran now tottering on the brink OF thel
grave"
Whv do not honest pensioners ever let their
voices be heard against such as these?