The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-30
A PENSION INQUIRY.

There has been running for four
months in the World S Work magazine
series Of sensational papers on "The
Pension Carnival.' According TO dis
closures made therein, the pension roll
is permeated with fraud, and it ought
it of that fraud; because the cases
cited are specific, giving names, dates,
amounts: everything connected with
the cases being fully disclosed. In the
current number Of that magazine a
considerable number of cases of clear
fraud are given, both Of widows" of
soldiers and of fraudulent applications
in behalf of soldiers or their bogus
doubles. A significant incident is
given where a Commissioner Of Pen
sions said to his deputy that the bu-
reau needed more room. The deputy
replied, "Lcts burn few tons Of per.
jury in the upper gallery" This an.
swer, it is said, "became n classic in
the office.
Now, the question that naturally oc-
curs is, if the pension roll is so per-
meated with fraud as this showing
seems TO prove, and if the leading of
ficials in the pension bureau them
selves are aware of the per.luries and
frauds that exist, what is to prevent
the cleansing of the list, and making
it as it ought to be. a roll of honor
Undoubtedly one effective move to-
wards this cleansing would be the pub
fishing of the names on the roll with
the amounts that the pensioners draw.
Heretofore the names on the list have
been hidden with an impenetrable veil
Of secrecy. This veil should be lifted
so that the people in every community
may know who in that community ere
enjoying this bounty of the govern
ment. We believe that this publicity
would at once reduce the pension roll
by the $4,000, 900 that one of the off.
cials in the bureau is reported as saw.
ing he could save by purging the roll
OF those who arc on ii by fraud,
But in spite of the secrecy that has
kept the public from knowing who is
on the roll, and the amounts received
by each pensiouer, it appears that
there arc ways for getting at these
things, and that tho writer in The
orld S Work has got mass of ma
terial, doubtless from the pension of
flee itself, that makes a sensational
showing of false impersonation, fraud.
ulent presentation, aud the Qrossest
sort of imposture upon the govern
ment. Now, we are sure that no vet
erap honestly on the pension roll would
have the slightest objection to the pub.
lication of his name. with the amount
that he gets. He should be uroud In
be on that roll, as being recognized by
the government to be one of those who
came forward for the salvation of the
Union when it was in peril No one
has quite as much personal interest in
the pension roll as the surviving vet.
Grams: none more than they should be
anxious to see fraud eliminated from
the pension list, and that those carried
thereon unworthily be dropped in dis.
honor as falfe pretenders. The dis
closures made in the series of articles
referred to seem, besides showing a
scandalous state of affairs in the pen
sion bureau, TO point the way to re.
form. If special writer can get so
much information, and in such thorough
detail. As the. writer of the articles
has done, and if the pension officials
themselves are aware that f'tons of
perjury are IN tho archives, surely
| there ought to be honesty, vigor and