Amador ledger., 1910-11-11
UNITED STATES
PENSION LIST
figures Show Roll Is
Steadily EnIarging
Each Year

The Worlds Work, a notably reliable
and wel-conducted magazine, is print
ing startling series of articles under
the above caption. Less it seems
cowardly of the journalistic profes-
sion that this has been so long delayed
(and it is that to some extent per-
haps, it should be remembered that
this evil did not come suddenly; from
good beginning 1T has progressed
gradually, aided by legislation, and
unscrupulous men in the government
and out of it. That is shown clearly
in the article in the November issue.
1t has been steady growth like a
SNOWFALL rolling down hill, until it
becomes an avalanche.
1t is shown that it would be utterly
impossible for as many men to be liv-
ing now who received injuries in the
Civil war as are drawing pensions for
such injuries.
Figures for the last complete pension
roll, which was that of 1909, showed
that the government paid out Sl61, 973,
703 to 964, 1874 pensioners. That is ap-
proximately ten times as much as was
paid out the year following the Civil
war, when the claims on the govern
ment would naturally be large. But,
as it takes time to file these claims
and have pension granted, later
year might afford fairer example. In
1875. for instance years after the
close of the war, and when all those
whose health was damaged in the SER
vice had ample time to find it out, the
pension budget amounted to 500, 275,-
900, which is a comparatively small
portion of its present total.
Of the men and influences which
have built up the pension roll to it's
present proportions, few enough were
moved by honest patriotism, it seems.
One of the foremost power in the
work has been the army of pension at
torneys. There must be pension at
torneys, to be sure, and in the begin
ming they were honest attorneys SER
wing useful purpose. But because of
the poss ss'bilities for Misrepresentation
and easy money, class of men were
attracted to it who were no credit to
the business. AS evidence that these
men were many of them little better
than ordinary crooks it need only be
stated that when courageous pension
commissioner attempted to investigate
these claim agencies in 1899, the re-
suit was "a, 662 registered attorneys
were disqualified, leaving only Is, 481
authorized to practice before the pen.
sion bureau.
Another influence in piling up the
pension burden was the pension ex-
aminers who were so liberal that
they recommended pensions as high as
$1O4 a month on trifing disorders, pro-
badly due to nothing more than ad-
vancing years and improper living. A
medical examining board at Baltimore
even went so far as to recommend
pensions for thirty two men for heart
trouble, although later private in
vestigation showed that every one of
the thirty-two possessed a strong
heart.
Then there are the politicians who
found it to their interest to secure as
many pensions as possible, and as
large, for their constituency. Liberal
and more liberal general pension laws
have been passed, and it has become
easier and easier to railroad private or
individual pension measures through.
And all of this has passed as patrio-
tism, although as so often happens
those most instrumental in bringing
it about were we'll paid for their pat
riotism.