The National tribune., 1910-11-24
"MIsLE.p1NG MaG.zINEs.,

/ always been distinguished by its cool,
good sense on public questions and
which has thereby acquired an unusual
I influence tbruout New England, has
/ thoughtful and much-intorming edi-
tor,al on the outbreak in the Worlds
/ Work. This will have much to do with
counteracting the bad influence OF the
magazine in New England. The pre-
sentation which the Transcript makes
cannot be gainsaid by anyone. 1t says:
Misleading Magazines.
! If the average citizen who consumes
! the cheaper popular magazines in large
quantities becomes a cynic and imbibes
/ the doctrine that the Government of
/ the United States when II is not cor
I rupt is careless, his conviction is an IL
lustration of cause and effect. We are
passing thru an era of knocking. Its
| literature is extensive, and the intelli-
gent foreigner who studies the news
| stand is pardonable if he comes away
! from his inspection laboring under the
I delusion that the affairs of the United
States are administered by grafters.
To catch attention by a sensational
| headline is an old trick of the trade
| with magazine managers as well as
with the same type of journalists The
| title page with the magazines, is the
SHOW window" Several have had un-
pleasant experiences arising from cover
| designs that were Objectionable to law
! or taste from which they ought to learn
wisdom One instance not of defiance
of law or of decorum, but of stimula-
tion of scnsationalism, is found on the
cover of "a current magazine which
properly invites protest The repre-
aenintion is that of the great hall OF
the Pension Building in Washington.
red arrow points to portal, ana
carries with 1t this assertion: More
than 150,000.000 a year of public
money goes out this door, but you can
not find out who gets it, The broad
implication OF these words is that there
is something mysterious about the dis
posal of this vast sum, and by conse-
oucnc" the Government is culpable, as
any Government would be which spent
$3.50. 800. 900 a year for which it was
unwilling or unable to render an ac-
count.
Now. as a matter of fact every dol
lar expended by the Government is ac-
counted for, in one way or another.
Secret Service funds not excepted, tho
these latter may not be bulletined
where the hasty wayfarer may read.
The money annually distributed in PEN
sions is not sent out in a lump sum
and surrepttiouslv handed over to un-
traceable individuals. It passes thru
pension agencies, whence it goes to the
enrolled pensioners within their re-
spective Jurisdiction. In these agencies
accounts are carefully kept, and there
is grand roll of the pensioners of the
country in the custody of the Commits
sioner of Pensions. The Pension Bu-
reau has several times proposed that
all the pensioners of the United States
be paid by check from Washington di
rect. AS the acceptance of this pro-
posal would involve the abolition of
all the pension agencies in the country
it has not found favor with Congress
yet. 1t ought to be adopted in the in
terest of economy If from no other mo-
tive, but its presentation by the PEN
sion Bureau demonstrates how COM
prehensive the Bureaus knowledge is
Of the pensioners.
All Government accounts are elabo-
rately audited. This scrutiny is carried
so far. and is so prolonged by refer
ence and cross-reference, by checking
and rechecking. that the honest cred
itor is often justified in his impatience
and is pardonable if he thinks the "cir-
cumlocution office" has been revived
for his particular embarrassment
There is no mystery as to where the
pension money goes. Who gets it can
readily be ascertained. by legitimate in
quiry, tho SO busy an official as the
Commissioner might naturally refuse
to let the man who had come in off
the street impound all the books and
papers of the Bureau as an amateur
investigator seeking to find "who gets
it,"