Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-11-06

TAbAE&is lGElAlt1tlIt Fo with FOLLY
IN HE convict in the Federal penitentiary
who imposed upon a mothers sympa-
a thy and love in trying to impersonate
the poor Womans dead son has not only
made the unhappy mother miserable and
anxious, but he has made a fool of himself.
If there is a way to punish such impOsters,
it ought to be done. He should be convict
ed by his confession as f0rger, not Of
money or checks, but as q cruel impOstOr
who was intent, as it appears, to get every
thing possible, even their money, by this i'm
personatOn. Our laws seem to be hopeless
Iy lax in matters of such Importance. 1T is
not surprising that the daughter Of these
old people should now attempt to reach the
woman who mailed a letter in New Orleans
to arouse these aged ones to action. If she
can be located, it would be to punish her
for conniVing at q fraud. She is a COnSpira-
tor. 1t is plainly evident that it is deplOra-
bly, easy to confuse pension papers, and any
attempt to purge the pension rolls will raise
an cutlery from those who are profting by
these frauds. I we'll remember how a ma
nal commissioner Of pensions, a Tennessean,
attempted to get authority to go over the
lists and clear out this rubbish, twenty or
more years ago. The hue and cry raised
by these conniyres at fraud secured his de-
feat at the first opportunity. The enormity
Of such impOStOrs made a review necessary
but the thing went no further.
Coming down to state affairs, the pension
list in Georgia needs looking over and the
confusion of World War veterans evidence
the positive and growing necessity for such
cleaning up. l was informed a few days
ago that there are scores of sO-Called pen
siOners in Georgia getting vocational train
ing, drawing heavy payments in money,
Also that will never do a lick of work
again because they must play the role of
really disabled veterans. I do not youch
for the statement. Any man who will i'm
per80nate a disabled war veteran and is
afraid to go to work because his disability
would not appear to be prodigious is as
much Of an impOstor as the crook in the
Atlanta Federal prison, lately exposed. In
this BergerOn case, the cruelty\tO those old
parents was intensified by the appearance
of the son as a convict, when their boy had
been buried with honors as World War
soldier.
Shame was cruelty added to their grief
1t speaks loudly for their sincerity of pur-
pose that they followed parental love to the
limit.
In the nature of things which may be
possible is a statistical exhibit of the lists
Of those who are now drawing big pay from
the government on pension rolls should be
made and also published in every state and
county of the United States where claim
Of residence is set down. In justice and
fairness to the taxpayers there should be a
list Of every sort Of pensiOner printed in
the county papers Of Georgia. The honest
ones will never be thought the less of
while the others should be thoroughly ad-
ministered out of the pension business
Some years ago, sat on a seat on rail
road train with Confederate widow going
to Atlanta We fell into conversation, as
usual. She was going to a middle Georgia
county to live. She said her sons prevailed
on her to sell her farm because she could
not draw a widows pension and. own the
farm. She gave me the sale price on her
farm and she had sold out her tsuff to live
with her children and her name was on the
pension roll, as she expected. Tt was an
other old mother who was thus prevailed
upon to commit a fraud on the state pension
office You can be sure this is not a lone
case, "by a jugful." Behind these pensions
there should be a clean record Of honest
dealing.
CAN THESE THINGS BE TRUE?
r HAVE been reading about the United
- III NJ tLnr,n