Evening star., 1935-09-01
Pension LObbies.

The Associated Press a few days ago
quoted unnamed sources in the Govern
ment service as predicting that within
q few years the agencies set up to
administer the social security legisla-
ton would be larger than the Veterans
Bureau-one of the largest in Wash
ington. The estimate is undoubtedly
conservative. Within few years the
Veterans Bureau and its work may be
relegated to comparatively minor po-
sition of importance.
More interesting, in the same field OF
speculation, is the new class of special
interest voters created under the social
security act; class that will grow rap
idly in the next few years. A political
appeal to this class began even before
the gavels in House and Senate brought
the past session of Congress to a close.
Huey Long, again and again, was pointed
out as the man responsible for delaying
the payment of pensions to the aged;
denying to the blind the bounties prom
ised by their Government; hitting the
needy mothers and the children by
killing the deficiency bill. Huey's fill
buster-whether or not it was trap
spread for him by willy administration
leaders-will be capitalized politically
and turned against him. There stands
Huey Long-the wolf in sleeps clothing
who denied the aged, the blind and the
little children their pennies, who took
the food from their very mouths
This may not mean the political grave
for Huey that some optimistic politicians
have predicted he dug for himself. He
may climb out of it. More significant
is the fact that succeeding generations
of statesmen will stop and think long,
long time before committing the sin of
which Huey is held guilty, and slap
ping the pensioners in the face.
The Federal grants for aid to the
needy aged will Immediately affect some
100000 persons. AS the States hasten
the passage of their own old-age pension
laws the number will increase.
The Federal old-age pension plan
(distinct from the aid to the needy
ageO Immediately affects the six million
persons in the United States above the
age of sixty-five. BY 1912, when pay
ments actually begin, the number will
have been increased another million.
But by that time practically every en-
ployed person will have become a po-
tential beneficiary, contributing through
a portion of income to the pension he
expects at the age of sixty-flve.
Additional benefciaries of social Sc
curity include the unemployed, normally
about 100000; the blind, estimated at
about 100000, and those who benefit
from maternal and dependent child aid,
about 100000.
The demand from any group of pen
sioners, of course, is for larger pensions
and more benefits. Every working man
and woman in the country is now
potential pensioner. The safeguard
against unreasonable demands exists in
the fact that the prospective pensioners
those who will come into their pen
sions at sixty -f1ve-are themselves con-
tIibutors to the fund through a direct
tax on their earnings. And if this
principle can be preserved, so that
higher pensions mean higher contribu-
tions from income, the safeguard will be
effective.
But the phenomenon known as the
Townsend plan was enough to demon
strate the sort of pressure that may
later be exerted for heavy Government
subsidies out of general Government
revenues, to supplement pension reserves
collected directly from employers and
employees and to increase the pensions.
The soldiers bonus lobby, like the
Veterans Bureau, may have to take
back seat. The veterans will be small
potatoes, indeed, compared with the
old-age pension lobby.