Year: 1879

to act upon information solely derived from an officer
that is rash in statement and insignificant in
executing the laws as they


On Mr. Bentleys own statement there isno duty
so pressing on Congress as a thorough examination
of the Pension 0Hics and all its belongings and the
rules and regulations put forth by the Commits
sioner


1t is high public duty and ought to be done in
justice to all.


The following is extract from the very inter-
esting but lengthy debate in the Senate We would
like to publish it in full but our space forbids:


Mr. BECK. shall vote for this bill, but rise to ask
the chairman of the Committee on Pensions question
growing the suggestion made by the Senator from
West Virginia The Commissioner Of Pensions has APP
peared before and said TO the Committee Appropra-
tons that he satisfied do not quote his exact Ian
guagehat 20 per cent Of all the pensions paid
fraudulent pensions. The total amount being where
about $3o000ooo this would make about six millions Of
that Now, what desire to know is, what means,
if any be devised get clear of that fraud
because would like to every effort possible made
cut off that class of cases which the Commissioner in
formed our committee amounted to about five six mil
lion dollars


Mr. Ingalls, stated that the Commissioner had
also made the same statement to him.


Mr.. EDMUNDS. do not wish to let this matter go
by on the question of rands without putting in doubt
To the correctness of what my honorable friend from
Kansas is informed from the Pension Office is the percent
age of fraud that is committed under existing law had





mittee Pensions my honorable friend is now; and
the impression of the committee thento be the lon
ger time the more opportunity there is to discover
wrongs that have and therefore do speak
with great condence-but think impression that
time for the four five that had to do with
it, that the percentage of fraud under the pension laws,
distinguished from for which nobody in par
tcuar is TO blame, wrong decisions, &c. very much
smaller should have said not than per cent in
stead of 90.


In the State from which there is in a certain
and in effective corps OF observation
against unjust pensions all the time and that arises
this way: great many of the soldiers of Vermont who
volunteered TO suppress the late rebellion although they
left the service apparently weand really WELL very likely
ura causes They that they do not get any pensions
they would be very glad to have them and whenever
they that somebody else who soldier pretended
to have been soldier in any of the Vermont regiments
(and there very few ohez such people in State
than those who served in Vermont regiments) they
say Why this mans is not just he did
get his disease in consequence of his service and


leak out and everybody takes interest in it,
and the hand of corrective justice here and there
haps in in two hundred in the of year.
laid ought to be upon these false and it arises
from the wholesome state Of public opinion among the
soldiers themselves. The soldiers of the Army of the
United States body neither persons who would
commit frauds in their They honorable
class of citizens they believe in justice and fair play in
good order and in the law and therefore whenever any
wrong comes TO the knowledge of those gentlemen who
served in the Army they among the first to it
be known and to be rectified, which think furnishes
pretty strong evidence that this great amount of supposed
fraud would out careful investigation to be
largely Over-estmated


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