Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 June 1888 — THE PENSIO[?] OFFICE. [ARTICLE]

THE PENSIO[?] OFFICE.

The ecc'Rd of the Democratic Party Contrasted With That oe the Democratic Party. The Special Co. respondent of tbe Bluffton Banner writes as follows to that paper: Washington D. C.» May 26. The Democratic part •/ had been out of power a quarter of a century when the people, the sovereign power of government, returned it to the administration of public affairs During the absence of the Democratic party from power pub 7 lie office and the best interests of a free people were prostituted to the interests of individuals, monopolies, and gigantic corporations. So strong had become the influence of monopolies that the popular will of the people was overthrown by fraud and perjury. Laws were enacted by the representatives of the people and a wholesale system of robl ery promulgated under the revenue system never befoi® known in the history of the country. The people’s domain was voted away by millions of acres to corporations; corrupt rings were formed in every direction, and the public official became a rogue and a plunderer. Every necessary of life was taxed for the benefit of the few, and the American ship bottoms were forced from the carryingdrade on the high seas. By Federal laws the right of suffrage had been restricted by bayonets in the hands of United States Marshals, and every emotion of mankind excited to Sectional hate and revenge by the par*y in power. The rights of the S cates to self-government had been denied, and a centralized rower sought to be established. All this and much more was the order of the times, and so corrupt had become -he public official, and so intollerable the oppression cf monopoly, that the voice of the people, reinforced by thousands of the honest voters of the party in power, brought a change and elevated the Democratic partv to power again. During all these years of defes t the party never ceased to exert itself in the interest of the people and against the oppression 01 the cormorants who were plundering them in excessively taxing the most common necessities of life. During its absence from power it never ceased to combat the encroachments of centralization or the aggression of monopoly. It finally tr umphed, and as er three years of power and administration of public affairs we are about to go befor ■* the people asking for a still further lease of power. ’’■'be claim for this preferment is based upon the good results ami efficient work in every department of the public service. The party has reclaimed millions of acres of the imperial domain that had been voted away durirg its absence from to unholy combines. It has pruned the public service of many useless offices and reduced public expanses by the millions of dollars. We can not go into detail in all the departments, but will briefly take up one branch of the public ; ervice, the Bureau of Pensions. In the Presidential campaign that restored the Democratic party to power it was loudly proclaimed, as your readers know, from the stump, the forum, and the Republican press, that the elevation of the party to power endangered the pension system of the government, and if the ex-Union soldiers did not desire to lose their pensions they should vote the R-publican ticket. Their rancorous appeals to the soldier element, however, did not avail, and for three years the Democratic party has administered the affairs of the pension office. And what is the result? This can only be ascertained intelligently by giving the work of the office for a period of years, that you readers—and especially our comrades —may ba able to judge if we have not had abetter,

I a cleaner administration in the pension office under the present Commissioner of Pensions, than for years. For this purpose we will take the past six years and here is the result: Original Pensions Granted. For the fiscal years of 1883-84-85, under Dudley, the Republican Commissioner, we find from the r cords allowances of pensions as follows: 1883‘se® Report, p. 87’ allowed 38.161 18 4 ‘fee Report, p IT’ allowed 34.182 1885 ‘gee Report, p 17' allowed 35,767 Total in three year* 108,111 1886 ‘see Report, p 11’ allowed 40.557 1887 ‘see Report, p 28’ allowed 55,194 18 B‘to May Ist of this year al,owed 44,608 Botal In 2 v ears and It months 140.65 g It will be snen from these figures that General Black’s administration has allowed in wo years and ten months 32,548 mdre original pensions to soldiers and thoir widows than was allowed by Dudley’s administration in three years, and if we add the 11,300 Mexican service pensions granted under the Act of Cong r ess, the increase of pensions granted would reach 43,848, making an average of 1,289 more pensions granted each month by this administration than by its predecessor. To further illustrate the work done in this important branch of the public t ervice, we will take two lull years of Dudley’s administration and compare the with two full years of Democratid adminisl ration:

1883. .Original pensions granted 68,162 1884.. Origin al pensions granted 34,182 Total 72,644 1886.. original pensions granted 40.857 1887.. original pensions granted 65,194 Total 96,051 Increase in favor of this administration over its predecessor of 23,607 original pensions granted in the two years services given. Pensions Granted of All Classes. The mor® fully to give ou r com prehensive statement of the work done in all classes of claims, we tav e from the records as may be seen by reference to the Commissioner’s yearly reports, th« allowances and pensions granted in all classes: 1883.. Originals allowed 38,162 Increase claim* allowed 92,716 Restoratißn, re-issnee, ete.. 798 Total for the year 61,704 1884. .Originals allo wed 34,182 Increase claim* allowe : 29 <l7 Bestoraiiou, re ist>i es, etc., 1,891 Total for the year 57,920 1885.. original* allowed 35,767 Increase claim* allowed 33,985 Restorations, re-issn », etc., 1,835 Total for tCe year 71.5 - Grand total es all cla*se*of cbJms ’ allowed and certiflcaies esgued in .he three vears of Republican r le , , 131,211 1886. Originals allowed 40.857 Increase clafme hlJowt'd 113.271 BestorviionC, re-;*fcuee, etc.. 2,229 Ts,al for theyear '56,357 1887.. Originals allo wed 55,194 Increase claim* allowed 32,it. Restoration*, re-i**ues, etc., 2,707 Total for the year 90,008 1888. .Originals allowed to May Ist, 44,608 Increase claim* allowed' 32,028 Restorations re-iseuee, etc., 11.583 Mexican War allowed 11,300 Total or the 10 months 99,519 Grand total for the 2 years and 10 months under the Demoeratic administration of pensions granted & certificates issued 840.940 Making a grand total of increase in claims of all classes admitted and certificates issued by tris administration in thirty-four months’ work over its predecessor in thirtysix months of 149,729; or, to state it in another form, General Black issued 4,716 more certificates each month than his Republican predecessor.

Claims Rejected. It is well known to the reader that there has been an indecent clamor raised all over the country against the pi esent administration of the Pension Office by the Republican pres.;, charging that soldiers’ clahns were being peremptorily rejected without cause other than that of enmity to tire soldier, and nearly every rejected claim has had an airing by some. Republican, and ths Commissioner Roundly' abused. It is well known to the informed that all rejected pension claims are re-opened whenever the claimant files evidence, but this

Met made no difference with tbe political demagogues who hoped to score a point for their party with the soldier element by attacks upon the Democ atic administration.— In order, to silence forever sueh ’clamorous political rogues, we here give a comparison of claims rej cted, by years: ISB3..Originals rejected 16.901 Widow* originals 4,516 Navy claims 876 Total ‘see Report y 87’ 22 289 16s>4. .Originals rejected 27,587 Widows’ originals 4.983 Navy claims 459 Toaal ‘see Report p 22’ 63,029 1806 Original* rejected 15,918 Widows’ orig uals 3,728 Navy c lai me 662 20,308 Total ‘see Report, p 17’ 20.608 1887. .Original# rejected 7.657 Widows’ originals 8,481 Navy claims 412 Total ‘see Report, p 41’ 11,550 We have taken two full years of the Republican administration ;and by comparing the work of rejecting soldiers’ claims with that of the two full, y.tars of the Democratic administration our comrades will discover that in the years 1883 and 1884 the Republican Commissioner of Pension^rejected 13,460 more original claims than were rejected by General Black, the present Commissioner, in the same length of time. We omitted the year 1885, in which claims were rejected, nearly all by the Republican Commissioner who had control nine months of that year. It is not vhat political opponents may say, but it is the records that “tell the truth.”

Funds Disbursed. The following table showing the disbursement of funds to pensioners for the past six years, do not indicate that the Democratic party has entertained that great enmity to the soldiers so maliciously declared in the campaign of 1884 by the Republican press. Here is the comparison: For 1883, Dudley, CommiMioner, 2 60.434,072 85 •• 1884. '• - 57,2°8,536 74 “ 1885, “ 65,693,706 72 Total in the three years, $188,399,216 81 For 1885, B ack, Commissioner, $ 14,584,870 45 “ 1887, “ “ 74818,456 85 “ 1888, “ “low estimate,’’ if ,800,000 00 Total in three years, $216,398,757 30 Increase in disbursements on account of pensions for the past three years under a Democratic administration over the three preceding years of Republican inle of $33,000,540.99. Had it not been for the change of administrations in the pension office the soldiers of the country could not have known how inefficiently the work in that department was carried on under Republican control, and when they go over the foregoing figures of comparison in all branches of the adjudication of pension claims they must conclude that the present administration has done far mors for them than its predecessor. Pension Legislation. The Act of August 4, 1886, approved by President Cleveland, increasing the pensions of 10,030 maimeed soldiers from $24 to S3O, from S3O t< $36 and from $37.50 to $45 per month, and the Act of March 19, 1886, increasing the pensions from $8 to sl2 per month of 79,989 soldiers’ widows and dependents, stands as a monument of justice to these worthy beneficiariesof a grateful'country. General Black’s administration issued these 79,989 certificates in additio.. to the work and certificates noted already in three months and without one cent of expense to the pensioners. My Republican friends, we are giving you record facts, which, ii rightly and honestly considered, must convince you that your party leaders stand convicted of deceit and the use of dishonest and false representations for poliiical ends. But let us pursue the records still further. Special Examiners for the Field There is no branch of the public .wire that has been more abused by' Republican administrations than that of investigating soldiers’ claims through the system of speial pension examiners in the field.

i It has been charged that these exi aminers were more directly interested in their party ’s success than in the work of assisting ciaimants i n proving up their pension claims. Especially was this the case in 1881 As to how well founded such a charge may have been we will taka th - records of th; last fiscal year of Republican rule in the pension officeAverage nuuibdr 01 examiners in the field, 30® Soldiers’ claims investigated 9,83 } Report* made, 39,35 > Deposition* taken. 189,746 Credibility reports, 23,863 Total expeneea of the examiner*, $514,269 18 Average ccat of investigating 9,831 claim* each, $56 31 Now, for a fair comparison, Ist us take the year 1887 under a Democratic administration: Average number of examiner* In tee field, 253 Soldiers claim* investigated, 81,010 Reports made, 26,399 Deposition* taken, 140.544 Credi jility repo t», 33,863 Total expenses of examiners £427,404 20 Average eo*t of inves igfiting 3],010 claims each 613 '8 Difference in tbe cost of every claim investigated in the last year of the Republican administration over the last year of the psesent administration of S3B 52. In the last year of Republican rule, which included the campaign of 1884, the traveling expenses of special examiners in the field, as shown in the report of that year, was $343 551 00 whi'e in last year it was only $153,180.20. To this fact we may charge the increase cost of $38.53 in each elaim investigated under Dudley’s administration, and to this fact we may also charge that but little doubt can exist in the minds of the public that the special examiners in the field in the campaign of 1884 were but little less than a body of recruiting sergeants for the Republican party. But that the writer may not be charged with selecting special periods in comparing the work of the pension office, we will take the laet two fiscal years of the Republican administration and compare it with the last two years of the Democratic administration:

Average uumuer oi wpeciai examiners in the field for the last two years of Dudler’s administration, 289 Total number or claims investigated, 17,283 Average eost of each investigation, $49 50 Average number of examiners in the field for the last two years, 265 Total number of claims Investigated, 42,725 Average cost of each investigation, S2O uO These are the figures taken from the records and embodied in the reports for the years named, which show that for the past two years 25,442 more claims of soldiers for I ensions wer* investigated than :n the last two years of the Republican administration, with 24 less special examiners in the field, and at a cost of $28.60 less for each case examined. Can burccfmrades in Wells county, and we may say in the State of Indiana, see anything in this to <sommend? A we h:we said, it was proclaimed from stump and forum by the Republican party in the last Presidential campaign that the success of our pension system depended upon the continuance of the Republican party in power.— Do the showings we have given so indicate? On the contrary, it establishes the fact that the change of administration in the pen-ion office came none too soon, and that the interest of every soldier in thb St%te demanded thte change. It also shows that the Democratic party has done better, given a cleaner administration, and had a better and higher regard for the claims of soldiers pending in the office, many of them for long years, than had attained by its predecessor. • Ex-Union Soldiers in Office. That we may continue the refutation th*d this administration hostile V’ the soldier, we will inform our Republican friends that Presi ent Cleveland has appointed fifteen ex-Union so < iers to the pension agencies of the country that are engaged in disbursing, the pension funds, many of whose places were filled under Repuhcan rule by civilians because of their party influence. Another of his appointees has charge of the Chicago agency in the person of the

widow of that gallant Irish-Amer-ican soldier, Colonel James A. Mulligan. The Commissioner of Pensions, General John C. Black, was also a soldier of distinction, bavin? enlisted when but a youth i an Indiana regiment at the beginning of the war as a private, and from merit rcse to the rank or Bi igadier Genera). 11 was no mistake to place this brave soldier and thorough Democrat in the pension office, as the record he has made most clearly indicates. The Deputy Commissioners, Colonel MeLean of Indiana and General Bartlett of New York, also gallant soldiers, fill places formerly occupied by two civilians who secured their places for party service. More than one-half of the medical examining boards of the country are made up of old army surgeons, and in the pension office nearly sixty per cent of the force is composed of the soldier element of the country, which wag not the case when the present administration came into power. It is in a great measure old soldiers adjudicating the claims of their comrades, and to this fact we n ay largely ascribe the grand results that we have presented in the good work done Value of Pensions. In former administrations it w°s claimed by many pensioners, and not unjustly, that the rating received was not proportionate to the disability existing, and to this fact may be largely attributed the large number of increased claims allowed in 1886. When the present administration came into power in March, 1885, the annual average value of pensions b ing paid the soldiers was 8110.36. At the close of last year the average value had been increase ! to 8 J 30.74, being an advance of 819.74. And yet we find a class of asinine politicians and editors abusing the Democratic administration, and, as in 1884, appealing to our comrades to displace it from power in the pension office. To all such we may say that the records we have here given cannot be dismissed by partisan abuse or passionate appeals to the prejudices of the soldiers and their‘friends The facts are in the records and whatever party malice may do or say it will not change one figure of the records made by the Republican administration, or falsify that made by the Democratic party, which we here present to your readers. If our comrades approve the former they should put the Republicad party back into power—if the latter thev should assist in keeping the Democratic party in power as long as the good work goes on.

W. J. HILLIGASS.