Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 October 1891 — WASHINGTON. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON.

There is plenty of important business to occupy Mr. Blaine as soon as he takes hold of the affairs at the State Department. Undoubtedly, the first thing will be to consider the treaty of reciprocity with Venezuela. A treaty was agreed to by the Venezuelan minister here, bat wag rejected by the home government. Minister Scruggs, our representative in Venezuela, arrived here on the 22nd with a draft of a new treaty in his pocket, which he knows will be acceptable to Venezuela, as ft was informally approved by the leading officials of that' country before he left there. Other reciprocity treaties with southern countries are pending, and wifi now be brought to an issue. It is probable thjgt the one wftlj Colombia will be among the first to have attention after that of Venenzuela. Our Chinese relations are somewhat precarious, and it is expected that Mr. Blaine will at once take a hand in solving the question which that country is haying with the United States, Great Britain and Germany, over ill-treatment of citizens of these countries residing in China. The Chilian com-

plication is out of the way so far as diplomacy is concerned, although it yet remains to give a formal recognition to the new government. Minister Egan is regarded as quite secure in his position, as he has the personal friendship of Mr. Blaine. There is talk of another conference with the Canadians over reciprocity with our nortnern neighbors, but ft Is not believed that Mr. Blaine will be anxious to expedite this subject, as it is said that he and the President have no desire to treat with the present Tory government of the Dominion. Our trouble with Spain over indignities offered to American citizens in the Caroline and Philipine islands is about ready to be settled, as much correspondence has been going on within the last few weeks. Another im portant question which awaits Mr. Blaine is that of adjusting the 54,000,0000 f claims which American citizens have made against the United States of Colombia for the destruction of their property when the revolutionists sacked and burned the city of Colon, on the Isthmus of Panama In 1885 The Behring Sea snarls have been adjusted for the present during Mr* Blaine’s absence. The trouble with Italy over the New Orleans lynching dropped when Mr. Blaine went away, and has remained in an unsettled and unsatisfactory condition ever since.

Secretary Blafne entered upon his duties again on the 26th. Taking their cue from the onslaught being made upon the Pension Bureau* and the changes which have been made in the administrations of it during the past few months and those anticipated, some eu. thusiastic service-pension advocates in Congress announce their intention to make an effort, at the approaching session of Congress, to pass a universal pension bill. They are fortifying themselves withan argument that is interesting to every reader, be he friend or foe of the proposition. It is contended now that it would cost the government less in the long run, and help nearly twice as many deserving claimants to adopt a universal or servic pension law, treat every soldier, his widdependent heir alike* and put a stop to pension litigation. To begin with, it is estimated by theCommissionerof Pensions that the pensions and expenses of running the business willcost the government the next fiscal year, beginning with July. 1892, about $135,000,000. It costs for pensions alone just now in round figures $120,000,000 a year. There are about 1,208,707 soldiers of the Union now living. O, these in round figures 550,000 are on the pension rolls already, and the others, ar going upon the rolls at the fate of some thing like 125,000 a year. Each year there are dropped from the rolls, by death or unnatural causes, about 20,000 names. At 88 a month a universal pension law would cost the government, it' is estimated, in round numbers, $160,0)0,000 a year, provided every man who served long enough asked for the pension, but it is. not believed that more than 85 per cent, of those entitled would ask or receive a pension, and therefore the annual payments might be cut down to something like $160,000,000. One of the strongest arguments being used for the service or universal pension law is the delays befalling honest claimants and the expenses attached to the pension machinery. If there are allowed 125,000 pensions a year the fees amount to - $250,000 under the law. Most of the claimants pay from four to six times that amount in notary and other fees in getting up the testimony. This would ruu up the extraneous expenses to the claimants alone to over $1,000,000 a year, not to speak of the time given by claimants in hunting up testimony. It costs the government for pension examining boards at the various cities over $1,200,000 a year; and for special examiners about $325,000 a year, and for running the various agencies and the Pension Office here probably 83,500,0 X) annually. It will thus be seen that the direct expenses to the claimants and the government for the pension business is something like 4 per cent, of the payments. It is said that 15 per cent, of the claim ants die before their pensions are allowed and 50 per cent, of the payments ar ß avoided by the government by the delaye in reaching and adjusting claims. This cannot be helped. The business is pushed with all possible vigor, and twice as many claims are allowed every day as were passed upon only five years ago. It is held that under a service or universal bill all claimants would have their cases passed upon within six months at most, and only a little skeleton of the Pension Bureau would be necessary; that 80 per cent of the expense in running the business at present be dispensed with and only a few rooms in the War Department would be necessary in which to run the entire pension j business, as a muster-in or muster-out paper would sufficiently prove or disprove a case. It would all be record testimony, and It is all on file at the War Department " „ The mere fact that those who are as

much entitled to pensions as any one cannot get their dues because their papers cannot be reached, and the honest must suffer with the dishonest claim ant, is proving a telling argument, and also the statement that after six months there would be little expense attached to the pension beyond the payments, and so many more would receive assistance under a universal bill, cause men in Congress to stop and think. Whether anything will come of the movement or not, it is getting much serious agitation among Congressmen since the recent visit to Washington of Governor Bovey, of Indiana,is at the head of the Service Pension Association of the United States. The Governor still thinks his fight for universal pensions will win.