s has had
the effect of limiting the operation of the law to its intended purpose.
The discovery having been made that many names had been put upon the
pension roll by means of wholesale and gigantic frauds, the Commissioner
suspended payments upon a number of pensions which seemed to be
fraudulent or unauthorized pending a complete examination, giving notice
to the pensioners, in order that they might have an opportunity to
establish, if possible, the justice of their claims notwithstanding
apparent invalidity.

This, I understand, is the practice which has for a long time prevailed
in the Pension Bureau; but after entering upon these recent
investigations the Commissioner modified this rule so as not to allow
until after a complete examination interference with the payment of a
pension apparently not altogether void, but which merely had been fixed
at a rate higher than that authorized by law.

I am unable to understand why frauds in the pension rolls should
not be exposed and corrected with thoroughness and vigor. Every name
fraudulently put upon these rolls is a wicked imposition upon the
kindly sentiment in which pensions have their origin; every fraudulent
pensioner has become a bad citizen; every false oath in support of
a pension has made perjury more common, and false and undeserving
pensioners rob the people not only of their money, but of the patriotic
sentiment which the survivors of a war fought for the preservation of
the Union ought to inspire. Thousands of neighborhoods have their
well-known fraudulent pensioners, and recent developments by the Bureau
establish appalling conspiracies to accomplish pension frauds. By no
means the least wrong done is to brave and deserving pensioners, who
certainly ought not to be condemned to such association. Those who
attempt in the line of duty to rectify these wrongs should not be
accused of enmity or indifference to the claims of honest veterans.

The sum expended on account of pensions for the year ending June 30,
1893, was $156,740,467.14.

The Commissioner estimates that $165,000,000 will be required to pay
pensions during the year ending June 30, 1894.

The condition of the Indians and their ultimate fate are subjects which
are related to a sacred duty of the Government and which strongly appeal
to the sense of justice and the sympathy of our people.

Our Indians number about 248,000. Most of them are located on 161
reservations, containing 86,116,531 acre