Salt Lake Tribune | 1911-04-08 | Page 2 | Attacks the Civil War Pension List

ATTACKS THE Ell wnjn list Secretary of the Treasury Mac-Veagh Mac-Veagh Says System Is Not a Credit to Nation. PHILADELPHIA, April 7. The civil war pension list was attacked by Franklin Frank-lin MacVoagh, secretary of the treasury. In an address at the opening session of the fifteenth annual meeting of the American Academy of Polltlca.l and Social So-cial Science here today when he advocated advo-cated a civil servlco pension for government govern-ment employees. "Wc have a perfectly enormous civil war pension list, which hi not a credit to us. It never had a .scientific or a Just basis, although a worthy motive gave It origin. It has lost Its patriotic a'spect, and has become a political list, costing the government about one hundred hun-dred and sixty million dollars a year." said Secretary MacVoagh In his opening remarks as presiding officer at this afternoon's after-noon's session. Mr. MacWagli said further. "Outside of thin, wo. have pension retiring re-tiring lists only for army and navy officers, offi-cers, the supreme court and the public health service. Tho civil list is left without with-out any protection or consideration. It Is most important that a pension list be established for the civil employees. "It Is absolutely necessary for the sake of the government Itself. "Wc cannot throw these old men and women nut Into the streets. Vou would not have us do it any more than we w!l! do it. "Every argument in favor of Industrial Insurance and pensions In comir.erco and Industry has full force and' effect In the government. The trouble lies not with congress. Tho civil employees themselves them-selves hamper the government because they are divided on the question of a straight pension or tho contributing system. sys-tem. Of course, the only system that ever will bf established will be the contributing con-tributing system, but you can't get tliem to agree on It." Charles Xagol, secretary of commerce and labor, presided at the evening session, ses-sion, when "Industrial accidents in tho I'nlted Stales and their prevention"' was the topic discussed. He dealt on the unreasonable percentage percent-age of industrial accidents and said that whllo he was a believer In individualism, there is a point wh'jro tho Individual cannot protect hlniEelf and the state must stop In and protect him.