The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-03-27

PENSION orrrcr, January 81, 1856

closing a printed copy Of House bill No. 259, entitled
An act granting pensions 10 the officers and soldiers OF
the war with Great Britain of 1912, and those engaged In
Indian wars during that period, and asking
''lst. What sum will be required TO be appropriated at
this session Of Congress
"2d. What average sum annually requisite, and for what
period thereafter
I'D. What the aggregate sum necessary TO ~extinguish
all claims that may be preferred under the bill
'4th. What increase of clerks in the Pension Bureau and
OF pension agents, If any, will be required, and the com
pensation therefor %
Ia submitting an estimate of the probable amount re-
quired TO execute the proposed bill, IL is proper that 1
should say, in the outset, that experience has proved that
but little reliance can be placed on any such calculations.
To prove this, IL is sufficient to state that, when the act
of June Z 1882, granting pensions to the soldiers OF the
war Of the revolution, was under consideration IN the
House Of Representatives, a very elaborate investigation
was made by the committee having charge of the subject,
but that their estimates did not reach 10 one-fourth the
actual demand under the bill after 1t became a law. IL
was then supposed that the whole number of persons en-
titled to its benefits was 0,057, and that the amount OF
money required TO pay the pensions under IL would aver
age S907, sos for seven years. The facts are, that 33,4l4
claims have been admitted, aud over SIS, 900, 600 ex-
pended, and yet there are about 200 surviving sol
diers rolls of the several States.
In estimating the amount required for the new class OF
revolutionary widows those married subsequent to the
year 1900 provided for by the act of February s, 1888,
this Office was not more fortunate in its calculations, not
withstanding the advantages derived from experience in
the execution of similar laws. The estimate of the
amount supposed to be required under that branch of the
act up to June 80, 1854, was S24 900, but that sum was
found to be so entirely inadequate, that an additional APP
preparation of 5000, 900 became necessary.
In the present case, the difficulties TO be surmounted
are not less than any of those hitherto encountered, and
in some respects are certainly much greater. j have no
reason, therefore, to hope that / shall approximate any
nearer to accuracy than former calculators have done.
The bill in question provides for services in the war OF
1872 with Great Britain, and Indian wars of that and
former periods, and grants pensions for life to the sur
viving, and to the widows of deceased officers, non COM
.,;o- A.. -;.a u. E.-l x~;x.ut.. &c tIa r.nplar
army, State troops, volunteers, or militia of any State OF
Territory and the officers, -commissio officers,
and marines in the naval service, as follows, viz;
LIST. To those engaged in battle, or who served twelve
months or more, S96 per annum.
I'd. To those who served less than twelve, but as much
as six months, SIS per annum.
Sd. To those who served less than six months, but as
much as sixty days, $50 per annum.
The necessary data for the required estimates arc
LIST. The whole number of officers and men engaged,
and the periods of service rendered by them respectively,
I'd. The number who were engaged in actual battle.
Sd. The probable number OF soldiers and widows who
still survive.
1t has been found impracticable TO ascertain the mum
Der and terms of service of the forces engaged in the In
dian war of 1871, or those of previous years. 1t is not
deemed very essential, however, for the reason that the
troops in service in 1911 are no doubt comprehendcd in
the returns for 1912, and will enter into the estimate for
that war, and because the other Indian wars occurred at
such remote periods that but few can survive.
IL appears from the reports of the Adjutant Generals
oIutIJ tDob NbO "lolC uuiit W ltitNi Wv hiSs III stN
regular service during the war of 1872 cannot be given,
and that the nearest approximation to G is the numeri-
cal strength of the army at sundry irregular periods,
viz
In July, 1912, $3.50. In February, 1918, o,o36. In
September, 1914, 80, 1856. In February, 1915, 81, 424.
1t must be obvious, that these facts will not enable us
to determine what portion of these troops were in SER
vice for the periods of two, six, and twelve months re-
spectively. As, however, the enlistments into the regu-
lar army at the commencement of the war were for five
years, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the average
length of service still to be performed by those who were
in the army in July, 1872, was fully as much as twelve
months.
The number which in 1913 had been added to the
army, were of course enlisted for five, and served over,
one year and if we average the period of enlistment of
those who entered the army between February, 1913, and
September, 1914, we shall find that they too had at least
twelve months service to perform before the termination
of the war, and that the whole number of the regular
army could not be less than 3S, 1876.
Somewhat after the same manner we ascertain that the
naval force engaged during the war will average ID, l94,
and the marine corps 2, 652 for one year, making together
1916. From reliable official data it appears that OF the
large militia force engaged during the war, the whole
number of those who served twelve months or more
was 7,l47. Making tho whole number who served
for the longest period required by the bill, 63, l79. The
number who served less than twelve months, but
as much as six months, was 66,325. The number
known to have served less than six, but as much as
three months, is l25, 643. But there were 1875, 307, the
precise duration of whose service is not known, only that
it was between one and three months. II is reasonable,
| think, to suppose that one third OF these served as
much as sixty days. On this hypothesis, the number
who were in service less than six months, but as much
as sixty days, was about 167 Alp.
There were also lat 200 whose duration OF service is
known to have been less than one month, and to which
number we must add the remaining two-t thirds of those
who served between one and three months, making in
all $50, 1888 whose service being less than sixty days, will
not be entitled to the benefits of the proposed law unless
they were engaged in battle.
From the facts derived from the operations under the
various bounty-land laws, and an examination of the
most approved tables of mortality, il is supposed that of
those who served in the war of 1872, three, eighths are
now living. IL is assumed that Of those who have since
died, two-thirds were married men, and that Of these
one-half left widows.
From these data and hypothesis we conclude that there
are %, 500 surviving soldiers and 1896 widows, in all
rs, 628 persons who would be entitled to pensions of $50
per annum, making So, 74s, 28S 2i,STI soldiers and
5, 1Sl widows, making 30, 052 persons at S75 per annum,
making So, 1853, 900 62, 779 soldiers and Ii, 079 wind
ows, in all rs, 1858 persons at $50 per annum, amount
ing to SO, 1902, 900, making the annual amount which will
be required to pay these three Of the four classes OF PEN
sions provided for by the bill, S. 95, 0s8. If the pres
ent ages of all these persons average sixty eight years,
and their expectation Of Iife-that il, the average dura-
ton or mean length of all their lives is 4 ten years. The
sum involved in the bill from the present time is, there
fore, $s7, $50, $50. But the pensions are to commence
from the 4th of March, 1857, and we must to this sum
add the amount that would accrue from that period to
the present, viz Sic. 39l 404, making in all about
s103, 342, 2s4 about S29, 3l6, 96e of which would be H.
able to be expended prior to the close of the ensuing fis-
cal year, and which would now have to be provided for,
in addition to the expenses incident to the vast ma
chinery necessary in the execution of so comprehensive
law.
The fourth class of benefciaries consists of those who
were engaged in battle but il is utterly impossible TO
form any satisfactory estimate of their number. So far
as those known or supposed to have served twelve months