The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-02-13
ONE HUNDRED MrLLIoNss
he True Inwaraneas OF tho Pension Ar
rear1 Bi,i.
WAsHIAaToN, D. o., Eel. 8, l979.

wAsHLsGToS, D. O., Feb. 8, 1879.
2b ahe Editors ofthe Ne,cs and Courier.
On the 25th of january, Mr. Hayes ap-
proved the "Arrears of Pension Bell"
thus making it the law. Every mail
since has Brought me one or moro letters
| from friends ia South Carolina express
| ing qualification ut this fact, and inquir-
ing how the writer should proceed to
secure his Tor herl back pay, for he Tor
she) pensioner, had been ir the Seminole,
Black Hawk, Mexican or eome other war,
with which the "Arrear bill" had moth.
ing to do. Before this reaches you their
hopes will have been blasted, but it may
not be amiss to publish few thoughts
upon the subject Of pensions, as our peo-
pie at the South arc morbidly sanguine
that the present Congress will give many
of them material relief by passing pen
sion laws, which will apply TO Southern
as we'll as Northern soldiers who were in
wars anterior to 1851.
In 1871 Il think) o pension Law was
enacted granting pension to every sol
resentative if ne had been filled) In the
"war seged for the suppression of the
rebellion OF course this meant only
Federal soldiers. The day of payment
of the pension was to date from the pas
sage Of the law, and all soldiers who did
not within five years from that date apply
for pension were to be debarred.
The arrears of Pension Bill" amends
that law 80 as to date the day os payment
back to the day of tho death or wounding
| of the soldier, and removes the five years
| restriction. SO, if soldier was wounded
| at the Grst battle of Manassas and is
drawing out So month, this bill gives
him additional pay of nearly $1,000 in
the aggregate. There are over 100000
of these pensioners, and their number
will now be greatly increased by the re.
moval of the five yearS restriction and
this Jumping off to them of ten years.
| pay at one payment.
| No one estimates that it will require
less than 10000, 900 to pay these arrear-
ages, and some say It will require all of
1000, 900. The only obstruction now
in the way Ia the passage of bill TO ap-
| propriate money to meet the demands of
this arrears bill. Whether this will be
an impediment of any consequence, you
may judge when tell you wooden
legged Federal general framed and in
tToduced the bill in u Democratic House
which passed it; it then passed q Repub-
1 AiStu LOCutltCy du0 W&S tppIONSu Dy u Ne
publican President, who, convinced at
least of its improperly, hesitated several
days before he would sign it, but had not
the nerve to veto it.
The appropriation committee will
j doubtless recommend tne necessary ap-
! preparation, the Southern members yil!
not oppose il ffum that dciicIto seu5e Of
honor peculiar to them, me two parties,
North and South, will vie with each
other in approving tho appropriation, the
money will be required to come forth,
aud the man who chews tobacco or takes
an occasional class of grog will have to
pay that mucil more for his quid and his
toddy. I
/ The surviving volunteer soldiers of the
war are really power in the land, and
the two parties North are vieiug with
each other to secure their. votes, so that
this arrears pension matter 10 not, and
cannot be considered, just claim upon
the treasury of the United States, but is
virtually, if not really, political meas
n1e advocated by either party 20 defeat
the other. Neither will gain or deserve
special credit, and 30 Hhonors will be
easy.'
! 4 few more words upon the general
questions of pensions. On the 9th March
O law was enacted to pension the surviv-
ing soldiers, or the widows of soldiers, OF
the war of 1912. Would you believe it,
there are on file now in the pension Office
moro than $4,000 applications for pen.
sions under that bill? did not think
this could possibly be the case, but SO 1t
is. Human longevity has been admira.
bly, illustrated since the passage of that
bill. AS have received what appeared
to me to be fair proportion of these
pension claims from the vetefans of the
war Of 1912, have multiplied that mum.
} ber by 2S2, the numbes of Representatives
upon she foos OF the House, and find
that the product is little more than one.
third the reported number Of applicants
} have wondered where these $4,000 vet
eranS or surviving widows came from.
i. The effect of this unanticipated r-m.
, ber, fear, has killed the possibility o.
the passage of q law pensioning the sur
viving soldiers of the Seminole or MeZi
can wars. These waEs we're fought prin
9 cipally by Southern soldiers, and this viii
be another reason why pensions viii
: mover be paid TO taeir veterans. Wher
the pension bill relating to these war.
was recently under consideration in ths
House, some one moved to amend by
adding g clause granting pension t
! OtCIy tOluuGSoL GOluloE WHO WIS III GHl
, Federal army from 1851 to 1864, inclu
q sive. Would you bsheve it, it passed By
! exclamation, which really killed the pen
l sion bill; and therefore I can but say {,
the Southern survivors of the F)srida
I Black Hawk or Mexican wafs, pfases
your Gouis in patience, for d. not be
!. lieve the Forty fifth Congress will SwaS,
!, you one dollar for The dnty you peffo. mst
, or the exposure and risk you suffered 60
"A "onr co.nnann country"
al There is anothef pension bill yet to b
|. .'epugtei to the House, which restores .
the pension roll those men and thei
: widows Of the South who were once o
! the roll, but were stricken from it by a
q act passed in February, 1862. Whethe
|. is will be reported this Congress I or
: unable TO say. And if reported, whethe
4 it will beconie law, no one now can tel
. You have heard of the man who said n
4 one but q Creator could antia!:.ate wha
4 womb pc the verdict OF jury. You G
!, could diagnose the hidden verdict of
. half dozen juries, even South Carolip
q post bellum jnries, easier than ne coul
: anticipate the fate of bill in the Forty
|. fifth Congress, nnleds il were q bill know
4 to be for the benefit of th, entire Nortl
= / do not believe tine s;::.@. restoring th
a Soutkerners to their rights will pass
I first, becanse the Republican party d
!. not think W.. have any rights that the
are hound 70 respect; end ssze3fss11iissjT- b
q cause the Northern Democracy are
Il nearly of the same opinion that they wi
y not oppose the Republicans 10 order
!. favor us OF the South. The Nations
: Il 1an1ocracv fn.dav a m ,,rorficollxy Eivtde