Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-02-13
MERE.MENTION.

isiana, is a Jew. He is the third Israelite
who has occupied seat in the Senate-the
others being David Yulee, Of Florida, and
Judah p Benjamin, of Louisiana. '''''''' 1t is
said that some anti Grant Republicans are
quietly organizing a movement to bring for
ward the present secretary of war, George W..
McCrary, as the candidate for the Republican
nomination as President .'.'''''''Tennessee owes
Maryland, and it is stated that the latter will
sue her sister State in the Supreme Court Of
the United States. -. Governor Hart
ranft, of Pennsylvania, has been appointed
postmaster at Philadelphia. There is not
a antdwelling in the city of Montgomery,
Alabama. .........In the Savannah District,
Hon. w. B. Flemming, of Liberty county,
has been nominated as candidate for Con-
gress, to supply the vacancy occasloned by
the death of Hon. Julian Hartridge.
"i. THE PENSION LAW. .l,;,...- ~.
Hon. D. Wyatt Aiken furnishes the Charles
ton, Nsws and Courier with the following in:
formation in regard to the pension law re-
Gently passed by Congress .s. .,..
On the 25th of January, Mr.. Hayes ap-
proved the "Arrears of Pension Bill" thus
making it the law. Every mail since has
brought me- one or more letters from friends
in South Carolina, expressing qualification at
this fact, and inquiring how the writer should
proceed to secure his (or herr back pay, tor ne
(or she) the pensioner, had been in the Semi
mole, Black Hawk, Mexican or some 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 amss to publish few thoughts upon the
subject of pensions, as our people at the South
are morbidly sanguine that the present Con
gress will give many of them material relief
by passing pension laws, which will apply to
Southern as we'll as Northern soldiers who
were in wars anterior to 1861.
In 1871 Il think pension law was en-
acted granting pension to every soldier who
had been disabled, (or his representative if
he had been killed. in the "war waged 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 passage of the law, and all soldiers who
did not, within FIVE years from that date, ap
ply for a pension, were to be debarred.
The arrears of Pension Bill amends
that law so as to date the day of payment
back to the day of the death or wounding OF
the soldier, aud removes the FIVE years re-
striction. So, if soldier was wounded at
the first battle of Manassas and is drawing
but So a month, this bill gives him addition
al pay of nearly $1,000 in the aggregate
There are over 100000 of these pensioners,
and their number will be greatly increased by
the removal 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 $3O,O00,O00 to pay these arrearages, and
some say it will require all of SlO000o,Ooo
The only obstruction now in the way is the
passage of a bill to appropriate money to
meet the demands of this arrears bill. Wheth-
or this will be an impediment of any conse-
quence, you may judge when l tell you
wooden. legged Federal general framed and
introduced the bill in Democratic House
which passed it; it then passed a Republican
Senate, and was approved by Republican
President, who, convinced at least OF its I'M
propriety, hesitated several days before ne
would sign it, but had not the nerve to veto it.
The appropriation committee will doubt
less recommend the necessary appropriation /;
the Southern members will not oppose it
from that delicate sense Of honor peculiar to
them; the two parties, North and South, will
vie with each other in approving the appro-
priation; the money will be required to come
forth, and the man who chews tobacco or
takes an occasional glass of grog will have to
pay that much more for his quid and his
toddy.
The surviving volunteer soldiers of the
war are really power in the land, and the
two parties North are vieing with each other
to secure their votes, 50 that this arrears pen
sion matter is not, and cannot be considered,
a just claim upJn the Treasury Of the United
States, but is virtually, if not really, politi-
cal measure advocated by either party to de-.
feat the other. Neither will gain or deserve
special credit, and so "honors will be easy"
A few more words upon the general ques-
ton of pensions. On the 9Th Of March, a law
was enacted to pension the surviving soldiers,
or the widows of soldiers, of the war Of 1872
Would YOU believe it, there are now on file in
the pension Office more than 26,0OO applica-
tions for pensions under that bill did not
think this could possibly be the case, but 80
it is. Human longevity has been admirably
illustrated since the passage Of that bill. AS
have received what appeared to me to be a
fair proportion of these pension claims from
the veterans of the war of 1912, have null
tiplied that number by 292, the number of
representatives upon the floor of the House,
and find that the product is but little more
than one-third the reported number of ap-
plicants. have wondered where these 26,.
900 veterans or surviving widows came from.
The effect of the unanticipated number, l
fear, has killed the possibility Of the passage
of law pensioning the surviving soldiers of
the Seminole and Mexican wars These wars
were fought principally by Southern soldiers,
and this will be another reason why pensions
will never be paid to their veterans. When
the pension bill relating to these wars was
recently under consideration in the House,
some Que moved to amend by adding clause
granting a pension to every volunteer soldier
who was in the Federal army from 1861 to
1864 inclusive Would you believe it, it
passed by acclamation, which really killed
the pension bill; therefore, can but say to
the Southern survivors of the Florida, Black
Hawk or Mexican wars possess your souls in
patience, for do not believe the Forty-6fth
Congress will award you one dollar for the
duty performed or the exposure and risk you
suffered for "our common country"
There is another pension bill yet to be re-
ported to the House, which restores to the
pension roll those men and their widows Of
the South who were once on the roll, but