The daily gazette., 1880-01-19
Congressional Bribery.

THE LABOR OF THE RISING GENERA
TIoN TAXED TO PAY FOR THE PASS
IONS OF THE OLD NEW ENGLAND
ABoLITIoNEsTs.
The following, from the Baltimore
Sun, shows to what extent the people of
this country are contributing annually
for the luxury Of our late civil war:
sunless some of our patriotic Senators
and Representatives are more discreet In
their appropriations OF the public money
the pension business seems likely to
break down of its own weight. The
rate OF appropriations for pensions Is
sufficiently onerous already, and yet is
rapidly increasing every year. The in
crease in the amount appropriated for
fiscal year ending June 80, 1881, is $3,-
O3S,OO0 over that for the present year.
At the end Of the present fiscal year the
commissioner of pensions estimates that
there will be 25O,00O applications for
pensions pending and unacted upon.
The pensioners upon the rolls to-day
number 241, 1856, so that the applicants
even yet outnumber the actual benef-
ciaries. Tie p~nsion roll was increas-
ed by 1887 names during the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1870, and at the same
rates for next year IL will be increased
tetween 10000 and 10000 names, even
without new legislation to increase IL.
As Senator Davis, of West Virginia, has
said, 'Witbin the next decade, If the
same rate of increase continues, the PEN
sion roll will be doubled, and 1t will re-
quire fiom 500, ,000, 600 to $50, ,OOO, 900 an
nually TO be appropriated for the payment
of pensions. 1t is submitted that this is
Offering too large premium for fighting.
We now spend more money for pensions
every year than we spent for the entire
annual expenses of the government dur
ing the first fifty years of our national
existence, including the cost of the war
of 1912. The appropriations for pen-
sions for the single year 1881 covers more
money than the entire re, olutionary pen
sion roll from first TO last. Between 1901
to 1860 the total appropriations for pen
sion account were $7S,602, ,925.01. Be-
tween 1901 and 1888 the same appropri-
ations aggregated $27, $3.50, 134.51. In the
last eight years we have paid 1924, 1S0,-
532.42 for pensions, being more by 49,
100000 Than was paid in all the previous
years in our history up to 1870. The
payments for pensions now amount to
ID per cent. of the entire revenue OF the
government, and the rate must necessa-
rily increase as the roll does. 1t is the
duty of every such government as ours
to be fair and liberal to its citizen SOL
diers, TO reward them handsomely, and
to see that no one disabled in any way
in its service suffers any consequence.
But at the same time the desire to do
full justice TO our pensioners should not
mislead Legislators into thereby doing
i justice TO the body of the people, The
taxpayers and bread-winners of the
country. There must be considered in
any event, since their profits and indus
tries furnish the revenues from which
alone the dues to the pension rolls can
be sent. The United States now pay
more annually on pension account than
all the rest of the world, the British pen
sion list being $l2, ,795, 900, that of France
$12, GOO, coo, that Of Germany $4,2S6, ,S55,
that of stria-HuDgary $627, $40, and
Belgium $742, 2,000-a total of So ,0OO, 900
against $32, 400, 900 just appropriated by
our government for 1881.