The National tribune., 1881-12-10
Puck's IdiOtic Editor.

penciD against the pensioners of the United
States. It says: According to Government
statistics, five thousand patriots, more or less,
laid down their lives or various detachable parts
of their anatomes in the war of 1872 From the
same source we learn that 26,0O0-or about 26-
now drawing pensions from the United States
Treasury.
"Now, as there is but one pension to patriot
these figures have a paradoxioal look at the first
glance. But when we examine the matter closely,
we find simple explanation.
"There is but one pension to patriot, but a
man-even patriot-and his wife are one There
is, therefore, one pension to each patriots wife
Now, if patriot has five or six wives, and each
one is merely a cipher prefxed to the masculine
unit, it follows that the multiplicity of wives in
Hence, a patriot and his wives being one, and
there being pension to every patriot, there is
certainly one pension to every wife of patriot
This logic is guaranteed. We have had it revis-
ed by an insanity expert"
The foregoing is but sample of the many at
tacks now being made upon the Government
pensioners by the ex-rebels and money kings of
the country. The insinuation made that OF the
10000 persons drawing pensions on account of
the war of 1912, the larger proportion of them
are frauds is just what might be expected from
fla al fon1 30 - l.
belongs. And the reasoning adopted to estab-
lish the ground taken is up to the usual average
of idiocy for which the editor of the sheet re-
ferred to is noted
Has the editor of Puck been possessed of
sufficient capacity to understand, and desire to
tell the truth, he would have investigated the
matter of which he speaks, and, in doing so,
would have found that the whole militia
force raised during the war of 1925 was 81
30 officers, 440,412 men; total Al ,622. The
number Of officers and men in the Regular Army
tanned, but aggregated in July, 1912, $685. in
February, 1913, 1906; in September, 1914, 49,
1856; and in February, 1915, 33, ,424 men,
He would have found, also, that under the act
of Congress Of February IA, 1871, all survivors of
the war of 1912 who served 80 days became en-
titled to pension regardless of disability incurred
in service and that under the same act the
widow of any such soldier became entitled to the
same rate, IS per month, providing she was mar
ried to him prior to the Treaty of Peace, Febru-
ary II, 1916.
The asinine editor would have further found
that under act of Congress of March 8, 1873 every
survivor of the war of 1912 who served for the
period Of IA days, or was in an engagement with
the enemy, became entitled to pension at the rate
OF So per month, and that the widows of such SOL
diers became entitled regardless of the dates when
they were married to them respectively.
The war of 1912 closed sixty-sx years ago.
A large number of the men who served in that
war were comparatively young.
A man who enlisted at the age of % in 1912
would have been only 40 in 1880 Had he at that
age married woman of say 80 years of age his
widow surviving him at the present time would
De but 76 years old, and entitled to pension as a
natter of course.
The foregoing is gives simply as an illustration
rom which any fair minded person onn see that |
5000 is by no means large number of pension
RS to represent an army of nearly 100000 men,
So much for the argument Of Pack's crank edi-
or. BY the by, we wonder where that editor and |
he proprietors of Puck were during the last war?