Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-02-01
New Pension Schemes.


The clamor against the arrears Of pen
sions act has no terror for the authors of
new schemes for depicting the treasury in
the name of the defenders Of the union
Bills for equslizing bounties, for pensoning
the survivors of nearly every unpleasant
ness the,nation has ever had, British, Indian,
Mexican and civil, bills providing for CIV
ing additional money to the soldiers. of the
late war in some new form, multiply on the
table Of the pensions committee. The lat.
est scheme is for the payment of money to
union soldiers confined in confederate pris-
ons during the war. There are two bills
covering this scheme,-one by Mr. Van
Voorhis of New York, which provides that
the commissioner of pensions shall be au-
thorized and directed to pay to each union
soldier who was confined in any confederate
prison during the war of the rebellion the
sum of 81 for each day of such confinement.
The other by Mr.. Mosgrove of Pennsylvania
places upon the pension rolls all honorably
discharged federal soldiers and sailors who
were captured and confined during the
period of six months or more in any of the
prisons or places used for confinement of
prisoners by the confederate authorities,
and who are not now pensioners or are en-
titled to become pensioners under existing
laws. The pensions proposed by this bill
are to begin on the day of the discharge Of
the soldier and to be at the rate of IS a
month in cases where the term of imprison-
ment was more than six months aud less
than year, and 81 month additional for
each full month in excess of year. This
measure proceeds upon the ground that
many soldiers who became prisoners suf-
fered permanent injury to their health, their
debility being of that general and indefin-
able character which excludes them from the
benefit of existing pension laws. In respect
to the amount of money which would be
demanded to satisfy the provisions of either
of these proposed measures, well informed
officers of the government, speaking with
out reference to the records estimate that
there were three hundred thousand soldiers
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average time of imprisonment was six
months. Upon this estimate Mr.. Van Voorhis
bill would call for S5i,000,0O0. As seven
teen years will have elapsed in July since
the grand mastering out, nearly s5OO,OOO,-
900 would be required for arrears under the
Mosgrove bill, and an annual sum there
after of about S2S,0OO,OOO. Bills for pay
ment of pensions to civil officers injured in
the enforcement of the revenue laws, their
widows and orphans and for the payment
of bounties to the heirs of colored troops
serving in the late war, are among the
measures proposed by patriotic congress
men. To all just measures for the relief
of any soldier or any soldiers family from
want and hardship occasioned by his devo.
ton to his country, there can be no reasona-
BILE objection. But these measures SAVIOR
more strongly of profit to claim agents than
of justice to suffering soldiers. 1t is much
too soon after the passage of the arrears Of
pension bill to feel any anxiety that these
schemes as proposed will be authorized by
congress or sanctioned by the executive.