The National tribune., 1883-03-15
Sample Cases of PrinceIv Generositv.

Sample Cases of Princely Generosity.
The "princeIy generosity" of the Govern
ment towards its ex-soldiers is favorite
theme with the anti-pension press, and it is
often brought forward as an argument
against any further increase of pensions
mo other government on EARTH" we are
frequently told, "has so literally rewarded
its defenders, and to ask anything more at
its hands would be to impose on it's gener-
osity."
If the payment of pensions to those who
sacrificed everything except life to preserve
the Republic from destruction, and the
widows and orphans of those who sacrificed
life itself, is mere act of charity on the
part of the Government, it must be conceded
that its generosity has indeed been of
princely character; but if, as is actually the
case, the payment of pensions is simply the
execution of legal contract entered into by
the Government in consideration of services
rendered it seems to US that generosity"
is scarcely proper word to employ in this
connection. If it was not an act of gener-
osity in the editor of the Bungto1rn Bugle,
when he was drafted, nearly twenty years
ago. to pay poor Smith thousand dollars to
run the risk of being shot in his place, it is
not an act of generosity in the Government
to support the widow and orphans of poor
Jones, as it promised to do, in case he should
lose his life in its service. The only differ
ence is that the editor of the Bungtown
Bugle had to plank down" his money in
advance, without any conditions whatever,
while the Government was only obligated
to pay in the event that the soldier was
actually killed or disabled.
But, supposing that no contract whatever
existed between the Government and the
soldier, as these newspapers would have the
public believe, isn't it rather a lively
stretch of the imagination to characterize
the payment of eight dollars month to
the widow and two dollars a month
to the orphans of the soldier as an
exhibition of "princely generosity" on
the part of the Government? Eight dol
lars month is little less than two dollars
a week how far will two dollars week
go towards making COED the pecuniary loss,
to say nothing of any other, sustained by a
woman in the death of her husband? What
sort of support viii two dollars a week af-
ford in place Of that of which she has been
deprived? How far will it go towards pay
ing for the absolute necessaries of life-food,
clothing, fuel and lodging? Two dollars
per week is less than thirty cents day.
the editor of the BungtO,rn Bugle would find
it difficult to keep from starving on such
princely generosity" as that!
And what of the pension allowed to the
soldiers orphan? Two dollars per month
is something less than fifty cents per week
seven cents per day! How far will seven
cents per day go towards feeding, clothing,
lodging and educating the son OF daughter
of soldier until the age of sixteen, when
the Governments "princely generosity"
is withdrawn entirely? We fancy the
cruel ingenuity even of Old Squeers him
self, as described by Dickens, would have
proved unequal to the solution of such q
problem in household economy Thirty
cents day for widows and seven cents q
day for orphans! VIII any one venture to
call this generous? VIII any one deny that
it is unjust? The Government has under
taken to "care for him who has borne the
battle and for his widow and orphans" 1t
is but pretense. Measured by any stand
ard of human necessity, the pensions which
it allows them are pitifully and shamefnIIy
and instead of prating about its
"princely generosity" the press of the coun-
try would do well to call attention to the
Governments parsimony and neglect.