The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-12-25

THE PAYMENT OF PENSIONS.
During the past five years war pensions have cost
! this country nearly s300O00OOO. Our civil war
closed in 65-nearly 20 years ago. The actual con-
tcstants in that w-r-those who have suffered by
it-havc, at least the great bulk Of them gone to
their long home, yet here we are paying out these
pTodgious sums and 2 bill has passed one House
OF Congress appropriating s25,cooOOO annually adj
dtonal pensions. Fully one-third of this vast sum
expended for pensions is absorbed by lawyers,
claim agents, and in fraudulent payments. 1t is
supposed that not than one-tenth Of the whole
. finds It's way to those that have any claim on the
Nation. What might not have been done with this
S3G0,o00000? 1t would have suficod to improve our
rivers and harers 10 have made the Erie Canal a
ship canal; TO have Joined the waters of the Mis-
sissippi and the Lakes; TO have built works that
would have saved the people of the valleys of the
Mississippi and Ohio from annual foundations. 1t
would have given us steamship lines to all the
principal ports of he world as well put
coast in state of defense against possible foreign
enemies This expenditure would also have been
timely, TOO, in keeping our woTSing-Casses en-
ployed and in stimulating our iron and other in
dus!ries ut a time when they unnaturally de-
prest. No doubt this distribution of money to
private persons alieviaed some cases ofindiyiduat
hardship, but how much better 1t would have been
for the country this 800 600 of dollars had been
put into improvements that would have been per-
mancnt and directly helpful to the industry and
trace of the country.
One of the things which The soldiers may
congratulate themselves upon is the clumsi-
ness with which these falsehoods against
them are constructed. A sllilful and we'll
directed opposition to pensions would be
dangerous; but, fortunately, all who are
moved to antagonize justice to soldiers do
it-like the writer of the above-in so
bungling way as to excite ridicule and
sneers.
About the only really accurate statement
in the above is that the war has been over
for nearly 20 years. II does not begin to be
true however, that the "bulk of the actual
contestants have gone to their long home"
Such statement shows woful ignorance of
the ordinary facts bearing upon the average
of life. The men who fought the war
through came cut of it aged from Is to so
years. This would make their present age
from 50 to 80 years, so that they are not yet
old men by any means, were it not that the
strains and hardships of their military serv-
ice have made them premature]y old.
Admitting that the sum which has been
paid these men is very large it must be
kept in mind that the number to whom il
is paid is enormous. There were 2859,G00
men enlisted from first TO last, and four
years of savage warfare by this immense
host must have resulted in myriads of Grip
pied and broken-down men. The army
Invalids" on the pension-ron this year
number 218,956, which is certainly small
| aggregate when we remember the size of
the armies mustered, and what they did.
The "Army Widows, Minor Children and
Dependent Relatives" make 1886 more,
which is an inadequate ratio to the 100000
mieh whom the Army lost by death during
the war, and the hundreds of thousands who
have died since. The sums paid these peo-
pie are all insignificant as compared with
their needs and their services. Twenty-Five
| thousand Of them get 81 a month or less;
10000 of them get between 81 and 81;
$4,000 between 81 and Sc; and the number
| decreases rapidly as we rise in amount. But
5000 get even so slender a support as $50
month, 602 get $40, and but one man gets
500. The average yearly payment is only
$106.72- per pensioner, or less than So
month per head. We do not see how this
can be called extrayagant generosity to the
Nations defenders.
1t is noticeable that the writer has nothing
to say Of the amount that has been paid
another class of the Governments creditors
the bondholders and money-lenders. Yet
since the war they have received $500 mil
lions Of dollars where the soldiers have
received 7O0 millions.
That is, the men who had fat contracts
with the Government found it pro-
fitable customer for their goods, or who
loaned it money on very advantageous
terms have had paid back 20 them So where
| those who gave the Nation their youth,
health, and lives have only received 81! If
length of time since the war is good reason
for stopping payment to the soldier it is
| equally good reason for Withholding pay
ment to the bondholder. If the largeness of
the amount already paid the soldier is sufii-
cient reason for stopping further payments
to him it is precisely as good reason for
ceasing payments to the bondholder. What
is sauce for the goose makes just as good
! dressing for the gander. The loyal people
Of the country have always insisted that all
classes Of the Nations creditors should be
paid in full; that oil the obligations it in
CURED in prosecuting the struggle were
sacred, and should be discharged with hon
orable punctiliOusness. This is the only
correct view.
The climax of absurdity is reached in the
statement that fully one-third OF this vast
sum expended for pensions is absorbed by
lawyers, claim agents, and in fraudulent
pensions" The man who could write such