New-York tribune., 1884-01-14
yOI.XLIII.. NO. 1854.
SWELLING PENSION LlSlo'
oo,p STARTLING FACTS AND FIGURES.
,rw BILLS BEFORE CONGRESS TO CREATE rhN-
sIo>ERs-FNoRMous SUMS INVOLVED

,.;aoo the "pensiOn population OF the Ohlteu
S.otes into five classes, follows: Living soIuiels
anA sailors who have not applied LOT pehS'""',
oeo 2O: living soldiers and sailors who nave appe"
Cor peusons 1876 721; dead soldiers ana sailors Wno
t Vt, nonsionable relatives who have not applied
for pensoins, 72340; dead soldiers anu
.orors who left pensionable relatives who have
,:aa sanU, Cor pens,ons. 3l2O29; dead soldiers
ond sailors who left no pensionaoie reia-
tircs 100000. These figures disclose
a. futnre possibibilities of the pension
business and they are studied with eager and IN
.nso interest by every one engaged in that lmpor-
.ont branch of American industry, Tor such IL mas
hooome under the extremely liberal legislation Oh
Congress.
The pension claim agents know that every per-
son nclnded in the first and third casseS-nuHoer-
ing in all O3 551-is possible Client ana thaV
fair percentage of those in the second anu loul'n
classes-sOS 750 in all-can he Inducedto apply iol
an increase of the pensions they new receive lho
latter fact was discovered by the c'"il
o,,onts ae soon as the list of pensioners
was published by the Government laSt Su'"'"'i'
and since that time the applications for increases
have poured in, in a steady and rapidly growing
yolnme For example, 2,74O pensioners applied 1or
an i,crcosc Of their pensions in August; III NoVem-
Lor the number of like applications numbered D.
IA and in December it was 4,3OS. III INC SlA
months ended December 81, more than ZZ'Ooo aP-
-I.1a.ions ror increase were filed In the same
,oriod X 163 persons belonging the same class
appIied for pensions also did 0'SSo persons oe-
longing to the third class Besides THESE 3z' al-
plications were filed by supervisors and WIDOWS ol
the war of 1912.
Az ENORMOUS EXPENDITURE POSSIBLE
BEFORE noticing the numerous propositions 10 eA-
+ord and 'Hberalize" the pension laws, it may be
hat wit
+bose laws. and providing that all claims pending
ord IN he filed shall be adjustable before Ju l,
1888 the amount required to pay pensions arising
from the War of the Rebellion will be 81 ,29o'Z
oOOa sum exceeding the inteTest-bearlng puohc
debt of the United States But the present laws
will not be allowed to stand, If the clam
AGENTS and the men IN Congress VINO
court 1.-THE soldier vote" can have their way. FOR
months past the former have been flooding the
country with circulars and appeals to the old SOL
diers and petitions by the hundred thousand have
been sent out for signatures. 1t is SAID that one
firm of claim agents alone has sent out half mil
lion circulars and petitions within the last six
months the former designed to STIR mp the veter-
ans Of the Union army to demand their rights,
and the latter to be signed and sent to Representa-
tyes and Senators evidences of" public opinion.
The same general plan has been pursued in order to
manufacture public sen iment" for the benefit
of the survivors Of the Mexican and certain Indian
wars.
NEW PENSION AND BOUNTY BILLS.
The result is that more than 100 pension and
bounty bills and resoutiOnso of general nature have
been offered in Congress since this session began.
More than twenty of them for the benefit of the
soldiers and Survivors of the Mexican
and certain Indian wars. ir document
sent TO the last Congress. Commissioner Dudley
estimated that the Mexican pension scheme
would cost the United States $74,3i4OOO,
and that the proposition to pension the survivors
and widows of the Semn le Florida, Black Hawk,
Creek and Cherokee Indian wars and the New-iOrk
frontier disturbances in 1889 would cost $2S,2O1,-
600, making total of $102 545 900. Several bills
have been introduced to remove the limitations as
to time of filing pensions under the Arrearages act
measure Of this sort would Immediately affect
100 IA claims now pending to the extent of in
creasng the first payment IN each case allowed from
about SlOG TO about 1886 on the average. Esti-
mating the proportion of these claims that will be
allowed at elghty-hve per cent-which experience
has shown to be n.Iry conect-it will be found
that the additional cost on the claims now pending
would amount to So, ,S34,S0 This does not n-
elude claims filed and allowed during the last three
years and half upon which arTearages have not
been paid, but upon which arrearages would
At once accrue if the measure should
tula applications which arc now pouring
IN al The rate of 10000 yeaT-a rate which would
be largely increased if the temptation afforded by
0ew ATrearages act should be offered to the claim
agents and their possible clients.
BILLS TO INCREASE PENSIONS.
There is also series of bills to increase pensions
for various kinds of disability. Mr.. Curtin, for
ample wants the pensions increased of all pension
YRS "whO lost an arm at or above the shoulder
lont" He has another bill to pay to all pensioners
who lost an arm or leg $40 a month, and $40
a month in addition if they received other
wounds OF incurred additional disability. The same
bill gives $50 per month to all who had leg ampu
tated at the hip joint and $72 per month to all who
lost both an arm and leg. Mr.. Peters, of Kansas
poves 10 extend these provisions so that any pen
soner who received gun-shOt wound which dis
Rbed him to the same extent" that the loss of leg
or arm would have done may receive the same
pension Senator Voorhees, demands that the rate Of
pensions for widows and dependent relatives sha b
Increased from SIS TO $l2 per month, besides the
allowance of 81 per month for each child under
sixteen years of age. Senator Lapham has bill
which provides that any widow, who has also lost
one more in the or in consequence there
Of, shall receive the same pension as a soldier
now receives who has lost leg above
the knee an arm above the elbow.
bill offered by Mr. Geddes. of Ohio gives
pensions 10 the dependent father or mother
of every deceased soldier. whether the depend-
occurred in the lifetime OF since the death Of
the soldier"
SCHEME TO PENSION ALL SURVIVORS
Mr.. Peters, of Kansas. and Mr.. Hart of Ohio 90
In for pensioning all the Union Army Mr. Hart's
bill provides thateve y honorable discharged Union
Ioldier and sailor shall from after reaching the age
Of ffty-fve receive a pension of 81 per month
antil he arrives at the age of sixty when the rate
ihall be doubled and continue at S. per
month during the remainder of his life and
hat every honOrably discharged soldier and sailor,