The National tribune., 1885-10-01
GRADUATED PENSIONS.
A Scheme Suggested by Wisconsin Comrade.

To THE EDITOR: On reading the admirable
speech of Comrade &. II. GroSvenor, published
in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE of the 1ith ult.,
on the proposition of securing a service pen
sion, my mind reverted to a proposition which
j advocated some years since: SO thought |
would iot down my ideas, which, if you are in
cined to do SO, you set aflOat, and once set
agoing | believe some good may come of it.
While agreeing with the comrade on the i'm
praCticability of the sccuringa service pension,
l believe Congress ought to enact a law In lieu
of the same, placing all persons who may have
served in the army or navy in any of the wars
in which the country has been, or may here
after be- engaged in upon the pension rolls on
graduated scale of increase, upon their arriv
ing at some certain age specified in the law.
For instance, at 60 years Of age they shall be
placed the pension rolls at s. per month
and increased 81 per month each year, so that
at the age of 90 they will be rated at SO per
month then increased at 81. 80 pcrmonth each
year for four years; then increased at 50 per
month each year until they shall arrive at so
years of age. Also increasing the pensions of
all who arc now may be placed on the PEN
sion rolls, as they arrive at the age calling for
greater pension than they are now receiving
so that as the iniirmities of age come upon
them all will have an equal pension, and that
all arriving at the age of so years shall be rated
at SO per month, and remain at that rate dur
ing the balance of their lives.
Would law of this kind do more than jus
tice to those who i'll the prime of manhood
may imperl their lives for the Nation? And
would it not be more magnanimous and look
better before the world, and as though the
Government intended that none of her de-
Tenders should be dependent on the cold
charities of the world than to wait, as has
been its custom, instanced in its tardy
action in granting pensions to a few of the last
survivors of the soldiers of the Revolution and
the war of f1S1214, and is now being agitated for
the soldiers of the Mexican war, and remove
some of the stigma that Republics are migrate
full? An act of justice, in that it would place
all who may fight the battles of our country on
An equal footing; and is there any good reason
why any one who has defended the country
in any war, should not receive pension in his
old age, well as the last survivors of some par
ticIJar war?
There are great many soldiers Of the war of
the rebellion who enlisted at an advanced age,
who did good service, and have arrived at or
past the age of 60, many of whom are suffering
from diseases superinduced by the exposures
and hardships of their soldier life, "A fact, how
ever that is not susceptible of the proof re-
quired by the Pension Bureau and are conse-
quently without pension and Will go down
to their graves without a pension-Some Of them
from the almshouse, no doubt-without the
enactment of law like the one indicated
above; and such will always be the case i'll any
war where large number of volunteers are
called out Now why should not they have
pension in their old age, (and that pension large
enough to support them as well as those who
served in the same war in their younger days,
and be the last survivors of the war? for from
precedents it is reasonable to expect that they
will be pensoned.
1t seems to me if the GAR. viii press this
matter upon Congress, some measure Of the
kind indicated would speedily become a law.
There are many arguments which might be
urged III favor Of the proposition, but will not
intrude further at this time-F. L. MELVIN,
Co d, I'd Wis, and Co. K, 2ith n. Y, Brook
lYn, Wis.