Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-04-14
DAILY POST -IsEEllIGEHcER
4ux rxxsssxrws ~ snx sxsrEs
STATES.

W<tf&H 4W0f ~
fug pxxxssxKHs ef fmE exsrxs
STATES.
Ihs pensisa reilsef sbs uuifsi states
~ sbs bseinnisg II sss 6-sAl ysAs. CON
ssir<d shs sno<psns numhs< u zNzel
ssnss, q ukon s7G vsrs sbsrs On 80
sount Of services ssndessd u shs nsvy,
snd z<f.sfg % ssssanf 81 sefvic<s 10
sns army. Tbs psnsioss range frsu u
. moukk 30 500. szd sss dsvsdsd inso
slanses seryinx IN smo1nt iron II
cents % 81. OF ske u eisss there sss
lzeG psssssners. Of tbe SIfD class oxs
psnsssuer ouiy. It's prsst srajsris5
Of the psnsisnsrs sserses IN the neigh
borsoOa Of - . month, there bssre
sbont o. many under that rate - above
Il. or the 81 pensioners theirs ara a.
fs4: Of shs 81 elsas. 80 ISL. or more than
noy ethers u shs - Glass. "a Sd Of tie
q oisss, ~ .7775: Of the SO class. szs7;
Of the fiz cssss. 1sstse; Of the SIC
s;ass. 4<ss; Of shs - class. 5000; Of
tae 90 oisss. 5sz7; Of The $50 class. 50.
and of tbs sTz . sonsh class. $40.
Eoswishsfendlne the long period that
has ELAPSED siase the close Of the var
nov 81 ysAss--ihs nnmbeE Of p1nsior-
ere osnsinuts 70 increass. This b s~ins
70 varsity Of eanses. A great ms1y
vsrs xlsw n appiyias for toe bssssy Of
tss 0ovenments nssny yss noe hssi1g
presented themselves. Again. there has
been On alspess snnsal sxssusion Of the
nsla. tens Of shsassnds being made
eligible who vers uct three years AGO.
Durise tbs past fortnight, BY she pas
saos Of the biII for the bsasfs Of tbs
mexican var veterans. . further addi-
SION has been fazde vssiouziy estimated
10 include from II 900 10 u 600 persons.
Al every session Of Congress hnncssds
sf spsoisI psnsiops are granted. Nsariy
hundred thousand olaims Cor pensioss
ere psrding. most Of which will be
granted vishoat cosbs. That the nam-
Der spon the rolls will exceed shrse
hundseA thousand a year or tso
hssos is reasonable belief. not
withstanding the Immense annual
elimination BY death. Inc law granting
pension arrearaess takes from the Fed
ersi Treasury great individual SUMS,
and In the aggregate an enormous
amount Of aoney. For instance,
man who lost . lex twenty fss years
ago. and who nov goes upon tho psn
sion rolls for tbs Erss time. IL entitled
under the provisions Of the arrsaraesa
got 70 peasion money the whole time,
800 hundred months al $50 nopth--
$500. Drafts upon the Government 10
this way for i've and ak thousand dol
lars are quite eonmsn, aud there have
been Q Number Of over len thousand
dollars. Nothing like this has ever
been known outside The United States.
Prior 10 ths var Of rebellion our pen-
sioncrs wsrs bat handful. compare
lively. nss includine ell those even Who
participated IN ths Revolutionary war
and var Of 1919. Ia 1859 the cost to
the Nation amounted 10 only ts52,17o
and In 1853 TO si,07s.sia. From that
time on ihs growth has been rapid, the
pension expenditures Of 1854 aggreeas-
ing s4.ses.A7i; Of 1865. $i6.8i7,s2l; in
1866. t20. sss .6s2. and In 1871, sst.4i3.-
ss5.4 II vas thsuehs the top had been
reached, and had BEEN for time. the
outgo on this acaaaat slowly diminish
Ina until in 1878 II vas only $27, is7. 0l9.
Then the arreayages Law vas enacted.
and immediately there was great In
crease, 81. i2i .ls2 being expended ON
pensions account In 1879. $50,05s. 80
In 1881, and So. s.Ooi 10 1856. Dur
Ina the past twenty four years the whole
smennt paid has bean f765. Gee $40, and
u IL safe 10 cav ~ much moro will be
paid In the next tweniy-foar years.
without the help Of another day OF war
fare The pension money alone Of the
past sin years exceeded In amoont all
the money expended in the maints-
nance Of the entire Government daring
the SIX years prior to 1861. or any
twelve years Of peace prior 10 the Mexi-
can var. From these figures and state
ments IL viii be seen that var Ia a costly
luxury, and that the bills for Il are not
all paid BY the eonsemporsneous gene.
ration. bas many Of them hf,y, seventy
Eve and hundred years later.