Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-30

which is now pending IN the House to in
crease the pensions of widows, children
and dependent relatives OF eX-Union
soldiers FROM s. to $l2 a month, and the
amendm, to it, were to pass there
would Pee a new demand on the Treasury
for several hundreds Of millions of dollars.
Itls estimated that the widows bill, as
TITS called would increase the pension
. burden $5,ooo,0oo year, and the Commis-
sioner Of Pensions has furnished state
mant which shows thattne amendment TO
that bill, which provides for the repeal Of
the limitation clause OF the arrears act,
would require 5000, $50, 200 TO meet it's de-
mands. Il il by no means certain, how
over, thar this enormous amount would
be anywhere near sufficient. When the
arrears act was passed it's advocates in
sisted that it would not take
mere than $2j,O00000 from the Treasury.
! Already over $l19,0J0Oo0 has been paid
! out by It's authority, and before the pend
/ ing claims are settled the total will reach
! S-60,0O0, GOO. 1t will De seen that il VIII
cost the country over ten times the
/ amount that il wasestimated it would. II
tlls amendment repeating its restrictions
were 70 become "A law. and IT'S actual re-
quIrements should exceed the estimates TO
/ bali the extent which the requirements Of
the original act exceeded the estimates,
the country would be burdened with
debt that it could not pay in hslf a cen
fury without excessive taxation.
There is no justice in the proposition to
open the way again to claims which were
not pressed when the arrears act was N
force, and which now would aggregate
thousands Of dollars in each case.
1t cannot be SAID that the country has
not already dealt generously with its
soldiers. 1t has enlarged the pension list
/ time and time again, ana more than once
it mas increased the pensions OF certain
classes of pensioners. There Is ROW a
| feeling, which is gradually increasing in
/ strength, that all has been done for the
! eX-UEion soldiers, and those dependent
/ upon them, that can reasonably be asked.
! In the twenty years and more that have
/ passed since the close Of the civil strife
/ Congress has voted a very cons iderable
/ portion OF Its time to egislatiug for the
/ soldier element. Notwithstanding all
/ that has been done the demand for pen
/ sion legislation is almost as strong now
as it was when the first pension bills were
/ presented.
1 This condition OF Affairs justfes the
/ inquiry whether the ex- Union soldiers are
cIamoring at the doors of Congress for
1 further help, or whether these constant
raids on the Treasury Tor additional peu-
/ siOns are organized and led bv dama-
gogues in Congress, supported hy pension
attorneys. 1t is not a difficult matter to
/ find out that ex-Unlon soldiers have little
to do with proposing new pension legisla-
4 ton. This sort of work is done BY pen
sion attorneys, and is advocated by dema-
/ gogues in Congress who hope TO increase
I their popularity with their constituents.
/ The question which the people are be-
/ ginning to ask is, when is this constant
increase of the pension burden to ceaseF
Few Congressman from the North have
| the courage to protest against increasing
the pension charge. They are silent while
the demagogues and pension attorneys
boldly press their schemes to a successful
issue.
southern Congressman have little to say
in pension matters. They have all along
| felt delicacy in opposing measures for
/ increasing the number and pensions OF
pensioners. The time has come. however,
/ when they must put aside dehcacy aud
/ do their whole duty. Honest men will
not mIsconstrue their motives, and they
can afford to have them misconstrued bv
/ demagogues. The New York Erening
Post, speaking of the proposition to repeal
4 the limitation clause of the arrears act.
says: 1T was long a stock plea for the re-
tention OF the Republican party in power
that, if the Democrats came into control,
they would bankrupt the National Treas
ury by voting pensions to Confede-
rate soldiers. The situation to-day
is that the National Treasury is
il danger Of being bankrupted
by reckless pension acts for Union SOL
ders, and that the main reliance OF Re-
publican tax payers in the North tor sal
walton from this peril is the opposition to
sueh bills OF the Confederate Brigadiers.'
There has seldom been a better illustra-
ton of the irony OF fate"
The South Is deeply interested in hav-
ing stop put to this reckless waste Of
public money for pensions. she is ask
ing TO have her rivers and harbors i'm
proved so that her resources can be
developed more rapidly. Her requests
thus far have not met with a generous
response, and will not perhaps il so large
a part OF the national revenues is alb
sOrbed by pensions.
There is also avery general desire that
the work Of certifying our coast aud
harbors shall be begun at once, and that
the construction OF our navy shall be
carried on more vigorously. There is not
much probability, however, that this
desire viii be grati6ed il the demagogues
are permitted 10 bankrupt the Treasury
with their pension schemes.
Jay Gould and the Detectives.
The story which the New York Times