Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-19

I Congress IS doing what 1t can 10 MI thc
with paupers. 1t is certain that
the percentage Of pagpers will increase IN
proportion as the Snount paid out for pen
SONS ia increased. Some recently pub
lishad statistics show that nOtwthstand-
inr the vast sums OF money annually dis
tributed in pensions at the North there
are many times more paupers,amOng the
ex-soldels of the civil war there than at
the South. Indeed, the number OF eX-
soldiers at the South who are applican Is
/ for charity is remarkably small,
while at the North 1t is
enormously large. The reason is
/ this: The Southern soldiers at the close
OF the war, having no reason to expect
aid from any source, went to work man
fully and courageOusly IN earn support.
They soon acquired habits of industry
and now, as a rule, they are comparative
ly Independent. OF course the grea t ma
iority OF the Northern soldiers did exactly
as the Southern soldiers did, but as one
class after another or them were put on
the pension rolls many relaxed their efforts
to earn a living and began to look
to the government for support. They and
their families became less industrious
and economical as Congress showed a
greater readiness to vote pensions, and
that is the reason that the dependence
upon charity among the ex-sodier ele-
ment at the North is 80 much greater than
it IL among the same element at the
South.
The question, are Congressman who
are continually urging additional pen
siOns true friends of the eX-soldiers? is
very pertinent one. II they are making
paupers instead of relieving suffering
they cannot be doing the ex-soldIers or
the country a service.
The pension legislation proposed by
such men as Senators Blair and Logan is
so extravagant that it justities the in
quiry whether they are really anxious to
help the soldiers or are seeking to pro-
mote their own political fortunes. Sem
ator Blair has a bill now before the Sem
ate in which 1t is proposed to give pen
sion to every man who enlisted who is
now unable to earn living, even though
his present disability does not arise from
wounds received or disease contracted in
the service. Not only are the disabled ex-
soldiers, according to this bill, to be sup.
ported at public expense, but also their
dependent families.
Who is there, who can estimate with
any degree of correctness the amount
which this bill would take out of the
Treasury annually? AT the lowest esti-
mate 1t would put 25O, 900 additional names
on the pension rolls. In speaking in favor
of it Senator Blair threatened that If it
were not passed the Republican party
would soon get control of the government
again, and would pension every man who
enlisted in the Union armies. 1t would,
he said, add 100000 of names to the roll
Of pensions. A statement like this
on the floor of the United
States Senate is absolutely start
ling. Pension legislation Of that
kind would put an almost unbearable
burden upon the people. Startling as
| Senator Blair's statement is, however,
vote to give pension to every eX-Unlon
soldier and to everyone in any way de-
pendent upon him. Only last Monday
Senator Logan offered an amendment to
the pending pension bill to increase the
pension of every pensioner to IS month
WHO'S getting less than that sum. There
are many thousands Of this class. They
are getting less than So because the disa-
bility from which they are suffering is
hardly worth mentioning. The most OF
them probably are not entitled to any
pension at all.
1t is believed by many that the Republi-
cans generally favored the Mexican pen
sion bill, which gives every man who en-
listed for the Mexican war a pension, in
order to secure precedent for giving
every eX-Union soldier pension.
1t is time for the people, who will have
to foot the bill, to speak out against in
creasing the pension burden. Let the
cranks and demagogues who have secured
seats in Congress be made to understand
that public sentiment is against granting
more pensions. Ii something like this is
not done either the revenues will have to
be increased or the government will have
10 again become a borrower.