Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-05-26
TIE PENSION STEEL.

The pension plague Is q greater afllc.
ton to this country than all the plaques
of Egypt were to that stif.necked PEG,
Pile The charge for pensions Is now
$4,000, 600 year, which Is larger by
several millions than the entire expenses
OF the government in any year before the
war. II is larger than the entire cost OF
the war with Mexico. Aud 1t grows
every year. Ia 1865 1t was but SIG, OOO,-
oOO Ten years later It had grown to
$50, 000,o coo. In 1880 the pension dema-
gogy first oyercame the politicians, and
the expenditures on that account were
increased to $50, 900, 900. Since then the
advance has been unexamped for rapid
ity. Every second-rate or third-rate poll
ticlan who imagines himself cut out for
the presidency exalts his patriotism BIZ
bringing forward q bill to increase the
pensions and to put on the lists men who
had not been eligible. The competition
among rival aspiTants has become so brisk
that 1t actually hos boon proposed TO give
pensions To every man who wos enlisted
no matter whether he was disabled or
not. He may not even have gone on a
single campaign. II he can show that he
was ia the army he was TO have pension.
This proposition was too INDUSTRIOUS even
for congress, and il was not made law.
But the senate has passed. bill, and
there is too much fear that tae house will
support it, which is almost As bad as the
proposition to pension everybody, for 1t
VIII eventually include evFy man who
bore arms. 1t proposes that my man who
was enlisted In the armyor navy of
the United States during he war, and
after u period OF three monte was honor.
ably discharged therefrom, and VINO is
not entitled to a pension by lason of dis
ability incurred in the seryic, but is now
disabled and dependent Jpn his own
exertions for support, may have a pen.
sion of from 81 to 1924 moth. 1t also
provides for pensions for II dependent
parents OF men who died in te service or
from disabilities contractedtherein. 1t
will be seen that the main revision of
this eill creates an entirely NV class of
pensioners, unknown hitherto our laws. |
and unknown to the pensio system Of
any government in the worl( We have
already made more generol provision
for the aid and support of the who were |
disabled in support OF he service
Of the United States than any
other country has ever bought OF
making for the survivors Its wars.
There are now on the piston rolls
nearly quarter of milliont men, and
there are pending the claimof even
larger number than this. Tier the laws
AS they are, every soldier ansailor who
has been wholly or partig disabled
from earning living by eier wounds
or disease contracted in II service is
granted from the treasury amount
graded according to the dtee Of his
disability. The bin goes veImuch fur I
Their than that, and proposeto extend
pensions to those who were Il disabled
In the service, whose SERVED rendered
at all, may have been but tie months,
and who, though enlisted, nay never
have been away from theihatiye VII,
lagos, may never have seen battle or
snelled powder save from ute.
There must come reacn against
this limitless extravaganza. le support
Of few hundred thousand h who are I,
the henehciaries of these 8 may be q
won by their authors, but at of the !
millions who pay the cos The tax.
payers have been very patio Of these y
burdens, for they felt that thwere con. c
trlbutlng to the aid OF distred patriots !
who sacrificed themselves fehe saliva. J
ton OF the country; but whe is under A
lstood that these pensions avoted to L