The National tribune., 1888-01-19
THE nIINIMUar RATE OF PENSION.

Last week Senator Manderson introduced
the following bill into the Senate:
BILL to provide for minimum invalid PEN
sion Of IS per month:
Be II enacted by The Senate and House Of Repre-
SetatiUes Of the United States of America In Con-
greSs assembled, That all invalid pensioners
the pension-roll at less rates than So per month
shall be increased to IS per month, to commence
from the date of the passage of this act.
SEC. .. That all invalid pensions which may here
after be granted shall, for the period subsequent
to the passage Of this act be rated not less than
S. per month.
1t only requires very casual examina-
ton of the pension-roH of the United States
to show that such law as this is demanded,
not for the sake of gratitude, OF of justice
even, but for the sake of common deeency.
1t is deep shame that Congress has not
passed such law years ago.
In all our history there is nothing for
which we have so much reason to blush as
for the Nations niggardly meanness toward
the men to whom it owes everything
Is there an American-no matter which
side he was on during the war-no matter
what his political affiliations were then and
now-whose cheek does not redden when it
is pointed out to him that $4,000 of themen
who were disabled in fighting the Nations
awful battles have doled out to them laz-
zaroni's pittance of cents a day or less?
Is there a man who calls himself an
American citizen who is not Inundated at
the thought of broken-down veteran, who
fought at Gettysburg or Chickamauga, eking
out a subsistence in his age and decrepi-
tude on a daily allowance of less than a
child losses thoughtlessly to the organ
grinders monkey?
The people have suffered this niggardli-
ness to 60 on from year to year without
rebuke to Congress, because their attention
has not been called to the disgraceful facts.
So much has been said about the enor-
nous expenditure for pensions, so much
gush and clap-trap have been gotten off in
the speeches of politicians, platforms of con-
ventions and editorials of partisan papers of
all parties about the generosity of a CRATE
full Nation to its soldiers and sailors" so
much talk is made whenever a frightfully-
disabled veteran somewhere gets in lump of
thousand dollars or more pension which
has been accumulating for 20 years, that
there is a widespread belief that the veterans
of the country are almost rolling in afluence.
The impression seems to be-and it is sedu-
lousy cultivated By the soldier-hating
papers-that an honorable discharge is a
ticket for life to all the good things the U.
S. Treasury proeures.
If the ratings OF those on the pension-roll
had been spread before the people with
tenth Of the persistency displayed in calling
attention to the aggregate annual disburse-
ments, there would have long ago gone up
from one end of the land TO the other an
overwhelming cry for decent allowances to
the veterans.
This is what Senator Mandersons bill
contemplates. It certainly fixes a noder-
ate and reasonable minimum. Surely 50 a
month IS as little as the United States can
in deceney offer veteran whose injuries
are SO manifest that the Board of Pension
Examiners cannot refuse 10 allow his claim.
It does not take much of an injury to re-
duce mans wage-earning ability So a
month, and If the Board of Pension Exam
iners-with its despotic technicalism-ad-
nit that he has been disabled TO the extent
Of s. month, there is no earthly doubt he
has been hurt at least four or five times that
much
There is no reason, on account of expense,
against this act of decency. 1t can be fig
ured out TO the last cent just what it will
cost, and the amount, when figured up is,
taking all things into consideration, mere
bagatelle Below we give the numbers on the
pension-rolls at ratings of less than So a
month, with the exact sum that it viii cost
i per annum to raise each class to s. month: