Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-20
GILT-EDGBD PENSIONS.
UHcla Sans Luxurious Dependents,
Tie Growing Civil Pension List.
AHGst OF Military and
Naval FavorIses-H andIoms" 5alsries" for
Nc serVic3 Rendered - busess OF
she Retiring Syutsm.
CHICAGO Herald,

Chicago Herald.
WASHINGTON, April 1.-The preferred
pension liss of the United S.stes is some
thing that the people know bat very little
shout. By the term "preferred" is meant
that class q pensions which mag be call
ed giIt-edged, the pensions which enable
the recipients to live in s1Hlence a1d in
dulge luxurious tastss-a benetica some
times called in Congress-, "a provision
which enables the widow Of Senator or
G sueral S0-and-so, 10 live in q style betit-
ting her position in society" or, 'such
8 reverb for past and distinguish
ed services as is due General or
Admiral SO-ani-so, because CT his
rapk and station" There are more
Of this class OF pensions than the Ameri-
can people have any IDEA of. The ether
day in the House, when the bills to give
Mesdames Logan and Blair, q very hsDd-
some allowance was quite freely dis
cussed, those old-isshloned Jacksc nian
Americans, like M.tson OF Iudians,
Brecknridge OF Kentucky, and Others in
weighed against the precedent likely 10 be
ests elished and iattma,ed thai il wss but
the beginning OF long lice Of civil and
politCs! PEI siarer5 such rs have for ms1y
years been siding 90 depiete the tTeasu-
ries of foreign nations.
The creation Of specially favored
class which shau derive its support and
sustenance from The pdalic purse without
return or equivalent Il any kiGd is go
obviously un-ADeriCSI snd un-JackSon-
ism that the very mention Of its posi-
buity exCitGs WRATH, Legend and tradi-
siGn from the time Of Cnarlemsgne aud
history from the date OF Frederick
the Great seems to have pre-
pared even American Thought
| f5r the pr0priety Of m l.tsry and
naval pensions Of the favored kind, but
even this plant never sprOuted in this
country until 1850, AMI never bIossomet
until the famous retiring boards OF 1856!
brought forth fruit on botn branches o
the armed service. Since then the growth
OF the tree has been active, and the lat
war gave it az extraordinary impetus
It's branches now cover q mighty host
and, like the banvan tree OF the old echoo
books, the depending sprouts are taking
root in new directions.
When George Washington died in l7s
the msn who in Congress would hsV
proposed a pension for the widow a
Noun. Vernon would have been regarded
a. little better than Try or d traitor
1t was, In psrt, 10 avoid the taxation
needed to psy the huge pensions CT tn
Marlborough family and the late fsvorite
of Charles |. and their descendants tho
the colonies revOlted. II anybody his
snrgested that the female dependents c
General Knox, General Hairy Lee, c
General Gates should during their live
be public charge upon the Treasury
q sum sufficient to provide ell the luxurie
: of life, would there not nave been ho7
! Ia cid independence hall?
But we are progressing. We pr
{ genseel pensions now, end 1t costs
9 pretty big sum per year to do it. tt
c nublic, in general wNT, kDoW thst tn
ia so, but it has but limited access
O. official records, and therefore, as IL do
a not know particulars, 1t does not car
). Meantime, little by little, the privilege
Il class, botn civil and military, is CROWN
4 and unless the people rise up aud CO
- 8 halt, 1t is going to grow fast
s and bigger. Already there are sigI
! that Congress is to be asked to "do som
y thins" for the beresved family OF the la
20 Chief Justice Waite, who died sudden
Z leaving but pittsnce Of $50 900, too e.
tirely inadequate to support them IN ;
style BETTING their station Tnis 50
=. something" means that Congress Will
We asked for pension OF s5OOO Jear
of l4hereabout, to be paid 10 Mrs. waite.
H. The present civil pension lis OF |
~ government, outside OF retired JUST
IS of the Supreme court a. $4,000 per
Z Ium, is as follows:
H. Mrs. Jsmes K Polk, $4,000 per yel
Mrs Julia G. Tyler, $4,000 per year; NJ
Lucretis R Garfield, 5000 per year M
Q. S Grant, $4,000 per year; Mrs. Ms
he A. logan, $4,000 per year; Mrs. Appoli
81 glsir, $4,000 per year.
ri There are IN addition one or TWO mil
of Judges of the United States courts "
ss- are retired on full pay, in accordal
~, with general statutes. Four OF the LAD
,ss nsmed above are widows OF Presiden
No In the cases of Mrs. Polk and M
lot TYLER the pension is no doubt neec
mis- for their support. At the same tim
ng should be remembered that neither OF
his ladies' would have got the amount
act not their claims been put in as "ridel
lie. 70 other bills. Mrs. Tyler owes herr
be the determination to give $4,000 veal
DIV Mrs, Lincoln, now deceased.
me Neither Mrs. Garfield nor Mrs. Or
eat needed the money. Mrs. Garfield
d, made very rich woman by public s.
ere scription following the desth OF her b
to band, which amounted to over S425,
ost Mrs. Grant has mansion IN \
nj York worth 5000. She received so
sit, thing like $3.50 900 for the publication
Ct the Grant memoirs, and yet has a rt
sly nue. from that source alone OF more t
IN. three times her pension. 1t is an o
per secret that she yet fsncies the gov
lui- ment owes her husband something
o q past services, and is only prevented II
an making claim upon Congress by
tier earnest effort of friends in both hou
to Mrs. Logan received from her husbal
INTO estate about s22, 200. A public suosc
are ton in her behalf realized S65, 900 n
per The lady WAS certainly not in want "
9Th Congress the other day voted her
ing zion Of 80, 900 per year. Mrs. Blsil
and poor, and needs the hands
ion. sum she received so III
sist pectedly, and iE precisely the same
"a. it, @xh.~ L. 40 hon fciarfoa nj the ID