The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-21
The Pension APPROXIMATION Bill.

The Pens on Appropriation Bill.
The invalid pension bin which has just
been reported to the House ought to attract
general attention. 1t lis for $4,000, 900.
This is an increase Of 100000 over the last
appropriation. The amount required for
pensions is steadily increasing. and the pros
pect is that it will continue TO increase for a
good many years. Time and time again the
statement has been made that the limit Of
the pension burden had been reached, but it
is apparent now that the authors Of these
statements were not only mistaken, but that
they were totally unacquainted with the
subject concerning which they spoke so pos
itively.
Congressman as a rule are reader to pass
pension bills than any other, not because
they believe such bills to be meritorious, but
because they either hope to gain popularity
by advocating them, or are afraid Of losing
popularity by opposing them. The pension
bills pending before this Congress call for
more money than those introduced into any
previous Congress for at least dozen
years.
One bill proposes to give eighty acres of
land to all who served in the Union army
or navy for six months and were honOrably
discharged, and 100 acres to those who
served longer than that Another bill gives
every person who enlisted in the Union
army or navy, or served the government
in any capacity during the civil war, 100
acres of land. 1t is estimated that the
latter bill would distribute land worth, at
the government price, about 500, 100000
A pending bill provides for paying all who
enlisted in the Union armies the difference
between gold and greenbacks at the time
they received their pay, and another gives
pensions to all who were confined in Confed-
crate prisons. 1t is impossible TO estimate
what amount would be necessary to satisfy
these two bills
There are three bills for equalizing boun-
ties which If passed, would take at least
$4,000, 600 out of the Treasury. The ar
rears bin is still on hand and it would cost
the government not less than 100000, 900,
and the Blair disability bill which calls for
at least $100,0OO,0OO, is before Congress
again The bill, however, which the claim
agents would rather see passed than any
other is that which gives every
person who served in the Union
armies sixty days IS per month. 1t
would increase the pension burden about
sl13,0O0,OO a year If it should pass, there
would soon be no surplus in the Treasury.
1t would be even necessary to increase the
taxes. There are other general pension bills
and thousands of private ones.
Is it not time TO call a halt in this pension
htse ff,la. 40 ,hat
ically that the pension burden is about as
large now as they are willing tc carry, the
demagogues in Congress viii go on increas-
ing it until the revenues, great as they are
at present, will not be sufficient to meet its
demands.
The South does not object to pensioning
eX-Union soldiers who are entitled to gov
ernment aid, but she does object to being
taxed to support those who have no reason
able claim upon the government. The $50
0o0,0 now annually paid in pensions is dis
tributed almost wholly in the North. The
North, therefore, gets back all it pays for
pensions, and, besides, gets the greater por-
tion Of what the South pays.
While the pensions help to make richer
those who are already rich in the North it
is a question whether they do not also help
to make paupers. If the truth could be got
at it is probable that it would be found that
there are thousands of families, the mem
beers of which are well able to earn living,
which are being supported almost wholly by
the government. Assuming this to be the
case, is it advisable even for the North to
insist upon further increase in the pen
sion burden!