Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-08-30
1.-THE SOLDIERS. FRIENDS.
Interesting Facts Cleaned from the. Lates
Pension bureau REPORTS.

Interesting Facts Cleaned from the. Latest
Pension Bureau Reports.
It used to be the charge of Repub-
1ican oraeles and stump speakers for
many years previous to the accession
4Of the Democratic party to power that
whenever the Republicans were driven
efrom National control the soldiers
who fought to preserve the Union
would fare badly at the hands of the
opposition, and that there would be
great danger in that case OF pensions
being entirely done away with. The
Republican party cry has always been:
-'Take care of the SOLDIER but when
o 1t came to pensioning, the deserving
cases were left many PAGES to the rear.
The records are exceedingly interest
J8zg in this regard. The Democratic
party has been in power a period COW
ering more than three years. During
that time the Nation has prospered.
Its industries have not Jagged and the
civil service has been vastly improved
in character. Now, as to the pensions
to soldiers, their widows. orphans and
relatives, the reports. of the Pension
Bureau for,the fiscal years of 1888, "a
and 'S5 show that during this period
JOS, 121 original. 79,24S increase and
1852 miscellaneous certificates were
issued. Total claims admitted. 19l,-
22I. That was during the last three
years of Republican rule. The three
years OF Democratic, rule show that a
total of 156, 226 original, ISL, 173 in
secrease and 22.055 miscellaneous GER
&. -tificates were issued. making a total of
$50, ASP. The reports for 1886 and
1887 of Commissioner Black are out,
but that for 1888 has not yet been
Issued. Thus it will be seen that dur
ing three years of Democratic rule
16S, 231 more certificates for pensions
Were issued than in the three proceed
Ing years, which were of Republican
rule. The net increase on the pension
rolls during the Republican years of
1888, 1884 and 1885 was SO, 42S; the net
increase during the Democratic years
of 1856, 1887 and 1888 was 104, 675; ex-
cess over Republican in increase dur
ing three years, AS, 447.
Coming to the amount OF money dis
tributed as pensions, the records show
that during the fiscal years of 1883,
1884 and 1885, $183, 800. 216. 81 was dis
bursed.' This was under Republican
rule. During the fiscal years 1886,
1887 and 1883, $217, 800. 757. so was dis
tribu1ed on account of pensions. Thus
three years of Democratic rule gave to
disabled soldiers, the widows, orphans
and relatives of soldiers, $S4, 600, SAL. O1
more than was given during the last
three years of Republican rule, when
<rreaf frian0linaSS To the soldier WAS
almost the entire stock in trade of the
G. o. P.
The number of new names added to
the pension rolls during the fiscal years
1888, 1884 and 1885 was 10S, 121. These
include, however, 1906 new names
added to the rolls by General Black
from March II, 1886, the day on which
he assumed charge of the Pension
Bureau, to June so, 1885. During the
fiscal years 1886, 1887 and 1888. 156,
.226 new names were added to the pen
sion rolls. . If there should be added 30
this loo, 226, the names OF the 1896
new pensioners added to the rolls by
General Black during the last three
months and a half of the year 1885, it
makes a total of 172, 1872 new names
added to the pension rolls since Gener-
al Black assumed charge of the Pen
sion Bureau. Giving the Republican
Administration the benefit of the 15,-
4eO6 new names added to the rolls dur
ing the last three and a half months oi
the fiscal year 1885, during which time
the Pension Bureau was under Demo