The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1888-02-23
THE PENSION AGITATION.

The Liverpool Sun makes the fol-
lowing comment on the above guess
ton
just now one of tho principal tops
ics Of conversation in stbis town is
the pension question. The several
poneion bills that are introduced in
Congress, are eubjects of discussion
The ono that commands the most nt-
teniion is Senator Cameron's one
cent-per-day service bill. 1t meets
with general approval by the men
who we're 10 the service several years,
but those who we're in service but
several months arc not so favorable
to it. The man who served four
years or 146l days would get Sl4 6l
per month; the man who served
three years or 1906 days would get
Sl0.95 per mouth; the man who serv-
ed one year would get s365 por
month; the man who served 100 days
would get Sl.OO per month. As a
purely service pension an arrange,
ment in that proportion seems to be
the fairest and best of ANY that could
be devised, and the short-service
man should not be selfish aud be-
grudge the few dollars per mouth
more to his comrado who was in the
service longer. The long.service
men enlisted in the early part of the
war, and bore the hardships and did
the fighting for three or four long
years, and got no bounty; while men
who enlisted in 1864 and '65 got
liberal bounties and served but few
months, or less than year. We are
all selfish. Self-interest shapes a
mans politics, aud in many cases his
religion. When there is any kind Of
legislation done, either by the state
or national legislative bodies, If it is
not to our benefit, even though it
benefits most every other person, we
do not approve it, and fight against
It. So the short service man is ma
turally opposed to q pension bill
that gives his long service comrades
more, aud those who had the good
fortune to escape the horrors, fati
gues, privations and perils of the war
are apt TO look with disfavor upon
all pensions, because they get none
and must help to pay them.
Now the question of cost comes
in, How much would it cost the
government year to pension all the
surviving soldiers on that basis ?
How many soldiers are yet living 7
aud what is the average term of sers
vice Of the members OF Jno. q. Sny-
dor Post is about lS mouths, per-
haps little more: aud on that basis
the average pension according to the
'ope-cept bill would be from S5 to
S6 per month. 1t is estimated that
there are about 500, 200 soldiers yet
living; aud let us make the estimate
a little more liberal. say the average
term Of service is two years (and it
is scarcely thal), which would make
$3.50 per month or sS7.GO per year;
and for the 800, 900 it would cost the
government aboat S70,000,000 per
year.
There are about fifty soldiers in
Liverpool borough, and il each would
draw on an average from S6to SO
per month it would bring about Ss,-
900 to this town every quarter, or
from $4,000 to $4,000 per year.
See how that would liven up our lit
lie town. Every one knows that the
more money there is in circulation,
and the faster 1t is passed around,
the more business is done, and the
better the times are. Every one
would be benefited. The merchant
would sell great deal more, and the
mechanic would have moro work and
at better wages. There would be a
greater demand for the products Of
the farm, and the farmer would find
a better market for his produce. and
at better prices. AZ II would be
here. 70 II would be all over the
country.