Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-16
GILT-EDGED PENSIONS.
UGcls Sans Luxurious Dependents
The Growing Civil Pension List.
AHGst Of Military and
Naval Observation-Disclosures Hsalsriss" for
No Service Rendered Abuses Of
the Retiring SIssem.
Chicago Herald.


pension list Of the United States is some
thing that the people know bat very lit e
about. By theterm ''preierred" is meant
that class of pensions which m.y be call
ed gilt-edged, the pensions which enable
the recipients to live In affiuence and IL
du!ge luxurious tsstes-a benefice some
times called in Congress, rs provision
which enables the widow of Senator or
General So and-so, to live in style beft-
ting her position in society" or, 'suCh
reward for past and distinguish
ed services as is due General or
Admiral S)-and-so, because OF his
rank and station" There are more
of this class OF pensions than the Ameri-
can people have any ides of. The other
day IN the House, when the bills to give
| Mesdames Logan and Blair, q very hand
some allowance WAS quite freely dis
cussed, those old-fashioned Jacksonian
Americans, like Matson of Indisns,
Breckenridge Of Kentucky, and others In
| Weighed against the precedent likely TO be
established and iutimated that it was but
the beginning Of long line OF civil and
political p 3nsion, r. such IS have for many
years been aiding TO deplete the treasu
ries of foreign nations.
The creation Of specially favored
class which shall derive its support and
,ustenance from the public purse without
return or equivalent Of any kind is 50
obviously un-Amerlcan and IN Jackson
ian that the very mention Of it's posi-
biity excites WRATH. Legend and tradi-
ton from the time CT Chsrlemsgne aud
history from the date of Frederick
the Great seems to have pre-
pared even American thought
for the prJpriety of m litsry and
naval pensions Of the favored kind, but
even this plant never sprouted in this
country until 1850, and never blossomed
until the famous retiring boards of 1858
brought forth fruit on both branches of
the armed service. Since then the growth
of the tree has been active, ana the late
war gave 1t an extraordinary impetus.
Its branches now cover mighty host,
and, like the banvan tree OF the old school
books, the depending sprouts are taking
root in new directions.
When George Washington died in 1893
the man who In Congress would have
proposed q pension for the widow at
Mount Vernon would have been regarded
as little better than Tory or q traitor.
It was, in part, 10 avoid the taxation
needed to pay the huge pensions Of the
Marlborough family and the late favorites
OF Charles 1. and their descendants that
the colonies revolted. II ANYBODY had
suggested that the female dependents oil
General Knox, General Harry Lee, oil
General Gates should during their lives
be public charge upon the Treasury in
8 sum sufficient to provide all the luIuries
of life, w9dTd there not have been q how
In Old Independence hall?
Il But we are progressing. We psy
genteel pensions now, and 1t costs 8
pretty big sum per year to do 1t. The
public, In 3 general w4v, know that this
ls so, but it has but limited access &c
official records, and therefore, as IL does
not know particulars, 1t does not care
Meantime, little by little, the privileged
class, both civil and military, is growing
And unless the people rise up and cal
halt, 1t Is going to grow fistel
and bigger. Already there Sre signs
that Congress is to be asked TO "do some
thing" for the bereaved family Of the late
Chief Justice Waite, who died suddenl,
leaving but pittance of $50. 900, too en-
tirely inadequate to support them In SO
style BETTING their station" Tlis "dC
: something" means that Congress will b.
! asked for pension of $4,000 year o
e yhereabout, to be paid 10 Mrs. Waite.
The present civil pension lis OF TIT
government, outside OF a retired Justice
i Of the Supreme court at $4,000 per an
o mum, is as follows:
7 Mrs. James K Polk, $4,000 per year
e Mrs. Julia G. Tyler, $4,000 per year; Mrs
! Lucreti. R Garfield, $4,000 per year Mrs
! U. S Grant, $4,000 per year; Mrs. Marl
A. Logan, $4,000 per year; Mrs. Appolin,
= Blair, $4,000 per year.
There are IN addition one or two mino
Judges OF the United States courts VIII
Isre retired on full pay, in accordarc
. F8ilh eenersY statutes. Four of the ladie
s Ehamed sHsve are widows OF Presidents
o In tAS cases Of Mrs. Polk and Mrs
Tyler the pension Is no doubt needet
for their support. At the same time
: sla uld be remembered that neither Of III
ladies' would have got the amount ba
not their claims been put in as "riders'
to other bills. Mrs. Tyler owes hers I
the determination to give $4,000 year t
!. Mrs. Lincoln, now deceased.
Neither Mrs. Garfield nor Mrs. Gran
/ needed the money, Mrs. Garfield VS.
: made very rich woman By public sub
scription following the death OF her mus
bard, which amounted to over S425, DOC
. Mrs. Grant has a mansion in FeI
York worth S75 900. She received some
= thing like $3.50 900 tor the publication c
/. the Grant memoirs, and yet has reve
z. nue. from that source alone Of more this
three times her pension. It is an ope
secret that she yet fancies the govern
ment owes her husband something fo
II past services, and is only prevented from
making 8 claim upon Congress by III
earnest effort OF friends in both house!
<. Mrs. Logan received from her husband
= estate about s22 900. A public subscrip
ton in her behalf realized $685. 900 more
The lady was certainly not in want whe
=, Congress the other day voted her pei
d ision of 50, 600 per year. Mrs. Blair
= poor, and needs the handson
sum she received so une1
in pectedly, and In precisely the same ws
u, that other lady benefciaries Of the Der
% ocratic faith received theirs. The civ
- pension list is, however, small compare
. with the ''retired lists" so called, of Il
army and navy. Under the operation
. laws governing this system of pensio
In the Treasury annually parts with a goo