Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-05-25
AN OPEN LETTER,
DR.. Gillespy Defends the Demand
for More Liberal Pensions.
A Short History Which, If Read
Will Greatly Benefit Pa
triotic People.
Money and Honor Due the Ex-Sol.
der for His Service in the War.
The People Of the Fourth District
of Kansas are Patriotic and
Loyal to the Core.

| of Kansas are Patriotic and
Loyal to the Core.
| Open Letter to the Kansas City Times
1 see in your issue of the third instant
a two-third column headed "a Pension
Campaign"
It is remarkable production, and in
asmuch as I am partially responsible for
the resolutions adopted at the Emporia
convention 1 feel called upon to come to
their defense, and especially to defend
them against the unwarrantable attack
made in the article referred to. In speaking
of the action of the Emporia COMPRESSION
al convention you say:
| 1.-THE amount OF reminding the ex-sol-
diers of kansas have to give the coun-
| try about the debt due for their services
in the war has favor of protesting too
much. The longest resolutions in every
convention held in that state usually repeat
a formula concerning the glorious services,
and another formula asking for more PEN
sions. The country would probably en-
terrain at least as tender a regard for the
ex-soldiers if they left the pleasure of
laudation to others and trusted to the graf
itude of their fellow citizens to fix the
measure OF honor and money due for past
services"
But now comes the remarkable part:
Following that course they would not
get so much money" etc. The article is
remarkable for the one truth.
Now if the Times will lend it's ear for a
moment shall give it little bit of history
by which all honest people, and especially
patriotic people, may be benefted;we don't
expect your people to profit by it of course,
for it is just as impossible for such people
to learn any good thing as it has hitherto
been for your paper to tell the truth.
During the revolutionary war there were
engaged 3O9.791 soldiers, 1872 of whom
were killed and wounded or 25 out of every
1000. Conklin says on page forty-seven
that the number pensioned for this war
was 62,069. or eight times as many as were
killed and wounded.
During the war of 1912 there were to-
tai of 1852 enlistments, and there we're
5,614 killed and wounded, or fraction
over nine men killed and wounded out of
each thousand. And Conklin says, on the
same page, that for this war there were
81, O4S pensioned, or more than eleven times
as many were pensioned as were killed and
wounded.
For the war with Mexico there were,
including 27,O57 regulars, 1O1,22S enlist
ments, and there were 4,469 killed and
wounded. And the last annual report of
the commissioner of pensions shows that
there were upon the pension rolls, inclu-
ding disability and service pensioners on
account of this war about 81 600, and I am
credibly informed that this class of pen
sions has been increased to about 10000,
or near nine times as many pensions as
there were men killed and wounded during
the war with, Mexico.
For the war of the rebellion there were
1858, 062 enlistments in the union armies.
There were 61,362 men killed in battle,
and there were over 100000 wounded,
and 1882 starved to death by the demo-
cratic party while in democratic prisons,
or total of 493.744 killed, wounded and
starved to death. Spofford says that the
number upon the pension rolls June so,
1887, was 4O6,037, and taking from that
number the 1890 war of 1912 service pen
sioners and the 1903 Mexican service PEN
sioners leaves 3S5,672 pensioners for disa-
bility; while many of them were for the
Mexican war, and making allowance for
that class, feel safe in saying that there
are not to exceed 5000 of the survivors of
the late war who are admitted to the rolls
to-day, or about .four-fifths as many as
were killed, wounded and starved to death.
There were A. men killed and wounded for
every LOCO in the Mexican war, while there
were 493, IA killed, wounded and starved
to death in the late war on the union side,
or about 1875 out every 1000.
Now I ask any candid man who has any
idea of justice whatever will go farther
than that, I viii even ask the 7imes-if it
is not fair to judge of the services of an
army by its killed and wounded and I be-
ieve that while the Times wants to circu-
late among honest people, it will say that
that is fair rule for measurement. Now
if that is correct, the soldiers for tho
union did more than four times the
amount of hard service for the government
as did the soldiers in the Mexican war.
1t estimated that there are now 100000
of these old soldiers who get living. If
every one of them were drawing apension
to-day the government would not be do
ing one-third as well by the soldiers of |
the late war as it did by the soldiers of |
The revolutionary war, if our rule for
service is correct.