The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1889-11-15
Pensions, Warships, and Public Build
ings Will Absorb the Snrnins.

DSLAOCTdtlC ATeo tF6uorS anu even Qe-
publicans who are bothering themselves
about reductions Of the tariff should con
slider the demands certain to be made on
the Treasury in the immediate future and
understand that every dollar of revenue
derived from existing customs duties and
internal revenue taxes will be needed to
meet the rapidly increasing appropria-
tons. A modern navy must be had.
Tens of millions will be needed for war
vessels and FORTH cations and this work
cannot be delayed longer with safety to
national defense or honor. 1t concerns
not only the seaboard States but every
part-of the country. A siege which would
close the Atlantic ports would suffocate
trade and prosperity in Illinois, Iowa,
Nebraska, and throughout the West. The
nation shall equip itself with n fighting
navy and the work should be pushed while
there is money still in the Treasury to be
used for that purpose. The rapidly ex-
panding expenditures for pensions, and
for river and harbor improvement
schemes, and logrolling public building
jobs all over the country will soon oblit-
crate the Treasury surplus, stop the sink
ing fund, and bring public expenses up
to revenues and compel increased taxa
ton to get money for building war ves-
sells.
People who are arguing seriously about
reducing tariff taxes must face the facts.
A tax cannot be reduced unless the money
can be spared. Otherwise the Govern
ment would have to borrow money and
issue bonds to pay its running expenses.
No one surely would advocate hat policy.
The tariff reducers lave had the treasury
surplus so close before their eyes, and
have talked about it SO long, that they
think it a standing evil which will remain
or even grow worse unless some customs
duties and internal excuses are cut down,
while in fact it is already disappearing
and cannot last much longer.
The treasury surplus is a snow bank on
which the appropriation bills of Congress
shine hotter and stronger every session,
and it will soon melt away. The pension
appropriation for the present fiscal year,
1889, amounts to the sum of
SSl ,75S, 700, and there will be a deficit Of
probably $40, DOC, 900 by reason of Black
Tanner "r~eratings" and new pensions.
Next year the appropriation for pensions
will amount to fully 800, 900 900 under
the laws and rulings now in force, and it
may as we'll be understood that Congress
will swell the amount by new legislation
by 500, 900, 900 or $50, 900, 900 more by
passing the dependent pension bill.
The dependent pension bill which
Cleveland vetoed will certainly be adopt
ed by Congress next winter and approved
by President Harrison. The bill passed
the House in 1887 by $50 yeas to rs nays,
and was adopted in the Senate without
division. The House gave IT'S yeas to
l25 nays to pass it over the veto, and that
in a Democratic house. The demand for
the bill is stronger now than two years
ago, and it will go through this winter by
a practically unanimous vote of The
Northern members, irrespective of party.
The bill grants o pension of Sl2 per
month to every soldier not already %receiv-
ing a pension who served three months
or more and is unable to earn q support. "
Practically this would mean that all
whose incomes are not satisfactory could
apply for and receive a pension. That is
the construction already put on it. The
Government could not Investigate each
mans way of living and say to one that
he could earn q support and to another
that he could not. Nor is the pension
based on efficiency or length Of service.
The bill is o measure of charity intended
to avoid excluding any of them it was
purposely made broad and loose. To
avoid barring out any poor old ex-soldier
all are admitted. 1t was recklessly
claimed in the House that not more thar
3 5000 pensions would be called for under
this act; but experience with similar
measures after the revolution and the war
of 1872 showed that the pensions allowed
were from ten to trenty times greater than
the estimate. Under the act of 1878,
which was considered to cover not more
than 1915 cases, over 20, 900 pensions were
granted! In the light of previous ex-
perience with legislation on this general
character the Democrats claimed the act
would add at least 800, 900 m to the
pension roll, but careful and conservative
Republicans thought the number would
not greatly exceed 200, 900, and that the
annual expense would be about $50, OOO,-
600. This, doubtless, will prove pretty
close to the fact. With the general PEN
sion appropriation expanded to 500, 0OO,-
900 and $50, 600, 900 added this coming
session by the dependent BILL" the ac-
emulation of q surplus in the treasury
would be permanently stopped. If other
government expenses increased also there
would be q deficit as soon as the surplus
already on hand would be exhausted. The
indications all are that before long the
treasury will be in need of Increased reve-
nues, and certainly not in a condition to
stand q reduction of either tariff or in
ternal revenue taxes. It is a sheer waste
of breath for any politician to tell people
that the tax on sugar or on tobacco, cigars
and cigarettes will be repealed at the
next session Of Congress, for the good
raacon that not a 6o11or of II nop ha