St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-09-26

who have no interest except to do
what is right. If they mis-state his
complaint or overest1mate his d1sa-
bility, the applicant may be ordered
before another board whose report
may not agree with the first boards
report, and then both applicant and
board are discredited at the depart
ment. All the medical history OF
the applicant while in the service1s in
possession of the government, and 1t
is especially understood that the APP
plicant cannot, under any circum-
stances, have access to them. Varl-
Gus other bars, too numerous TO
mention, are put up in the way OF
the applicant. Therefore | claim that
the percentage of fraudulent claims
allowed is small. No doubt some get
through, for we are all human beings
and perfection has not been achieved
yet, even in st. Johnsbury. So far as
my observation extends, the largest
per cent of fraud in this connection
has been in the matter of "dependent
mother and father" persons who
were never in the army. a man has
six sons, say, and one of them enlists
perhaps against his fathers wishes
and dies in the service. Immediate
ly he claims pension on the ground
that he was dependent on that son
for support, entirely ignoring the
other five sons, and his neighbors do
what they can to help him; some out
of friendship, and in some cases to
keep him "off the town." and thus
save their own pockets from q little
tax.
shall be glad to know who are
the persons who suffered heavily in
the war and by the war, who were
not soldiers" and who pay for SO
large share of these taxes. | deny
that there is any such large class. A
very few, who had debts owing to
them in the south, lost something by
the war, but the constant rise in
prices during the war and caused by
the war, made the four years from
1861 to 1865 the best time to make
money that has occurred within the
last forty years. Every merchant
with stock of goods on hand in
1861 worth $4,000, found the same
goods to be worth not less than
$40, 900 in 1865. Wool sold for 81
per pound; butter 60 cents; beef and
pork doubled in price and horses al
so. million or more of labOring
men were taken from production to
become consumers, and consequently
wages doubled and trebled. So that
the period of the war, notwithstand-
ing the high taxes levied and paid,
was the great opportunity of the
present generation for getting rich.
During this time, however, the per-
son in the army who was promised
$13 per month in gold was receiving
his pay in greenbacks worth 40 cents
on the dollar in gold.
| remember buying a common fan
mel blouse in Baltimore in 1864 for
SIS; over a months wages for me.
believe that the same can be bought
now for one-fourth of a months
wages now paid on farm. The
United States owes me today not less
than $500, counting interest, on that
account alone. Further, the govern
ment did not pay all the expenses of
the war at the time, but borrowed
immense sums and had great debt
at the close of the war, and immedi-
ately set about taxing the returned
soldiers to help pay that debt. l re-
member very well how the United
States assessor came to my place of
business and insolently demanded
how many gold watches l had; how
much income, etc, etc, for the pur
pose of levy1ng tax on me to pay
the bOndhOlders their enormous in
terest, while the bonds were exempt
from taxation. Show me a person
who suffered heavily in the war
and by the war Tin his pocket) who
was not a soldier" and l will show
you a hundred who made more mo-
ney by the war or in consequence of
it in that period of four years than
in any other like period, before or
since. l might extend these remarks
indefinitely, but perhaps this is
enough for once.
HORACE X. IDE.
st. Johnsbury, Sept. IS, 1889.