Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-10-24

OF the annual report of the PEN
sion bureau, which was prepared by
Tanner before his enforced resignation
and which is made public to-day, the
New York Times says; 1.-THE aggregate
expenditures for pensions since the war
are a5out equal to whst ia left of the
public debt, pud The annual burden Of
the pension lss now greatly exceeds the
requirements on acocua. OF the debt, ami
is HD2ut equivalent TO the maintenance OF
o large standing army. There is in all
this 30 reason for deurecating Just, or
even liberal pen4ion system, but the
Tanner policy would make OF the vet.
Grams Gnd their widows and orphans
standing army Of paupsr dependents on
the Federal government Tho OK scom-
missioner recommends a considerable ex.
tension Of the alfasdy vary liberal pen-
sion liat his report showing that u the
close OF the fiscal year ls8S.9 there were
439 ~ pensioners on the rolls, His prodi-
gRlity ia expenditure Of the money
wr0ng from an over axed netion Is tAus
condemned BY lis superior officer, Score
tary Noble
II may hethat tb!5 government Is strong
| aud great, sui has ~ lis command q sur
\ plus mat NO other nation has 5saf HAD, but
Il sums u money 10 the amounts above
mentioned rEag DO grated wltn2nt any
tlEtHer consideration Of fact or law than
! seems 70 have uaen 10 thess cases, II VIII
depend sOllly Hp0u silgIA officers DIS
position. whether She resources Of the gov
etDmrnt shall Do sufficient for Ito ma. Eta-
nHnea or not, There are more than "u9Hgh
d these applications already In the -l1
lFi tncrea9iug dnly, to exhaust indeed the
sir, lug, nf witch % much has been said 10
Ell aecli0n with his matter, and am In.
tCf 81 mat tue applications for raratiug=
aIs e4tY On tbs lLoTalse, and now reach
the RJultOt from seven 10 sight tnousaat
a We
Ia 1mments upon the drift of Tanner
ism awards peusioning everybody, ant
the Widows and minor children Of every
body, volunteer, drafted man, substitute
or, for anything that appears to the con
trary, even bounty jumper, who servsi
in the civil war, the Philadelphia Mort
american ia enc unim peachable Repub
llcan organ that comes out Uquarely il
opposition. This pepar,n it says
fayors liberal pensions for disability
but not service pensions" Leading n
!. TO this uueqaiyooal declaration Of it
! position, the same paper says;
:. WAT we have chiefly to consider Il tn
Y ten.aai for pensions by persons whose IL
% serving Is not proved, and the impra'
d Iiaahitty OF granting sergca pensions I
? RBE survivors OF the several wars II WI
rvse Intended TO grant pensions Of II
iAtar Eiud III this country, q fact that ~
D. lrs ID the policy puraned toward the su
vivlng soldiers Of the Revolution for mar
I, yaars. BIT later IN service pensions begF
T. 20 yaIa footing, and such pensions we
n awarded 70 soldiers Of the war OF 1872 al
OF the deXlogn war. our of this has con
g the demand for serylee pensions to the sl
70 vivor4 oi the civll war. But the lafi
w number Of persons who served IN the ely
)" war makes service pensions imprac ieabl
10 Tbs policy IL questionable in any Gus
IN though Il did and does not rise to the ma
:, nitude Of an economical question so far
the survivors of this war Of 1872 and Of Il
"a Mexican war are concerned.