The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-05
rha nenendent Penslon ain.


There is no doubt the House will pass the
dependent pension bill which the Senate
! passed a day or two ago. nor is there any
| doubt that the President will sign it. 1t
may be safely assumed, therefore, that be
| ginning with the next fiscal year the pen
sion burden viii be very largely increased
Estimates vary as to how much the increase
will be. A conservative estimate is $50 ,000,-
600 year, making tue annual expenditure
for pensions Sl30,00O. 900. The probable
ties are, however, that this estimate is
far below the amount that will be required.
In pension matters the actual expenditures
have always greatly exceeded the estimates
In 1878, when congress pensioned INDECENT
survivors Of the revolutionary war, it was
estimated that there were about 374 who
would be benefited, aud that the cost would
not he more than $4,000 year. As a mat
ter Of fact pensions were granted to 20, 4Sj
| persons under the act. and in one year
nearly 81, 900, 900 was distributed in pensions.
In 1858 an act was past pensioning widows
&C revolutionary soldiers. 1t was estimated
that there were 800 women who would be
benefciaries Of it. IL turned out, however,
that there were 3.742. In 1878 the arrears
repeal bill was passed, aud it was
confidently announced that it would
take from 100000 to $4,000, 900 from the
treasury. Several years ago the commissioner
of pensions said that it would cost the coun-
try nearly $500, 10000. These instances
show pretty clearly that there is no reliance
to be placed upon estimates of the amount
of money that will be required to meet the
demands of pension bill. 1t will not be
at all surprising if the dependent pension
bill adds to the pension burden at least
100000, 900 year.
This dependent pension bill is not one
that an honorable soldier can regard with
pride. 1t gives pension of SIC a month to
all of those who served ia the military or
naval service of the union three months or
more during the war of secession, and who.
having been honorably discharged, are not
now capable of earning support for them
selves. OF course they must be- dependent
upon their own labor, or upon those upon
whom they have no claim. In other words,
a soldier must show that he is pauper
before he can get pension under the de-
pendent bill
1t is probable that this bill will be quite
popular with the grand army, because that
organization, which is now contributing to
the support Of many of its members. will
be relieved of its charity burden. Tine needy
comrades of the grand army viii become
paupers, but the grand army will not object
to that condition of affairs since it will be
benefited by it.
1t is undoubtedly the duty of the govern
ment to pension all of the ex- union soldiers
who because of wounds received or dis
eases contracted in the service, are unable
to earn support for themselves and
families, but it certainly is not its duty to
support those who. when they left the
service, were sound and healthy men The
bull will make thousands of men paupers
who are not so now
Is it not remarkable that the ex-con-
federateS are getting along so well without
pensionss There are a few of them who
need help, and they are getting 1t to very
limited extent, but about all of the veterans
of the southern armies are earnest workers
| They neither ask nor receive assistance To
them largely the south owes the marvellous
| material progress she has made since the
! war