West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1890-08-28
THE COST OF OUR PENSIONS.
Exceeding In Liability the Com.
bined Debts OF All Nations.

The total amount paid for pen.
sions 1868 to 1889, amounted to
81 ,02S, ,927, ,3SS. This is more than
the indemnity paid by France to
Germany, and more than has been
paid by all the nations of the earth
in pensions since the dawn of his
tory. The interest on it exceeds
the cost of royalty to the world.
Secretary Sherman reported to
the Senate June 10, 1880, that the
total cost of the civil war was
s6, ,lS7 ,s43,3S5. The total wealth
of the Union, 1860, was $40, 9,000,-
600, 900, and the personal share rep
resented by the Union Army was
IS, $50, ,000,O0
For our pensions to equal in
amount all the wealth OF the coun-
try in 1860, less the cost of the war
and the amount the army itself had
at stake, our laws in 1888, were am
pie. The additions that have been
made are equal, if capitalized, to
more than the total wealth of the
American Union in 1860. We shall
pay for pensions over three times
the cost of the civil war, and double
the value OF the property ''saved."
There were 1850, 900 men enlist
ed, not counting ninety days men.
The total number now pensionable
Counting wives and children), can
not fall short of 5,000,O 900. or this
number 654, 745 had been granted
pensions, and 4l3.902 were on the
roll juno 80, 1888. There had been
an account coloscd with only hve per
cent
The pension list grew under the
old laws at the rate of 40, 900 annu-
ally, increasing from 365, 7S3 in
1886, to 452, 557 in 1888, with no
prospect of reaching the highest
point for twenty years, or of aver
aging less than in 1889 for the next
forty years. As invalids drop out
they are succeeded by widows,
There are still thirty-five pen
sioners of the Revolutionary war,
which closed 10 years ago, and our
great-grandchildren will be paying
pensions for the civil war. From
1871 to 1888 there were 60, GAO pen
sions granted for services in the war
of 1912, and IL ,593 remained on the
rolls June 30, 1889. Under the old
law we expected to add from 1922
to 1910 at least 100000 names TO
the rolls, and have OF these over
100,0 900 survivors in l941 100000
wIdows), in addition to survivors OF
those previously put on. BY the
new laws we will add over 2, 900, 900
before 1900. Within ten years our
pensions Will cost yearly more than
the civil war cost in any twelve
months and the yearly expenses of
civil war will be continued for
generations.
Capitalized at 4 per cent, our pen
sions now represent an amount still
greater than the highest point our
war debt ever reached. Add our
bonds, and our visible contract debt
now exceeds that Of any other coun-
try in the world. Estimate what
we must pay and what we are under
contract to pay, and our National
debt is greater than the combined
debt Of all tie rest of the world.
We could pay of the national debt
Of every country in the world easier
than we can pay the pensions we
have promised to pay.
These pensions must be paid by
taxation, and the individual Amer
ican is not rich. Our average wealth
is only f940, while the average in
Australia Is 5000; New South Wales
(free trade) leading with 81 POS;
England has 81 ,310; Scotland 81, e.
1856, and France s1,O15 per capita.
~. y. World.
II is said that Che thermometer