The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1890-07-11
Pension Demagogism.

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thoughtful people throughout tho
country. There Is no more disquicting
sign OF the times than the deliberate
encouragement given by public men TO
the most extrayagant demands upon
the treasury by everybody who had
any connection with the union army
during the war.
Especial attention is demanded by a
speech delivered on Monday last by
senator ingalls, of Kansas. Mr.. ingalls,
is one OF the most prominent members
of the senate; he has been repeatedly
honored by the Republican majority
with election rs president pro tcmporc
of that body. lie holds that Office to-
day by fresh election few weeks
ago, aud therefore stands before the
country as the chosen exponent Of Re
publicanism in the highest Legislative
body.
The conference report on the de-
pendent pension bill being before the
senate, and Mr.. German having shown
that the proposed measure would in
yolve a great addition 10 the pension
expenditures, MIR. Ingalls, proceeded 10
ridicule the idea of considering for a
moment the matter of expense, char
acterizing those who raised the ques-
tion' as "these frugal patriots, these par
simonious defenders OF the treasury"
lie went ON TO say :.
I am in favor OF the removal OF the limita-
tion in the act granting arrears OF pensions,
and believe that every soldier should be paid
from the date Of bis discharge or disability, and
that the survivors ought 10 be paid from the
death OF the person for whom the pension il
claimed. Whether it costs slOO. 600 900 or fI,-
900, 100000, 1t was a part OF the contract.
believe. further, that every surviving soldier
Of the union armies ought to be put on the pen
sion rolls to-day irrespective OF disability. !
am in favor Of that, whether IL costs, as the re-
moval OF the limitation in the act granting ar
rears might cost, slOO 0OO, 900 or ,O0O, ,OOO OOO
AS for the objection that there would
be no money in the treasury to meet
such vast demands, Mr.. Ingalls, would
meet that by incurring a pension debt,
beginning In 1890, precisely as the ma
tion incurred war debt, beginning in
1861. Here is his language on that
point:
know Of no reason, II justice TO the suryiv-
ing soldiers Of the republic requires e1traordi-
nary expenditures to be made, Why the money
should not be raised ns IL was raised to defrsy
the expenses Of carrying on the var. Why
should we be confronted here on every occasion
with this parsimonious cry that there il not
money enough in the treasury to-day. that there
may not be tomorrow. that there possibly will
not be on the day after that, to pay what may
he required TO perform this sacred contract aud
obligation Of the government2 That debt il
due; il ought TO be paid; and II We cannot raire
money enough from the tar on whiskey and on
tobacco, aud from the tariff on sugar and other
neces-aries Of life, TO pay it, We have resources
as we had resources to defrsy the expense ot
carrying on the war.
Growing more audacious rs he pro-
ceedcd, Mr.. Ingalls, began to ridiculc
what has been done thus far in the
way Of granting pensions-the inn
mensc sum of 81, ,l00,000,000 and more
-as mere bagatelle. "1'hc senator
from Maryland he said, srolls over
as sweet Inorscl under his tongue
tho avermcnt that more than
$1,10O,OOO, have already been
paid on account of pensions. Very
true, Mr.. President, very true; aud be-
fore the pension account Is closed,
which will be in the course, perhaps.
of fifty or sixty years, it will be found
that we shall have paid in pensions an
amount equivalent TO the entire cost of
suppressing the rebellion itself have
no doubt that when this gruat account
is closed, when the ledger has been
finally balanced, and when the last sur
vIvor of those armies has gone to his
account, it will be found that we have
dIsburscd on account ofpcnsions alone
not less than S5,000,0O0,O0O."
Nor is the payment OF a pension
with arrears to every old soldier sutfi-
cient to satisfy Mr.. ingalls,. "Whcn
that $5,000,00 has been paid" he
went ON, "an entirely inadequate G.
quiyalent will have been rendered for
the services that they performed" I'm
order to come somewhere near what
would be adequate, the nation must
pay more than II has thus far paid in
pensions in the shape of back pay
which is really due tho soldiers. This
is the way Mr.. ingalls, put IL:
Reduced TO a three years term. there were
2,sO0,OoO enlistments in the armies and navies
Of the United States. They we're paid psliry
equivalent of sl5or sl6 month; part Of the
time, els. They were paid in degraded and d, :
preciated currency. The governments gave In
addition rations costing s7.50 per month, cloth
ing worth t42 per year, making total ezpend :
ture for their three years service OF about
ell OS6. This was sI 900 less than each Of them
could have earned, according 10 the rate then
prevailing, OF wages In the daily avocations OF
life. Aside from all that each soldier received
In what the government gave them, supposing
they had an survived, the 2S0o, 900 men pre-
sented 10 this government In the value OF their
own serviee over and above what each received
not Iers than $1,000, or an aggregate Of t2,soo- :
100000 in all. We have paid si. l00. 600 noe.
So, upon the mere question OF money compen-
sation, IL there were no other element in the
problem, after all IL has paid for pensions in The
aggregate, the government stands to-day a
debtor In cssh for services rendered In excess OF
compensation received more than . |. 2o, ooa ooe.
The gossip of Washington treats this
extraordinary dcliverance as merely q
bid tor the soldier vote ia his state
by an unscrupulous politician whose