The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-08-26
ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA, WEDNESDAY,. AUGUST rs, 1891.

began, the total white male population
of the military age of all the states and
territories was estimated by the eighth
census at only 5,624O65 Deducting the
| fighting population of Alabama, Arkan.
sas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana. Missis-
sippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Texas and Virginia, and half the fight
ing population of the border states, Del
aware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri
and Tennessee, the entire military pop
ulation available for the union cause at
the beginning of the conflict would be
4,362, 49, Even this apportionment as
| between north and south leaves to the
| latter section only 1,26l,595 men to
draw upon, and supposes numerical
superiority on the part of the north of
nearly four to one.
| The deaths in the army from all
causes during the period between 1850
and 1865 have been stated by Adjt
Gen. Drum as 359.52S. This may be
below the truth, but the point we wish
to make is that the deaths during that
period were enough, or nearly enough,
to balance the normal increase in the
population Of military. age, SO that at
the end of the war, or at any time
during the war, the northern popula-
ton available for military purposes
was not greatly in excess of the eighth
census figures for 1860. The fact is
that in 1870, after five years of peace,
this element of the population, esti-
| mated upon the same basis, had in
creased only from 1852, 40 to 5,341, 160
The deduction is obvious and it is
very striking. If Gen. Raum does not
exaggerate the number of union SOL
diers who bore arms in the great con
| flict, then it is true that of the entire
northern population fit for military
service one man out of every two men
was at the front. Does any sane per-
son believe that such was the case?
1t is reasonable to assume that there
is nothing excessive in the pension
commissioners estimate that about a
million men who served in the union
armies either persisted during the war
or have died during the quarter of a
century since the war. 1t would not
suit the purpose of the pension spend
thrifts to exaggerate the number of
union soldiers who are outside the
reach of any pension. The object is
rather to swell the total of survivors
and thus to enlarge the apparent field
for governmental bounty.
| But even assuming that there are
| oil
leaving out of sight the general prin-
ciple that those most deserving of pen
sions as a rule are not those who sur
vived the war by twenty-six years, we
reach some startling conclusions from
Raum's own statistics
Of the alleged number Of surviving
veterans, 47S,556 are actually on the
rolls and in receipt of pensions. Near
ly forty per cent. of the northern sur
vivors of the war are partly or wholly
supported at government cost.
There are now pending in Gen.
Raum's bureau claims for pensions as
follows, leaving out of consideration
all widows claims, and all claims for
increase of pension to those already
on the rolls:
Original claims under old laws. .16S 9.5
Original claims under disability bill -. 1924
Total new claims ..................... 34S, 1889
Add total already pensioned. ........... .47S 1855
s,45
This amounts to saying that mere
than two-thirds of all the surviving
union veterans are now either in re-
! ceipt of pensions or are applicants for
pensions. The applicants are getting
provided with pensions, as the commits
sioner informs US, at the rate of 10000
q month, or $4,000 year. New ap-
plications are pouring in at a rate
which we can only conjecture. New
laws extending the scope of the gov
ernment's expenditure are in process
of incubation. How long will it be, if
the present game of grab continues,
before each of the 1,20S, 707 who Raum
says served IN the northern armies and
are still alive will be pensioner
on the rolls?-N. Y. Sun.
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