South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1891-10-16
neglect to lave them taught some
Proper mssls II seif.sapp,ft.
WE BEAT THE WORLD IN souN.


I'VE BEAT THE WORLD IN BouN
..ffRS.
Ia letter recently written M
Peneion COmmls,oasr Raum 20 q
Ohio Congressmsn. h 10 stated cha
the psnsion bureau will. during Ii.
present nscsl year. i.soe $50 600 pen
Mon certificates. ent,llipg the holder,
% thS koternments bstn,y. Ths
number 10 portenteus. asd 'cslls O..
ssntiou % the magnitude OF oar rsn-
s'ou OPERATIONS On the arss Of July,
1891, according TO chs Commissioned /,
shsre were before the hurese 59S. 7S7
elaine OF persons Who had hstsr
drawn pensions. and Ses. $50 GLAZING
/ OF persons ssking au increase Of pens
sioh huder various lava Tue nnm,
Der of names now on the pension
roll is about 10000. and he cur
rent appropriation is Sl33,!73 O35.
BY the close Of the prsssn, fiscal
year. June 81. 1892. Mr.. Raum viii
have on his lis,. if he is not dis.p.
pointed, about $4,000 nsmes. snd
the expenditure will be 1t Tho rate OF
over $4,000 900 a year. These
naures take thu breath. There wac
never anything like them In the his
tory OF the world. They show tho
gratitude OF the politicians and pen,
sion attorneys to the two millions of
men who were engaged at various
times during four years in fighting
600.o0o. They largely exceed the
aggregate Of all the pensions paid to
ex-seldiers .nd sailors ny all the
other governments in the world.
France. Germany, Itsly, Austria,
Russia and England. for CT .mple,
are 6gh ting nations that maintain
large standing armies. and have had
wars on their hands sine. 1865, as
we'll as before. but ALI pu. together
their expenditure for pensions is
hardly more than half OF ours
The proportion OF the ex.aoldiers
found to want pensions 10 remarka-
BILE. considering the fac, tina. 60
many are dead, 1t greatly exceeds
the proportion to be found to be In
need 10 the Southern States. But
few ex-Confederates II 10 believed
are In actual want, whether from
disabilities or other cause. By hard
work they have managed. as q rule,
to make ends meet When they have
been unable to do 80. relatives and
friends have Clipped In and put
them abnve want. Where there we're
no rel.tives or friends to per.
form this natural and kindly office,
the State has provided modest
"homs' for the really disabled, CT
has given thcu a small but sIequa.e
sum ont OF tho treasury OF the CONS
monwealth. Of Course, the ex- Cor.
federate has had to hustle for liy-
ing. His State and himself emerged
from III. War Impoverished, stripped
of capital. Billions OF value were
lost. Even now. after thirty years
the Sou his assessed valuation is but
four billions, as against FIVE billions
In 1860. Naturally there was need
OF help 10 that section. u anywhere,
but IL was not to be- had. The i'm.
poverisbed ex.Confederates, az has
already been said. had TO hustle
aud 1t did them good. 1t improved
their health, stimulated their COM
mon sense. strengthened thrift aud
moral fibre, and made the whole
Southern people sturdily salf-relisnt.
Accordingly she pension list Of ex.
Confederates is IN every State very
brief, and self.respsot will probably
prevent it's ever containing the
names Of persons really able to sup.
port themselves. L.. IL, so far ss 1.
goes, an honest Iis,, not tue compo.
sitiou Of the pension attorney.
The Federal pension list vas of this
character substantially till 1879. In
1867 the list had l33. iSs names and
cost sl9,6i9 1855. In 1873 it had
2SS.4ll names aud cost $29, 1876, 2s9.
Abou, all ex soldiers really entitled
to pensions for disability incurred
In the service were than on the list.
Their number accordingly decreased
steadily after 1873 tIl 1878, when
there we're hat 20 800 costing an.
nuslly but $26.S44,4l5. But on the
theory that pension expenditure
might be increased as interest on the
public debt decreased. the politicians
IN order TO win votes. begun 10 1879
TO crowd the list With undeserying
names. Till now some 100000 are on
the roll at q cost of 1873, 900 900 .
wear The Nav York Hara 4 eat;.