Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-10-08
Some Points About Pensions.

The central fact in Commissioner
Raum's annual report is, as We have
already noted, that on the Both of June
last no fewer than 676, 1850 pensioners
were on the rolls. This is body more
numerous than the standing army of
any country in the world, except Rus
STA, and larger, even, than her field
forces ana troops of the reserve COM
bined, exclusive of the local and Cos
sack organizations. Not less extraordi-
nary is the fact that the net additions to
the roll for the year were 1896, or
more than one fourth as many as the
names already there. The names
dropped, for various causes, chiefly
death, were 20,525 in number, so that
there must have been the enormous
gross addition of 15S,741. The previous
years net addition had been 4S,2l5, and
II was, we believe, unprecedented; but
now 1t has been nearly tripled by the
prodigious increase of the past fiscal
year, which is primarily due, of course,
to tho Disability bill.
Looking back a quartor Of century,
we find the roll of pensioners steadily
growing after the close of the war from
the year 1866, when it was 12G,722, to
the year 1873, when it was 23S,411.
Then the natural cbb slowly set in, and
during the five years following the addi-
tons were regularly less than the dimin-
utions, SO that each year showed fewer
pensioners than the year preceding.
The net loss in that period was 14,4l3
names. But then came the Arrears act,
which stimulated applications by offer
ing large lump sums in back pensions
as well as the current rate. This was
succeeded by other bills, increasing the
amounts payable on great classes of
pensions, one alone adding full half
moro TO the rates previously paid upon
something like 100000 pensions. Finally
came the Disability bill, sweeping in
hundreds Of thousands never before
eligible to the rolls. Accordingly from
the low-water mark of 223,99S PEN
siorers in 1878 we find steady flood
which by 1891 has carried 676, 100 names
upon the rolls, or three times as many
as there were about dozen years ago,
when many more war veterans wero
living The disbursements, which were
$13,459, 1886 in 1866, steadily increased to
maximum of S30,903,749 in 1874--one
previous year from special causes ex-
ceeding that sum. Then began the
natural decrease to $29,683, 116 in 1875,
and SO down until the minimum of
$2G,s44,4l5 had been reached. Since
then legislation has carried up the cost
until last years disbursements, as Com
missioner Raum tells us, We're $11S,549,-
95O.71, and he admits that we shall soon
be called upon for nearly $4,000, 900
as a years outlay.
| There arc other prospects discernible
in the commissioners report. lie tells us
| that he expects to adiudicate in round
numbers about 100000 more claims this
year than he did last. Some of these will
be for original pensions and some for
increases, with the general result appar-
emily, of issuing about two-tifths more
certificates this year than last. With the
number Of diminutions from death and
| other causes about as last year the 12
months work, as we calculate, must
add something like 100000 names to the
roll, SO that next June it will probably
exceed $4,000 persons. For the follow
ing year It would require only u net ad
dltlon OF 10000 names to bring the
number up TO q round million. But
Commissioner Raum has expressed the
belief that "the maximum number OF
names will be placed on the pension
rolls during the fiscal year 1SD3;n so that
i is almost certain that there will be
more than 100000 names on the rolls
over and above all the heavy losses from
deaths during the last % years. This is
the result Of the system OF legislation in
Congress during tho last dozen years
and Gen. Raum is careful TO compile
figures showing how many person.
there arc not yet pensioned thai nigh
be, as if to suggest to Congress for
ward march toward second million o.
pensioners.