The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-06-15

r~o.sct,on and the Force bill viii be the
.,;.t ;ssnaa Of the coming Presidential cam
paien. but the extravagance OF the Republican
nor,v and the terrible burdens they have inn
nossd upon the country will play no mean
mart in the contest. And in the discussion OK
this subject the matter of pensions viii be
tbs main topic considered. We frequently
hear great deal about the enormous pension
list Of the country. but very few persons
have any idea what that pension is' really is'
and n yeview OF the statistics bearing on that
subject will be interesting as well US instruc-
tive.
o,a war AGO there were C76. 100 names on
our mansion roll, but by the close of the pres
ent fiscal year. which ends with the current
month. this list will be increased TO about
s7s.OOO names. as many as the entire iorce Oh
caneral Grant when the war ended. Not
withstanding this we are now Issuing new
mansions at the rate Of nearly 10000 per
month. and by the close Of tie coming fiscal
wear the pension roll will reach 1.OOO,OOO'
which would be more names than were on the
entire roll Of the Federal army when General
Lee surrendered at Appomattox
The Philadelphia Times recalls the fact
that some seven years after the close OF the
war, when the pension appropriations had
reached $50 OOO. 900. an amount then con-
sidered appalling. General Garfield, chair
man of the Appropriations Committee, in re-
uortinp that sum, felt called upon to apologize
for the unexpected increase, and assured tho
House and the country that the pension APP
preparations had reached it's highest point.
and would be speedily decreased. Now. how
has that assurance been fulfilled?
According to the official statistics. the an
nual pension appropriation had. five years ago..
reached the sum Of $4,000. OOO dwarfug out
of sight the s3O0OO,O0O which General Gar
field considered 50 appalling as to make an
apology to the country necessary. But even
then the high-water mark had not been
reached. although renewed assurances
TO that effect were given by these
who were advocating the new pen
sion bills. Unfortunately since then the
people elected the Billion-Dollar Congress.
and now what do we seel That the actual
expenditures for pensions this year foot up
the startling sum Of $40. Si7, Ala sum equal
TO nearly three times the entire revenue OF
the country when the Republican party first
gained control of the Government by the
election of Abraham Lincoln. Nor is the end
vet.
Pensions are still being issued and are still
steadily increasing. and If they are kept up at
the present ratio, by the next fiscal year,
ending June 1898, we will have fully 1900 900
pensioners. costing the enormous sum of about
5000 900. 900 yearly This Will mean that the
country will be paying more pensioners than
were ever in the Federal army at any time
during the war. notwithstanding that hun
dreds of thousands have died. and other hun
dreds of thousands have had too much re-
spect for themselves to ask for a pension. In
fact the more the veterans of the war and
their families die the more the pension-rolls
seem TO lengthen.
Considering all these facts our Philadelphia
contemporary asks some very pertinent ques-
tons 1t says: The natural inquiry is,
Where do all the pensioners come from (?
Who can answer that question? The next
natural inquiry is, Where is the pension
prohigacy to stop? Who can answar that
now grave question? Another inquiry likely
tolcome up from the people at no distant day
is, How long will the nation submit to the
most prohigate pension system of the worlds
history when countless numbers of the most
gallant soldiers have never sought pension
and WOuld now blush to be clAssed as pen-
sioners? Who can answer that question:"