Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-03-13


peetsen 81 shs sa,dssrs Il ths union
army wers usdsr 81 fhs aver
- 80 ~ sniissmsas We sboss 81 II
= eu1tnaseA thai ths largsss nouber -
reach shs age II % IN Any ens pear villa
~ IN lsex. ~hea th<Fe will - -. oco
such rersoas we're about - when dis
charged fram the sruy- In tpeo there
vlsi hs she4s -, 2cos 1877. =. go: u asos,
Ara. sA4 ia isse sRiy ~ These last
ere 80 rssr guard 81 he great patsiosis
p~oosssioa They Ahoasdered masksss
= u 80 usrSA<d swsy - ~ oeld.
Ths ssss u aortxlisy among the sst
dlsss Indicates thai II the presnns ssx-
visovs ahoas sso. eco viii lire - reach
H. aes u a. uut u = serviss psnston
sAaaiA - made epsrasive - that Ags
not more than two tairdn Of tAis num-
Der ucuid b upon The ssll a ssy one
tims. he greassr part Of those who
have sirssdy reached that sss. Or viii
reaeh /, duriag the next hsif-dossa
years. will have passed sway before
The point shAll have been resehel b.
The youngsss
The AwursGass smount paid ~ pea-
sions sines lsei exoeeds Slice. COO. 90.
about third Of what the war coat the
government during it, continuance.
The amount stated ineludea. however.
the sams paid to the pensionsrs Of The
var Of leaa. the Mexican War and
lndiaa wasa Above ninety per cent.
was paid 70 pensioners Of the war OF
the rebellion. A the laws stand to-
day the amount required for sone time
70 come will kc about ot&c. ooo. 900 =
year. II b not likely in any event, un-
less there be further leEislation. TO
greatly excced4hat sum. n the future
yearly editions to the roll win be
nearly Offset by those dropped by
reason Of death aud other causes. Tho
time y not remote when. In the course
OF nature. the survivors Of the late war
will be so reduced In number that the
pension roll viii cease TO be burden
upon the people. even II il can now be
considered such.
Taking the pension ron as IN index,
Ohio has larger number Of soldiers
than any other state New York is
second and Pennsylvania third; then.
in the order named. Indiana. Illinois,
Missouri. Iowa. Kansas and Massschu.
settA II Is probable, however. that
the ratio Of pensioners to the whole
number of soldiers is greater in tho
older states, as those who went to seek
their fortunes In tho west were tho
moro robust and healthy men. who had
not been disabled BY tho Casualties of
war. Kansas hos larger per cent Of
soldiers than any other. Nine-teuths
of them served In the war from other
states. Almost every regiment of tho
union army, from Maine to Minnesota,
has IT. representatives in Kansna In q
greater or less degree the Same is true
OF Nebraska and all the states of the
great west and northwest. Not less
than dfseen thousand union soldiers
have found homes In Texas. where they
have shared in the development Of that
wonderful state
Nearly City foreign countries are rep
resented on the pension roll. the indi-
viduals who have sought other climes
Numbering nearly $500. There are I. 100
penaiouers in Canada and some SEQ each
in Germany and Great Britain. The re-
maiuder are distributed among all the
lands upon which the sun shines. There
arc pensioners in Africa, China, Fiji.
japan and New Zealand. They arc in
all tho countries of Europe. South
Amarica and the farthest isles Of the
sea Il II safe 10 assume that these men
do hcuor.to the dag which they followed
through years Of Gre and blood.
Without . second thought IL would
seem aneualeus that while there arc
on tha psnsisn rolls bat as survivors Of
tie war Of is1a there are a,oio widows
A seld1sr whe served IN that war st the
age Of - Or Is years must now, II liv-
ing, ~ % or more. IL will Be but .
short time till all those win have passed
away.
The large number Of widows Is due 70
tho fact that many Of the old veterans
took TO themselves wives who were
much younger than themselves. No
doubt In the majority Of these cases
they were second or third marriages.
So is II that there are upon the roll
more than 5000 widows Of soldiers Of
that war. Most q them are advanced
in age, and from year 70 year the list
viii rapidly grow less.
II Is not difficult to understand that
there are no survivors of the revolution
ssy war. A boy Of Is in the last year
Of the struggle for independence would.
II living, be now considerably past 100
years Of sgc. But there yet remain
sozae twenty five revolutionary widows
The youngest Of them Is II. Ten Of
them are In the eo's and seven Of them
In the co.'s Two are oS. In the course
Of natars they will soon cease to draw
frsu the patriotic bounty Of the repub-
lie.
Ne Deo'e Have % Wsrh
A biR lazy fellow, with . handsome,