The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-10
INCREASE OF THE PENSION ROLL
Expectations of Decrease Disappointe
-LonSeyity Of Soldiera and Wild aua


United States pension bureau is one of the
never-ending surprises of the last quarter
of the nineteenth century. 1t was thought,
and positively asserted, in the early '7O's
that the highest point had been reached.
and that thenceforward the number of
pensioners and the amount of money paid
to them would gradually and annually
decrease. That this thought was JUS
titled was then apparent, for
the number of pensioners decreased
year by year from 238, All in 1873 to
232, l04 in 1877, while the money payments
decreased from $33 OF, 3S4 in 1871 to $685.
S44, AIS in 1878. About that time, however,
the doors were opened wider, more persons
were made eligible and arrears were added
to pensions, whereby old soldiers received
in the lump moneys that they would have
received from year to year had their claims
been allowed earlier. These back pay
ments amounted in some cases to six,
eight and ten thousand dollars,
and very few of them were
necessary to run up the rolls millions
of dollars. The 14791 pensioners of 1863
received in all s., OPS, lao, an average of less
than $75 apiece, while the $50, SOP pension
ers of 1870 received $57, 273. 537, an average
of $225 apiece, or more than three times
greater than seventeen years before. The
pensioners have since increased every year
until at the time of the last report they
numbered SIC, 100, to whom was paid $11S,-
54s,950. The payments of the last thirty
zone years aggregate 81, 277, 26l ,263, made to
1,012, 244 persons.
There is room yet for a great addition to
the number of pensioners. Commissioner
Raum says there are 6SS, $40 surviving sol
diers of the Union not pensioned, while he
gives no estimate of the widows and 9TH
ers. Unless the doors are closed, which is
unlikely, the rolls will contain consider
ably over l, 900 900 names by 1895. He has
now on file in his Office 559,027 claims,
$4,000 of which he supposes will be ad-
Indicated and allowed during the present
year. The commissioner estimates that
$133, 473,0S5 will be required by the bureau
during the year. Less than 2 per cent. of
the pensioners died last year.
The longevity of old soldiers and SOL
diers' widows has long been remarkable.
Though the Revolutionary war ended Ito
years ago, there are yet on the rolls TWEEN
ty-three pensioners, three of whom are
daughters and twenty widows of soldiers.
The only one of these living west of the
Mississippi river is Mrs. Lovey Aldrich,
widow of Caleb Aldrich, one of the New
Hampshire troops. Mrs. Aldrich is 81
years of age, and resided in Seattle until
about a year ago, when she removed to
Portland. The oldest of the Revolution
airy pensioners are Anna Maria Young, of
Easton, Pa. and Nancy Ranir, OF Wind
sor, VT, both of whom round out an even
100 years in 1892.
There are yet 2S4 survivors Of the war of
1872. and 1850 widows. These old people
are passing off with mournful rapidity.
creased from So, 44S, 769 in 1880 to 81 ,062, 7S9
in 1891. A decade hence but few will be
left, perhaps no more than now remain on
the Revolutionary roll.
Survivors of the Mexican war number
16379, and widows 6.976. The survivors
are diminishing at the 7ate of 5 per cent.
per annum; the widows are still
increasing in number. As mat
ter of fact, the earlier pensioners
after all wars are men alone;
later women are admitted, who
gradually outnumber and finally sue
coed the men. Payments to Mexican war
pensioners were $2,3l7,4 in 1891, the
amount being little less than in any one
of the three previous years.
Fifty men were pensioned last year who
had served their country for periods vary
ing from l61 to 476 months.
Twenty-one persons were pensioned in
1891 whose ages ranged from 80 to 05 years,
and 2s8 persons from so to 80 years. More
persons are pensioned between As and IS
years of age than all others combined.
First payments last year averaged $239
each, and aggregated $3s, $50, ga. The av-
erage value of last years pensions was
$l32. The annual value is constantly in
creasing. There are 1SS different monthly
rates of pension. Three persons-widows
of presidents--receive 5000 q year; one
$500, seven $1,000, and eighteen 1920
each. Twenty persons get $l2 year each.
The class having the greatest number of
pensioners is that receiving $144 annually,
of whom there are las, liza, more than two
thirds of whom are widows.
Not only are all the states and terrific
ries represented on the pension rolls, but
forty-six foreign countries. Among the
latter are Austria, Belgium, China, India,
Liberia, Norway, Russia, Sweden and
South Africa, as well as Canada, Germany,
0Icdt hcAlCO, 0OQtn America,
etc. Alaska has but IA pensioners, and
Nevada only 166. Ohio, with 75,49S, and
Pennsylvania, with SO, 1856, are at the top
of the states. Washington has more
than Oregon or Idaho, Montana
North Dakota. Wyoming North Carolina,
South Carolina, Alabama, Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana. Mississippi,
or any two of the territories. Thirty of
the states exceed Washington in the num-
Der of their pensioners. In population
Washington is the thirty-fourth state 1t
will be seen, therefore, that her people are
not neglected in the distribution of
pension benefits. Further, the gain
is much more rapid here than in
the country generally, the pensioners in
the state increasing in number from
6O5 in 1886, to 900 in 1887, to l, 22l in 1888.
to La in 1882 to 2,l55 in 1890, and to
2,sS5 in 1891. About one-half the pension
ers in the state are in the counties of King,
Pierce and Spokane. Allowing for a
probable increased number. and taking
into account first payments, it is safe to
say the general government will distribute
to pensioners in the state of Washington
not far from $500, 900 during the present
fiscal year.