The Forrest City times., 1892-02-12
DEMOCRATIC. MATTERS.
TIME TO CALL A HALT.


 General Slocun. one of the most I distinguished of the surviving corps
 commanders of the late war. contrib | ufes a careful. earnest and impress l i've article to the Forum. un-
 der the title- Pensions Time
 to Call q Halt General SIo- cum shows how the number of pen sioners on the rolls has risen from s5. 9s6 in 1865 and 250. SOP in 1880 to 676. 160 in 1891. aud the amount paid Ia pensions from ss. 525. 153 in 1865 and t57. 240. $40 in 1880 to SIS 54s. : 959 in 1891 and how. according to ths report of the commissioner. the average of issues is now about 30. 900 certificates per month. General Slo. cum thinks that commissioner Of pensions who can carefully adjudi- cate and allow penslons at the rate of two each minute during every work ing hour of the year deserves to hzse applied to him the famous Western motto: Don't shoot the organist; he is doing his best
 Every civilized nation. as Geueral Slocum observes. recognizes the iuty of caring for those disabled in it's de- fense and for those dependent on them Great Britain pensions all soldiers after a certain term of service and rcfires officers upon half pay. aud the entire payments for pensions and the retired pay of officers of both army and navy amounted last year to E5.- 40. S22. or say twenty seven millious of dollars Franco where the old soldier is particularly well cared for. pays for military and naval pensions &29. S57, 900; the German Empire SIS 2S3. 900; Austria $12 245. 900; Russia about SIS. 900. 900. It is safe to say that the pension roll of the United States to-day is far greater than those of England. France. Ger many. Austria and Russia combined And yet it is said that republics are ungratefuL"
 General Slocom goes on to compare the pension liberality of the present with the past says the Chicago Her ald From the close Of the revolu- tionary war up to ISIS pensions were granted for disability only In that year service pension was granted and all received pensions who had been in the service and were then thirty-five years after the close of the war; incapable of supporting them selves. The whole number of pen sions granted was 2 per cent of the entire enlistments- The enlistments of the war of 1872 were 527. .055, and pensions were granted to 50. 010. or II per cent of the entire number, In the war with Mexico the number of enlistments was 83. 260. and up to 1887 pensions had been granted to II. sos. or about Is per cont In that year service pension act was passed which increased the number to B. 27l- The total amount paid to pensioners of these three wars up to date is $95. 392, 900. or less than one years pen sion payments now.
 The whole number of enlistments in our armies during the civil war 2. 77S. . BOA, but this includes enlistments for one two and three months as we'll as for longer periods. and some 300 900 men who enlisted at the close of the war and never saw service. The best estimate the number of men actually engaged in our armies at about two millions Pensions had been granted on June 30. 1889. to 630. 026 persons or more than twenty three per cent of the entire number of enlistments while there were 500 900 claims pending which have been and are being passed at the rate of thousand day.
 General Slocum believes the time has come when the constant agitation to further extend the pension list should cease He hopes that it will be checked for two reasons; first be- cause the effect of these constant de- mands must be to lessen the esteem and affection which our people have always felt for the veterans of the late war and secondly. because there is great danger if we allow the pension claim agents to represent the soldiers as body of cormorants who are dis contented with what they have re- ceived. that sooner or later we shall kill the goose that lays the golden egg" IL is for the interest of the pen sion -claim agent he points out. con stantly to change our pension laws so as to enable him to bring in new claims each of which brings money to his coffers At the rate pensions are now being granted the claim agents are in receipt of B. 300 900 year. It is this class of men. and not the hon. est pensioner who is interested in con- tiuuing this agitation and Il fear. adds General Slocum with earnestness and force that eventually reaction will take place. and honest and de- serving pensioners will suffer with the undeserving.
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