The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-03-13

beyond the power of time TO wholly repair.
\ one who looks upon a gathering of old
soldiers can fail to be impressed with the
truth that they are prematurely old.
A careful estimate places the number of
survivors Of the union army July 1. 1865, at
1,T02, 900. 1t will be understood that this
includes a large number who had enlisted
under the later calls for men. and had seen
little actual service. Thousands in the
camps of rendezvous had not been sent to
1.-THE 'front.' at ell. As nearly as can be as
certained. 457, 900 of the survivors died
between July l, 1866, and July /, 1890, leav-
ing the number at the latter date, ,245, 600.
This is being reduced by death at the rate
OF 10000 year. During the next fifteen
or twenty yeats the mortality will increase
as the soldiers grow old. Thirty years
hence the ranks will be thin indeed; in
forty years few of them will remain.
Nearly $50, 600 are now of the age of 81 or
upward. Others who live will reach that
age at the rate, upon an average, of 10000
per year. Those who are now arriving at
90 were above 35 when the war closed.
There will be from 5000 TO %, 900 year
for tie next half dozen years. From
about 1897 the number reaching the age
Of 90 will increase rapidly, owing to the
fact that by far the greater portion of the
soldiers in the Union Army were under 30.
The average age at enlistment was about
29 1t is estimated that the largest number
TO reach the age of 90 in any one year will
be In 1905, when there will be $4,000. Such
persons were about % when discharged
from the army. In 1906, there will be
about "a, 900; in 1907, 90, COO: in 1905, 3, ZOO
and in 1909 only $50. These last are the
rear guard of the great patriotic process
sion. They shouldered muskets at 10 and
marched away to the field.
The rate Of mortality among the soldiers
ind hot of he
about $4,000 will live to reach the age of
62. But if service pension should be
made operative at that age, not more than
two-thlrds of this number would be upon
the roll at any one time. The greater part
OF those who have already reached that
age, or will reach it during the next half
dozen years, will have passed away before
the point shall have been reached by the
youngest.
The aggregate amount paid for pensions
since 1851 exceens 81, 10000 600 about q
third of what The war cost the government
during its continuance. The amount stated
includes, however, the sums paid to the
pensioners of 1872 the Mexican war snd
Indian wars. Above 80 per cent. was paid
to pensioners of the war of the rebellion.
As the laws stand to-day the amount re
quired for some time to come will be about
| $40, 00O, 900 year. 1t is not likely in any
eveLt, unless there be further legislation
| to greatly exceed that sum, as the future
yearly additions to the roll will be nearly
Offset by those dropped by reason of deatt
| and other causes. The time is not remote
when, in the course of nature, the survivor.
OF the late war will be so reduced in mum
Der that the pension roll will cease to be
burden upon the people, even if it can nov
be considered such.
The records of the pension Office show
that the old soldiers are scattered over thu
entire habitable globe, IL our country tht
number of veterans in the West is notice
ably large. The war caused a serious dis
turbance and dlsarrangement of the lif
plans Of many of the young men VIII
entered the service. They gave to thei
. country years of their early manhood
which otherwise they would have devotet
to fitting themselves for the professions O.
other vocations. Thousands left school 70
the tented field and did not resume thei
studies. These young men were ener
getic and ambitious, and large numbers O
them from the old states turned their face
4 westward after being discharged from th
army. They have borne large part il
the marvellous development of that grea
section of the country. That they hav
been characterized by the highest loyalt
of good citizenship is abundantly shown b.
! the bounu!ess prosperity to which the
have so greatly contributed. No bette
a.
! world than those of the western state
where the old volunteer soldiers are mos
, numerous.
Taking the pension roll as an index, Obi
/ has larger number of soldiers than an
other state. New York is second and Penn
sylyania third; then, in the order named
Indiana, Illinois, Missouri Iowa, Kansa
! and Massachusetts. 1t is probable, how
+ ever, that the ratio of pensioners to th
\ whole number of soldiers is greater in tn
older states. as those who went to see
: their fortunes in the west were the NOR
robust and healthy men, who had not bee
G disabled by the casualties of war. Kanss
. has larger per cent. of soldiers than an
other. Nine-tenths of them served in til
a war from other states. Almost every reg
7 ment of the union army, from Maine
f Minnesota, has its representatives in Kan
sas. In greater or less degree the same
q true of Nebraska and all the states of th
great west and northwest. Not less tina
$1,000 union soldiers have found homes i
n Texas, where they have shared in the d.
. velopment of that wonderful state,
: Nearly fifty foreign countries are repr
t sented on the pension roll, the individual
g who have sought other climes numberin
V nearly $500. There are LOO pensionel
Y in Canada, and some 400 each in German
a and Great Britain. The remainder al
s distributed among all the lands upo
e which the sun shines. There are pei
K sioners in Africa, Chins, Fiji, Japan an
S New Zealand. They are in all the coul
t tries of Europe, Sonth America and tt
: farthest isles of the sea. 1t is safe to a
n sumo that these men do honor TO the fla
4 which they followed through the years
e fire and blood.