The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-02-04
Pensions.

From the Philadelph ia Ledger, Republican.
The history of the Pension legislati on Of
the United States, since the close of the war
for the Union, has been as one-sided as the
handle of Jug: its authors, Republicans and
Democrats, have proceeded IN respect to 1t
upon the principle that If it were possible to
to grant pension upon any pretext of patri-
otto service rendered upon sea or land, it
should be granted. But it would be gross in
suit to the common intelligence of the Amer
lean people to pretend that patriotism or
craftsmanship had any share or part in build
ing up that which is digni6ed by the grotesque
title of our National Pension System. There
is nothing systematic about it, unless it can
be said that the addition of one vicious piece
of legislation to another, for the purpose of
making pensioner of every enlisted man OF
the war, is systematic. The pension list has
grown to its present enormous length chiefly
through the determination of both political
parties to make capital out of it. to catch the
soldiers votes, and the sordid efforts Of the
claim agents to make money out of it. The
practical politicians and the pension agents
are largely, almost wholly. responsible for
what is called our Pension System.
At last this important matter is apparently
TO be considered from another side-trom
that Of those who are obliged to supply the
revenue out of which the pensions are paid
The list has grown so long and the approprI-
atoms so enormous as to alarm even the
most practical politicians, who are obliged to
face the fact that either pensions must be re-
strieted or new sources of taxation found.
The great surplus which President Cleveland
left in the Treasury, and which was regarded
with fear and disiavor, has virtually disap-
peared, and Secretary Foster statement of
al Of he ba nt
President Harrisons Administration can
scarcely be accepted as gratifying. The rev
enues, estimated, for the next fiscal year,
will amount to $3.50, l2l, 365, and the expen-
ditures for the same period for pensions
alone, also estimated, will amount to $780,
S31 $50. That is to say, over one.third OF
the entire revenues of the Government will
have TO be appropriated to the payment of
pensions. But the total revenue is estimated
and the total pension amount is estimated,
and both estimates are rather more likely
than not to be wrong, as the rule of the
J Treasury appears to be, from the many ex-
amples furnished, that the revenues are com
monty over-esiimated and the expenditures
underestimate. In respect to pensions this
has been an almost invariable rule, and it
is stated as the confident belief of some we'll
informed authorities at Washington that the
total sum required for pensions for the next
fiscal year will be not less than $50, 900, 600.
II would not unnaturally be thought that
twenty eight years after the close of the last
war the pension list would grow shorter: but,
| on the contrary, it grows longer, the growth
being only less rapid than that of the Bean
stalk of the fable. TO what length it will
reach, when it is considered that there are
pensioners of the War of the Revolution still
upon the list, ii would be unsafe to even sur
mise.
The propositions of the House Sub Com
mittee of the Pension Committee are not
without merit, but mere tinkering with PEN
sion legislation will not afford any real or
proper relief to the country from the abuses
of the Pension System. 1t is entirely Just
that the inmates of Soldiers National Homes
shall not be also pensioned, as they are
doubly pensioned, and equally just that any
one capable of earning yearly 5000 shall have
his name stricken from tie list of dependent
pensioners. The General Pension act Of
1890 is most incorrectly named; its proper
title would be ian act to make dependent
non dependent citizens" In thousands of
instances that is what it has done. The wis.,
dom, patriotism or liberality of General
Grant will scarcely be disputed, and the PEN
sion rule he laid down is so sound in princi-
Pile as to be interchangeable by good policy;
II was That all those persons VINO were IN any
manner injured in health or body, or who
were incapactiated in any degree to earn their
living because of the service they had rem
dered their country, on sea or land, should
be generously pensioned; that the country
they had served should compensate them
fully and fairly for any losses they had suf-
fered in its service, and that the widows and
orphans of all those who gave their lives, or
suffered iRcapactiating hurt for their country.
should be literally provided for by the Gov
eminent. The principle of the Dependent
Pension act, which aims to make dependent,
of those who else would be independent,
was denounced by General Grant as unpatri-
otic and un-American, and his denuncistion
Of it was as Just as was characteristic of the
great soldier and patriot.
The spirit of our present pension system is
too mercenary; it does not give credit to any
one for serving his country in war for coun-
try's sake; it does hundred of thousands of
brave, petriotic men the injustice of assuming
that they were soldiers for revenue, not for
love Of country.
The revision of the Pension laws should be
so radical as to drop from the list the name
OF every person on it who would not be in
Guided in list made up in accordance with
the principles enunciated by General Grant.