Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-09-14
Points For Pension Purgers.
INeM York Advertiser

Referring to the attitude of the people
of the Southern States on the pension
purging question, the point is frequently
made that they direct all their hostile
criticism against the Union war veter-
ans and in so doing dwell with great
persistence upon two propositions, viz: /:
that although the war closed in tho
spring of 1865, the number of pension
ers borne upon the roll is greater than
ever before, and secondly that they
(the Southern people,. are taxed to pay
pensions to Union veterans who all live
in the North, and that therefore the
North has the benefit of the money so
paid out and the South has not. And
an examination of these propositions
and the testimony bearing upon the
case brings out some striking facts.
As, for instance, that it ia not true
that all the Union pensioners live out
side the late Confederacy. On the con-
trary some S12,OOO,OO0 is paid to pen
sioners living in the Southern States,
and as only about S6,000,000 of internal
revenue taxes is collected in the South
the sum thus paid is equal to twice the
amount collected from our Southern
friends as taxes into the National treas
ury. The amount of money paid as
customs duties in the South is COM
paratively light; the poor people-those
who are loftily referred to by the press
and statesmen of that section" as the
common people" or middle classes
pay almost nothing, since there are no
duties to speak of on the common nee
essaries of life. The wealthy people of
the South pay customs duties which
foot up only trihing sum on foreign
luxuries.
The people of the South do not ask
that the rolls upon which are borne the
names of Mexican War pensioners shall
be purged. The great majority of these
pensioners lives in the Southern States,
and there are today upward of $4,000
of such names on those rolls, notwith-
standing the fact that the Mexican war
closed about 4S years ago. and notwith-
standing the further fact that our total
force engaged in that war never exceeded
10000 men. The army commanded by
General Scott comprised 10000 men at
its best; that of General Taylor never
went above $500, while Halney's was
only 1000 strong.
Our Southern friends do not COM
plain because of the fact that, after
nearly half a century has elapsed,
the number of Mexican war pen
sioners exceeds the total number
of soldiers engaged in that war,
but they profess to see in the fact
that there are nearly 1000, 600 Of Union
war pensioners evidence of gross dis
honesty, by means of which ''dead
beats and bummers" are borne upon
the rolls, Notwithstanding the fact that
nearly 100000 of men were enlisted
in the Union army, from first to last,
during the war of the Rebellion.
And careful inquiry has brought to
light another fact of great significance
in this connection. Many of the lately
seeded States pay pensions in one
shape or another to exCOnfederate
soldiers whose health or circumstances
make it necessary that they should
have such relief, and the number of
persons borne on what may be termed
the Confederate pension rolls exceeds,
according to Confederate figures, the
total number of soldiers enrolled from
first to last in the Confederate Army.
1t would be more manly, in view of
these facts, if the people of the South
should cease all false pretenses in the
premises and boldly avow the truth.
namely, that they attack the Union
pensioners because they hate them for
having put down the Shareholders re-
bellion.