The National tribune., 1895-02-21
HOW 1T WOULD HAVE HELPED.

sioners were distributed much NOR
equally through all the States and Ter
ritories than is generally supposed
While the bulk of them are in tn,
Northern and Western States tens o
thousands have migrated to the South
in search of milder climate, and they
now form no inconsiderable part Of the
population of the territory over which
they once marched and fought. Fol
example, there are 3,64S pensioners in
Alabama, 10000 in Arkansas, 2,S51 in
Florida, 3,021 in Georgia, 29,5S2 in
Kentucky, 1888 in the Indian Terri
tory, 1925, in Maryland, 1881 in
Louisiana, 54,179 in Missouri, 1887 in
Mississippi, 4,904 in North Carolina,
1855 in Tennessee, 1853 in Texas,
5000 in Virginia, and 14,047 in West
Virginia. There is not State or Terri
tory in which they have not settled in
great numbers. Even far-off Alaska
has "a pensioners. Probably the pro-
portionate number of those living there
who have unsettled claims pending is
much greater than in the North and
West, owing to the greater difficulties
in the way Of getting their claims prop
erly attended to.
This demonstrates how general and
equable would have been the distribu-
ton of the money, if the Government
had adopted the righteous policy of set
Ting up at once all the debts due the
soldiers who had saved It's very exist
ence.
If, instead of borrowing money to
swell the profits of bankers and capital
lists, the Government had done the just,
honest and wise thing of borrowing it to
give these long-waiting men their dues,
what would have been the result?
Suppose that it had decided to clear
the docket at once of those 100000
cases under the old laws which the Com
missioner of Pensions stated nearly two
years ago he had found adjudicated and
ready for allowance, bat which had been
" side-tracked to make way for cases
arising under the act of June %, 1890.
He then said that he had reason to be-
lieve that fully 20 per cent. Of those
cases would be allowed. That would
be 100000 cases. The Commissioner
also reports that the average Of first
payments in old-law cases last year was
s442.72. At this rate it would have
taken s62,000,S00 to have paid off
those 10000 long-standing, thoroughly
examined and adiudicated claims, which
the Commissioner himself said should
have been paid, and were wrongly side
tracked to give preference to less meri-
torious ones.
The Commissioners own statement
settles the fact beyond dispute that there
were at least lao, 900 claimants to whom
the Government was under obligations
quite as binding in justice and honor as
those of keeping up the gold reserve or
paying the bondholders their interest.
Every one Of these had waited quarter
of a century for their clearly-stipulated
rights. Remember all the time that
these were not cases arising under the
disputed Act of June q, 1890, but
under the old laws, which pass I'M
questioned.
Suppose that the Government, feeling
the necessity of honorably redeeming lis
pledges to these men and women. even
at this late day, had borrowed sG2, O00,- |
800 to pay each of them his or her
average of s44272. How the whole
face Of business would have been
changed by this distribution of money
to the whole people. The good effects
would have been felt to the remotest
corners of the country within fortnight. |
The talk Of stringency in the money |
market would have ceased, for the |
S62,000,S00 distributed to every |
crossroads would have qrlickened |
every pulse into healthful activity. |
Every man who received S442.72 would |
have at once set il into circulation among
his neighbors, and within a little while
each dollar would do the work of 100