The Portland daily press., 1895-04-20

| Last year the State of Maine granted
pensions to 1402 persons who were veterans
of the wal, or the widows and orphans OF
veterans. These pensions vary from So to
So a month to family, the amount being
determined by the degree of disability of the
pensioner, the amount of the United States
pension received and the number of persons
sharing the benefits of the states bounty.
The application for state pension is not
always favorably received any more than
are some application made to Uncle Sans
commissioners of pensions. Last year there
We're l543 application, the pensions being
granted in 1402 cases. Pension Agent MILL
ken can tell many stories of the efforts
made by unworthy persons to get slice of
the good thing offered by the state. Il is a
credit to Maine that these bummers are few
in number. but some of them are persistent.
trying again and again 10 get their names
on the rolls. There is the case Of the man
who figured in a pension application ono
duy and in the police court records the
next. He appeared in the pension depart
ment leading his ten year old boy by the
hand, and carrying what is sometimes, in
slang phrase, known as Il load" little
investigation showed that he was bird of
passage moving from town to town.. seldom
paying his rent, but always helping out the
receipts of the local rum shops. He did not
get u pension, notwithstanding the fact
that lie told touching story of his desire
to see his little son educated. 1t was hard
on the boy. but as he would probably have
never seen any of the pension money, the
state kept it for more worthy applicant.
The application for a pension for this Eem-
ber of the Phalanx of Blummers was signed
by selectman Of the town which he was
then favoring with his presence. The
selectman said afterwards that he believed
tho man was worthy when he signed the
paper. That, story of the fathers ambition
to educate his boy had fooled the selectman.
but it did not go with the pension agent
who weighed against the ecords of several
police courts.
Every year the pensions granted by the
state must be reissued, and application
must be made anew. This is done so that
IN cases where the need of assistance is no
longer felt, the money may be kept for use
where the necessity exists. This year up to
date there have been 1900 applications for
pensions, number several hundred in ex-
cess of The requests received up to this time
d year ago, Auu d buiru uOi tudu Two years
ago. This of course indicates that at the
end of the year the nuEber OF pensioners
will exceed those on the roll last year. The
applications are coming all the time, and
some of them tell sad stories. Women re-
Gently made widows find that they must ask
the state for aid, now that the bread
winners have been taken away. Old men
who have always earned living see in the
fall the frost on the ground and the wood
pile in the door yard rapidly dwindling. To
such as these the pension department is q
friend indeed, and all the more friend. be-
cause i; so successfully stands off the few,
but persistent bummers who want more
drink money.
Among this years applicants are twenty
or twenty five, who, a year ago could net
have gotten a pension according to othe
letter of the law. They are men who while
residents of Maine. served on the quota of
other states. The law now provides that if
they have been bons tide residents of Maine
for five years before making application
they may GIVE pensions.
The railroad commissioners go to Caribou
on the 24th inst. to locate spur track for
the Bangor and Aroostook railroad there.