The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-07-25
WHY NOT A UNIVERSAL PENsION7

| unmlStSkaDly 10 universal pehoiob
and the sooner this is established the
greater the measure of gratitude and
Justice from the Nation toward those tc
whom it owes everything.
A universal pension has been the in.
variable policy of the Government to
those soldiers who have served it in Its
great wars. Considering the length,
arduousness, hardships and dangers OF
their service, the soldiers of the war OF
the rebellion deserve such pension in
comparably more than those of any pre-
vious struggle
We hear much of the valor and forti-
tude of our Revolutionary foretathers.
They undoubtedly deserve the highest
credit. According to their day and
generation they fought and endured
splendidlv, and won for us a noble her
itace. Yet there was more hard, des-
perate fighting in any six months of the
War Of the Rebellion than in the whole
seven wears of the Revolution. In the
oldcn days wars were not prosecuted
anywhere with the intense, business-like
energy of modern struggles. There
would be long waits for preparations,
sometimes for years, when there would
be a campaign. sometimes resulting in a
battle, but quite as frequently not, and
then there would be another long wait,
generally till the next year. AT one
time Gen. Washington's army did not
fight battle for nearly two years. The
most Of his men would go home to help
get in the crops, and stay till there was
a likelihood of their being needed. Yet
every man who was at any time present
in the camps of the Revolutionary army
was afterwards pensioned at IS month,
ard this was extended to their widows
The war of 1912 was even more of a
guerrilla, bushwhacking business. Men
were called out to repel threatened
incursiOn, staid in camp few days and
then went home to wait until the next
alarm. The losses in the whole war
among the 100000 men who were from
time 10 time called out did not exceed
those of a single day s fighting at Shiloh,
Stone River, Antietam and elsewhere.
Yet every man who had served so much
as II days, or been in a single fight,
was put on the rolls at SO a month, and
their widows after them.
There were l01 1882 men, including
regulars and sailors, enrolled for the
Mexican War. Their average service
was much less than year. The entire
loss in the war was only 1,557 men
killed and died of wounds and 1920
wounded, or about that Of a fairsized
battle during the last war. Yet every
man who served SO much az 60 DAYS
during that war, whether or not he ever
got near the Mexican border, gets pen
sion OF IS a month, or his widow gets it
if he is dead. Participation in the re-
belliOn does not work any forfeiture of
this, and the great majority of those now
in receipt of this pension did all in their
power to destroy the Government.
In view Of these facts no good reason
can be given for any longer delay of a
general pension TO the veterans Of the
war of the rebellion. 1t is due them not
only by reason Of their mexampled
services and sacrifices, but by reason Of
an invariable custom Of the country
toward ifs veterans
A general pension bill would not be
great expense. Eight dollars a month
Is but $50 a year, and to put 100000
soldiers on the roll, or all the veterans
now alive, would take but 500, 100000
year. But 725,342 are already on the
roll, and none of them at less than Sc
month. To put the remaining 274,658
on the roll at IS month would cost
but S24,467, 16S at the utmost, and for
the first year. After that the expendi-
ture would rapidly decrease, owing to
the ravages Of death. Then, too, we
would get rid of the great expense of
maintaining the Pension Bureau.
ppoRApfY there has been unite a