The National tribune., 1896-12-10
THE SERVICE PENSION

The SERVICE PENSION
We want reassertion of the old legal
principle that honorable, faithful service
in war entities man to pension.
This has always been the rule in this
country. 1t was an idea inherited from
England. Probably it dates back to
feudal times, when all lands were held
hy men in return for military service.
That was in the days when there was no
money, or virtually none. All men got
their living directly from the land. 10
give man land, therefore, was to give
him all that was necessary for his living.
In those days man held his land as
reward for attending the King for 60 or
80 DAYS when he set up his banner.
When we were Colonies the lands
were given men who served against the
Indians and French, and large portion
of all the farms east of the Mississippi
River were originally acquired In this
way. After the Is original States had
bestowed the lands inside their present
borders, they began to grant their SOL
diers lands elsewhere.
Virginia rewarded those who served
the State during the Revolution and the
Indian wars with grants in kentucky,
and the Scioto Valley in Ohio. North
Carolina settled hers in Tennessee Con-
necticut in the Western Reserve in Ohio !;
Massachusetts hers in Maine.
Then they began giving a service
pension in lieu of or in addition to lands
The Revolutionary soldiers got s. a
month, which, considering everything,
was as great as SIG month now. 1t
was double the pay of private during
the Revolution, which ran from So to
So month.
The soldiers of the war Of 1872 also
received So month, and this was given
them for so short a service as IA days,
or having participated in a single fight
This, also, considering the difference in
the value of money, was equal to what
SIG would be now.
The principle was fully recognized as
a permanent part of our National mill
tary policy when the bill was passed
giving the soldiers of the Mexican war
service pension of SIS month for a
minimum of 60 days service. This
bill would have been passed much sooner
than it was but for the fact that the great
majority of the men who would receive
pensions were then red-handed from the
war Of the rebellion. But it was after
ward held that the principle was so firmly
established that we should have to pen
sion these men for their previous good
service, even though they were afterwarl
Captains, Majors, Colonies, and Generals
in the mad effort to destroy the Gov
eminent. Their widows were also pen
stoned.
Now we want an immediate reasser.
|! ton of this principle for the benefit OF
the veterans of the war of the rebellion.
| IF the soldiers of the Revolution and the
war of 1912 earned service pension
those of our Last war emphatlcally did
IF the soldiers of the war with Mexico
gained rights which even leadership in
rebellion could not extinguish, certainly
those who put down that rebellion have
them In their fullnesS
The passage of the Service Pension
Bill will at once put on the roll abou
100000 men who have the right to b.
there, but have heretofore been kept Of
by the delays and circumlocution of tn
Pension Bureau. Let US have an i'm
mediate recognition of the time-honore'
principle that a man who served hi
country faithfully in war, earned by tina
service place on her pension roll.
4 HENRY CLEws q Co., New Yor
bankers, say in their circular:
One of the most hopeful features of tn