Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-23
vrun,yra.s Pension LAWS.

We publish IN another column to-day
letter from Mr.. s. K. Perkins OF Flu
wanna county. In which he argues that
Virginia should do better for her oio
soldiers than che is now doing. Tne
Dispatch thinks so too; but this can De
accomplished In one way oniy-Dy Ievyihs
n special tax TO raise fund with which
10 meet an additional charge upon the
public treasury.
The revenues OF our State are barely
sufficient TO meet the expenses Oh gov
eminent and pay the interest upon our
public debt. The Legislature may pos
slbly make some reduction In the States
expenses at this session. but this gain
will be offset by additional expenses
that II must authorize. And so IL is
quite impossible that the Legislature
should appropriate much more money
than 1t is now appropriating to pay
pensions, etc. Our old soldiers have
good friends In the Governor and
the Legislature, and they would gladly
have the State help our old soldiers and
cur old soldiers widows more than 1t
Is now helping them II the Stale Trea-
sury. had the money TO DO so.
The Dispatch has more than once said
that the needed money can be gotten
by proper effort. How? BY taking the
sense OF the people az to their willing
ness to authorize the Legislature to levy
a small additional annual tax to create
fund out Of which to meet our obliga-
tions to our old soldiers and their
widows.
We wish that the Legislature at this
session would provide for taking this
vote. II the people authorize this special
levy the legislators would not hesitate
to make IT. but under no other cir
cumstances would they feel at liberty to
raise the rate Of taxation.
This is the one way by which our Old
soldiers may be Helped. If there is any
other way 1t Is unknown to u.s. Don't
let our old soldier friends blame the
Legislature for not voting them money
that the State hasn't got and can't COM
mand without raising taxes or selling
its bonds. AS we have said. the Legisla-
ture and the Governor are well disposed
towards our veterans. but these gentle
men know that the necessary money Is
not TO be gotten except in one OF the
two ways indicated.
If this subject had been freely dis
cussed during the past twelve months.
We believe that favorable action could.
have been gotten from the Legislature
at this session; az it Is, we are afraid
that it is too late now to go into the
subject with ali the thoroughness that it
demands. But in case no action is
taken at this session we suggest
that at the Confederate reunion. which is
TO be held in the city on June Goth. our
Virginia veterans meet and discuss the
whole subject Of pensions. 1t may be
that some one will be able TO make
wiser suggestion than the one we have
advanced. IL 50. nobody will be more
pleased than the Dispatch. In regular
course there will not be another legisla-
tive session until December. 1891; but
there are always possibilities Of extra
sessions, and II there should be one next
winter any scheme that might be adopted
might be thereby advanced twelve
months.
we Cl5dSTtc lOlO WIN
comparison OF a soldiers home with y
poor-house. The soldiers OF England and
France and Of other great nations enter
tain no such notion as that OF Mr.. Per-
kins. In this country we have had less
occasion than foreign nations TO maintain
soldiers homes; but we have many such
homes now and will have them for de-
cades to come, IL not forever. and no
soldier who is not super-sensative ought
to mind going to a soldiers home.
IL the public should look upon an in
mate Of such home in the light of Il
pauper, it would be 10 the shame of the
public; but there Is no such public
opinion. Far from 1t. Certainly no old
soldier who has relatives or friends with
whom to live should dIsparage the home
that our Commonwealth provides for her
veterans who have no other home In
which TO spend the evening Of their lives
-----------------------------