The Republican journal., 1896-11-05
Where Pension Money Goes.


Set Forth In Commissioner Nurphy's Annual Re.
port. The Migration of Eastern Veterans to the
West shown.
The distribution of the pension pay
ments by States, which is set forth in the
annual report of Commissioner Murphy,
shows many inequalities in proportion
TO population, which are due to the mi
grafton of the veterans, and to a number
Of other influences.
The classification is not made by the
States from which the soldiers originally
enlisted, but by their present residences.
| This classification affords some measure,
| therefore, of the movement of eastern
veterans toward the West to seek thei1
fortunes at the close of the war, and of
the influence which they now possess in
western politics.
Indiana comes near standing at the head
of the list in the amount of pension mon
ely drawn in proportion to population. The
| population in 1890 was 2, 1872, 4O4. The
, number of pensioners is now 6S, $50, and
the amount of pensions paid SO, ISL, SOL.
This was not much below 50 per capita
| for every man, woman and child in the
State.
| The reason for this exceptional number
of Indiana pensioners can probably be
| found partly in the hotly-contested poll
teal battles which have ragged there and
the disposition to hurry up Indiana cases
,, at the pension office.
There was not only the general motive
of creating favorable sentiment tow ard
| the party in power, but the closeness of
nearly all the congressional districts con-
stituted the strongest personal induce
ment to the individual members to press
their cases before the pension bureau.
1t used to be common talk before civil
service reform had obtained firm foot
ing that special agents of the pension
office swarmed through Indiana in pres-
dental years, with the double purpose of
hurrying pension cases and doing outside
political work.
Massachusetts, with population nearly
the same as that of Indiana, but tritle
larger, had only 81, $40 pensioners June
80, 1896 who were drawing IS, $50, GA.
This wide difference is due largely, of
course. to the movement of Massachusetts,
veterans toward the West, rather than to
mere pushing of cases for political rea-
sons, but both influences probably came
into play.
The State of Iowa, with about one sew
enth less population than Massachusetts,
and VIGOROUSLY the home of large num-
Der of veterans, has 81, 79o pensioners,
drawing So, 403, 9T6.
Ohio, another October State" in pres
idential elections up to a few years ago,
stands at the head of the list in the total
number of pensioners, which is 1O3, 92l,
and in the amount paid which is S15. 49,,
1852
Illinois, with slightly larger popula-
ton chan Ohio, and 20 per cent. more
population than Indiana, has IS, 6SS pen
sioners, drawing 50, S44, 1872.
New ork ami Peunsy lvania rank far
| behind all these States in the proportion
of pension payments to population.
New York has s7,O06 pensioners, draw
ing SIP, 400, 269. and Pennsylvania has 9S,-
S37 pensioners, drawing SIP, 459, 5SS.
Kansas, with population in 1890 of a
little less than that of New Jersey, has
~, 4a5 pensioners, drawing ST, 81, $3.50,
while New Jersey has only 20,O17, draw
ing 81, 445, 400.
The newer States of the far West have
many veterans among their inhabitants,
and Colorado and South Dakota draw
about s. in pensions for every inhabitant
of the State.
ENAAN'hOA'NAo
is 6, PAT, and the amount paid them is $685.
PSI.
The number in South Dakota is 4, 7O2,
and the amount paid is s614, 315.
The southern States do not figure so
largely in the pension roll, except the
States along the border.
Missouri draws nearly 80 per inhabitant
for pensions, amounting to 81, ~, 800 for
%. S02 pensioners.
South Carolina comes at the bottom of
the list OF the older States, with 2, $50 pen
sioners, drawing SOB, 213.
Arkansas, through northern immigra-
ton, has raised her pension roll to 1901
i per cent, drawing 81, $50, 1G7.
The largest amount paid in American
pensions in any country outside of the
United States is i'll Canada, where 1899
veterans and their families draw $685.
4O3
Great Britain comes next on the list,
with 665 veterans drawing Sl02, 100; Ger
many next, with 601 veterans drawing
S92, SIS; Mexico fourth, with 81 veterans
drawing S13, 135; Switzerland fifth, with
10 persons drawing 81, POS; France sixth,
with 81 persons drawing S9426; Sweden
seventh with "A persons drawing 5000;
Norway eighth, with 81 persons drawing
S5717
Nearly every country in the world is the
home OF at least one pensioner, there be-
ing one in the Azores, three in Brazil, two
i'll Algiers, four in the Argentine Repub-
lie, nine in Chill, one in Egypt, one IN
Roumania, onein Venezuela, 10 in Japan,
one in Korea, three in Liberia, and even
one in Finland.
Condensed Testimony.