The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-03-25
AS TO PENSION LEGISLATION.

radcs who are writing us on the pension
question is as to the order of procedure
Many believe that the best way to begin
Is by securing the passage of straight
Service Pension Bill, with minimum OF
not less than SIS a month for every man
who served 80 days or more and was
honorably discharged, and that aftei this
is gained we can agitate and secure the
passage of law giving Per Diem in
crease for those who served longer than
three months. 1t will be remembered
that years ago, when the Treasury was
full aud our friends in power, we first
formulated THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE
Per Diem Service Pension Bill, which
contemplated a pension of one cent a
month for every day that man served
from March, 1861, to Dec. 81, 1866,
but provided that no pension should be
less than IS a month.
On the other side many comrades want
to have a Per Diem Bill, beginning
with SIS month for those who served
three months, and one cent month for
every day that the pensioner served in
excess of 90.
They urge that justice demands there
should be a discrimination made be-
tween men who served long and short
terms, and that this has already been
delayed too long.
The objections made to this bill are
twofold:
/. The historic Service Pension has
always been IS a month, when that was
proportionately much higher rate than
it is at present. The Revolutionary sol
diers and those of the War of 1912 only
received from So to SIS a month pay, yet
their pensions were made IS a month, at
a time when the pay of an able-bodied
laborIng man, working on farm or ln
factory, was only from So to So a
month. If we made the Service Pen
sion to-day have the same correspond
ence to ordinary wages it would have to
be from SIC to $50 month. This pen
sion was given for so little service as ii
days, or participation in single Skin
mish, and participation in battle " was
made TO have very wide significance.
A man did not actually have to be in
the fight, but merely where he was likely
to be called into it. The soldiers of the
Mexican War only received ST month,
which Appropriated the ordinary wages
OF a laboring man, yet they received a
pension of IS month for only go days
service. Those who served in Indian
wars also received IS month for any
service, no matter how short.
In addition, all these men received q
land warrant.
Now, under the Per Diem Bill man
Will have had to serve 49, months in
order to get ostensibly as much, but
really a great deal less than the soldier;
of the Mexican War got for 60 days
service, and those of the Revolutionary
1912 and Indian wars got for grea,
deal less. As the average three-month:
man really did a great deal more effect
i've service than the average man in any
preceding war, and as l9i months o
service during the war of the rebellion
would carry him through its most terrific
fighting and hardest service. 1t is be
lieyed inexcusable cruelty and injustice
to offer him less than his predecessor
received 1t is thought that the adyo
Gates of the Per Diem Bill will at ono,
concede this when they come to con
slider all the facts. Let us take for a,
example the Vermont nine-months bri
gade, which gallantly and patrioticall,
remained after its time had expired t.
take part in the battle of Gettysburg
The chances of war gave it great op
portunity, such as comes very rarely t.
any body of men, and it improved tina
opportunity in way that no veteran
could have surpassed. AS Pickett's col
umn rushed to the attack upon the Secon,
Corps, the Eermonters found themselve