The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1897-08-26
THE PENSION ROLL
II Is increased by the Marriage Of Old
Soldiers to Young Wives.
THE SHORT CROPS ABROAD.
rhe Secretary Of the Treasury Wants His
tory ofthe Departments Employee
New Color for Mail Boxes-In-
ternal Revenue.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2l.-The pension
roll is now larger than ever before.
Commissioner of Pensions Evans said
Yesterday:
think there will now be q gradual falling
on in the number of pensioners. Last year
1890 pensioners died. in addition TO which
!. .074 widows lost their pensions by remarrisge;
i.sf5 minors receiving pensions lost them by
arriving at the age OF limitation; . ds3 by fall
ure to claim them and 1850 from other causes.
making grand total in the reduction OF pen
sons Of ~, i2s think congress should take
prompt action In preventive multiplication OF
pensions through the marriage OF old soldiers
We have on the rolls the widows OF seven
revolutionary soldiers. A case was discovered
In which an aged soldier was propped up in
bed TO be married to young girl After the
ceremony had been performed he dropped back
and died. In that case the pension was not
paid. But good many people think that the
prospective pension as widow OF soldier is
enough to cause many young girls to marry
aged men for whom they care nothing except
TO have pension for the balance of their lives.
II seems TO me that the practice is a bad one,
and hope congress will take this matter in
hand and pass legislation to prevent pension
from being given to widows Of soldiers OF tho
last war who marry the soldiers In the future.
The Short Crops Abroad.
WAsHINeToS, Aug. 21.-Advices to
vate and indirectly official sources con-
firm the predictions Of considerable
deficiency in the European wheat crop,
while rye, which is the chief bread
grain of eastern Europe, is also short.
This fact, a special report of Statis-
tician Hyde, of the department says.
as well as the wheat deficiency, will
tend to restrict the expectation of the
latter from those European countries
which usually have surplus of that
grain. AS to non-European countries,
other than the United States, their ag-
gregate contribution to the Eu ropean
supply will be materially affected by
the fact that India, ,denuded by the
famine, will have practically no wheat
to export. United States Consul OCon-
ner at Yarmouth, n. S., reports that
early crops in the sou thwestern part of
that province were much injured by
wet weather during the first half of
June, which also prevented planting
the usual potato area.
Political Histories Demanded.
| WASHINGTON, Aug. 81. The secretary
of the treasury has ordered that in adj
dition to the census to be taken of the
number of old soldiers, sailors, sol
diers' widows and army nurses in the
treasury department throughout the
country, a compilation be made OF the
departmental history of every employe.
Blanks will be sent out to every en-
ploye, with request to fill In state
ment of how he or she came in the
classified service, together with a gem
| set ~ raA.
salary, etc. The questions will be full
and searching. The primary object is
to ascertain how many employees at
tanned their positions under political
influence, how many already were in
the department when they were put
under the civil service, and how many
have come into the service through
regular civil service examinations.
Internal Revenue Collections.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21.--The monthly
statement of collections of internal
revenue show the total collections dur
ing July to have been $40, Az ,65S, an in
crease, as compared with July, 1896, of
S5, ,213,976. The receipts from the sew
eral sources of revenue during July,
and the increase or decrease, as com
pdreu WlIn the same ulOnbu ldSI year,
are given as follows: Spirits, IS, l87,-
594; increase, $685., $780, Tobacco, ST.
45,515; decrease. Sl2,92 Fermented
liquors, IS, 75s, 795; increase, 81, 464, 45l.
Oleomargarine, Sl09, ,s4s; decrease,
sl0s, ,401. Miscellaneous, s20,9O3; de-
crease, S9,039. The exceptional in
crease in the receipts from fermented
liquors was due to the large purchases
of beer stamps in anticipation of the
increased tax from s21S cents to 81 n
barrel.
New Color for Mail Boxes.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21.-The post
Office authorities are making an exper-
iment with the street letter boxes
which is likely to result in complete
success in changing the color of these
receptacles throughout the entire coun-
try. The established color of the let
ter boxes is dull red, which is being
changed 70 silver color by the applica-
tion of what is known as aluminium
paint with red trimmings The change
| 10 a la.i5al t,pnrnva,nant