The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-02-25
The Colossal RObberies in the
Pension Business.
There are 6,405 More Alleged Sur
ViVOrs Drawing Pensions Than
Actual Survivors,
And 1s7,5OO More "survivors' Demand
ing Pensions.-We Pay More for PEN
siOns Than Germany or France
do for Standing Armies.

Francis Bellamy is the author of
the following article, publish ed
in the illustrated America. 80
With the needed vigor the atten-
ton of the country has recently been
called to the colossal robberies in
the pension business. ''a't
To the New York Sun belongs the
credit Of leading in this new ex-
posure. Not until now has the en-
tire record of shame, with the in
credible methods of the brigand-
age, been put forth in such com
pact form that the proportions
could be taken in at one look. i
Actual Union survivors of the
war, by the census. ......., 727,122
So-called "survivors" who now
draw pensions ....H.......... 1852
More survivors who are de- l.
mandng pensions .:;..,g..". 1S7,5OO
Widows of Union soldiers now
! drawing pensions ,..,....,.... 2l3,S52
More widows still demanding
pensions. j. 1O4,93s
Total Of "survivors" of widows '--,
getting ordemanding pensions.l 1887
In other words, there are already
6,405 more alleged survivors draw
ing pensions than there are actual
survivors,. and 197, 800 more "sur-
vivors" asking for pensions. What
grotesque and misshapen irony to
march after the awful dignity of
that war.
Its monstrousness is more grim
when we reflect that all these "sur-
vivors," in order to be pensioners,
must be wholly or in part disabled
We have only to revert to our own
acquaintances among the veterans
to think how many are perfectly
healthy and whole; and also, how
few of our own friends among the
honored veterans draw any pensions
at all.
An illustration of this is furnished
by the facts recited in the resolu-
tions recently adopted by Encamp-
ment No. l, of the Union Veteran
Legion of Pennsylvania. Out of
over 1000 veterans in that body,
not 80 per cent is on the pension
roll, and of this fraction, four
received in battle.
Indignantly these veterans protest
against the pension debauch by
which hundreds of liars, many OF
whom. never were even mustered
into service, are getting snug sup
port.
According to the present pension
laws the widest possible entrance is
open for scamps. The theory of the
pension is that a veteran, disabled
or incapacitated for earning his liv-
ing by wounds or exposure in war,
should be helped by government.
But as the laws now stand, substi-
tutes or bounty-jumpers who went
avowedly as mercenaries for the
high premiums paid; deserters, of
whom there are over 100000; en-
listed men who were never mus
tered in; others, who never touched
a gun, but can get some lying wit.
nesses; and thousands of dead men
as well-all these can can draw the
pensions the people pay.
The preteXts, moreover, allowed
by the laws, upon which claims
may be made, are so loose as to lure
even decent men into the easy
frauds. Total disability is the unit
of reckoning, and this unit is divided
into tweutieths, so that man must
be scandalously sound in body not
to find in himself from one to a
dozen of these twentieths of dis
ability.
The widows part of the pension
business is still more disgraceful,
for it associates the widows of
soldiers who fell in battle or died OF
wounds with the professional
widows.
The true widows of the war-ah.
God! those terrible and endless
newspaper columns of names of tn e
fallen after Shiloh, fredericksburg,
Charlottesville, Gettysburg, Cold
Harbor, when women in every viii
lage were swept down bereaved-
those widows, and the Others whose
soldier husbands came home to die,
this republic will never forget.
But the laws give pensions to
women who now marry the veterans
The result is that every Soldiers
Home has around it a swarm OF
women who are in the business OF
marrying veterans about to die. II
is not necessary that they live to-
gether; in some cases a marriage
certificate has not been required
the woman's word is taken and a
pension is granted.
Could the farce of hypocritic SEN
timent go farther? Yes, it goes
farther every year.
At the extra session of the pres
ent congress alone over 800 special
pension bills were introduced. One
proposed $50 per month for deafness
Another provided for pensions. to
state militia who were ready TO e
to war, but never did. Another
would raise all pensions % per cent
The browning bill proposed a pen.
sion for every eX-slave.
Nothing comparable to this mad.
ness has ever been seen in history.