Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-15
Pension Facts and Figures.

The annual report Of the commissions
err of pensions for the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1898. which has just been
printed. Is the most complete report
that we have ever seen from that de-
partment of the government, and a
copv thereof should be in the library of
every Grand Army post, in order that
it may be convenient for the settlement
Of all controversies and to give the
comrades the exact position of the
commissioner and department on every
feature and act connected with the
presentation of pension claims. The
pamphlet contains 80 pages. numerous
tables giving all the facts and figures,
and an official statement in regard to
about every query that can be ask ed or
raised in regard to pensions. Close
reading indicates that any intelligent
-comrade who reads, studies and re-
members this annual report will be
well qualified for pension attorneys
duties.
The report for 1898 shows that a total
of 64,351 pensioners were added to the
rolls, and total of 1861 dropped from
the rolls during the past fiscal year
leaving the number of 993,714 pension
ers on the rolls June 30, 1898, net
gain Of 1900 for the year. Death
erased the names of 1851 of the PEN
sioners. remarriage 1869, expiration of
minority 2124. failure to ella i'm 303l,
other causes 6436. 1t is astonishing
that 3031 pensioners failed to claim
their pensions during the year, but
there are many causes for that, as the
report shows. OF the death losses, it
is shown that 21,S11 We're from the
deaths of pensioned comrades during
the fiscal period.
At the close of the year. the an
nual value of the pension roll was
$3.50, 1858. 465-an increase of $1,173, O37
during the year. which is sufficient
proof that the pension roll is increas-
ing both in number and value. The
commissioner states his belief that the
roll will continue to increase from the
Civil War, las there :ire probably
100000 eX-Union soldiers living who
have never had a pension" and the
roll will naturally increase by reason
of the increased disabilities provided
for by law. We hope that pensioner
critics will consider those 100000 living
exUnion soldiers who have never had
a pension, in connection with the fact
that less than four times that number
of comrades are now drawing pensions,
and the further fact that every living
Mexican war soldier who served 60
days or more, is now entitled to a PEN
sion. That law was enacted nearly e
years ago, and the Civil War began 13
years after the close of the Mexican
war.
The 1898 report shows that Ohio still
leads all the st ates in the annual
amount received for pensions. SIG, 166,
264.16; Pennsylvania, $13, 164, 211.79; New
York. $12.619. 366.22; Indiana, $40, 902,
433.96: Illinois, $1O.31 ,293.73; Missouri.
s7,455,6s1 Michigan. $1,000, 436. SO;
Kansas, 72,994.49; Massachusetts,
IS, COG, 1915: Iowa. $3.50 1851. All the
other states receive less than s, OOO, OOC
each. Maine received, during the year
50, 1877 ,655.53 for it's 20,935 pensioners
spect.
OF the IS pension agencies in the
country that at Augusta ranks 18th in
the amount of business done. During
the year it disbursed $3,064.5 BLOB, hay
ing 2O,070 names on it's rolls, June 30
1898, gain of So in the year. The
agency at Concord. N. H., is the small
est of the IS, disbursing $4,000, 437. SO tc
1896 pensioners. The agencies III
Topeka, Kansas, and Columbus, Ohio
are the largest, the former disbursine
| $15, 549, 926.1O to 10S.532 pensioners, ant
| the latter disbursing $685.. 1927 tt
| LOG, $50 pensioners. 1t may surpris,
some to learn that there are 4371 per
| sons living in foreign countries wht
| draw United States pensions. Abon
| half Of these live in Canada. but NJ
less than 662A live in Germany, 42S il
Ireland, 800 in England, and 112 il
Mexico. Almost every land on thu
globe is represented in the list includ
ing, ST. Helena, Finland. Bulgaria
Algiers, Egypt. Siam: and Korea, aht
there are seven United States pension
| arc in Cnain rFsz5i a.