The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-10
THE GROWTH OF PENSIONS.

| Senator Vest has called halt on the
indiscriminate pensioning of every man
and woman who sends in an aDplica-
| ton. There is no question but the lib
crafty Of the government has been
| grossly abused in the issuance of pen
sions. The south, as well as the north
and west, has been compelled to con-
tribute to this constantly increasing
fund. Southern members of congress
have uncomplainingly submitted to this
emptying of the national treasury for
political purposes and. sectional gain,
knowing full well how their opposition
would be misunderstood and turned
against the south.
But Senator Vest has broken the ice
| of reserve. In the course of a few re-
marks in the senate the other day, the
senator said: Men of the south have
sat here and permitted these bills to
| be passed, having some delicacy about
entering objections to the course of
procedure Recent events have obliter-
| ated sectionalism, and we are united.
| We can. therefore, come here and OBJ
ject to this spoilation-and 1 use the
word advisedly-without fear of having
our motives impugned or our words
miSconstrued."
Coming to the merits of his objection,
| the gentleman from Missouri explained
! his opposition thus:
1--WE are paying out in round figures
| Sill 100000 annually for pensions, and
it is our duty-to find out why it is that,
thirty three years after the close of
the civil war, this thing of pension
claims shows so enormous a sum.
have been criticised by some of my peo-
pie because I have not taken a more
determined stand on this pension ques-
ton. [ want, however, to pay munii-
Gently and literally in pensions. re-
gard such payments as a sacred duty,
but l Go object to the passage of these
bills without proper consideration, and
without the same restrictions that are
hedged about other measures
This is an abuse at the growth of
which Republicans who for twenty-five
years shrieked rebellion" and "seces-
sion" in every campaign, are beginning
to show alarm.
There are a million pensioners al
ready, and a quarter of million of
applications pending. 1t is time for a
thorough investigation. The honor of
the nation demands it. The credit Of
the deserving veteran requires it. The
financial condition of the country
makes it imperative.
What is the situation? Twenty-Five
years ago members of congress were
wont to say that in the actual course
of events the number of pensioners
would shortly diminish from year to
year, and the annual appropriation
would be smaller and smaller.
But generation has passed, and the
list is growing. The expense is increas-
ing. 1t stands to reason, therefore,
! that something is rotten in Denmark.
We contemplate with astonishment
the immense standing armies of
| Europe; wonder how the taxpayers
bear such burdens; cite them as evil
dences of tyranny and oppression, as
examples of the expense of hngly
pomp.
Yet this government is paying out
Sal, 100000 per year for a war which it
cost $1,000, 100000 a year to carry on
thirty odd years ago. 1t is still paying
for that war, aside from the expense of
maintaining standing army and navy,
more than Germany annually exDends
for army, navy and pension purposes
together.
The yearly outlay for pensions alone
by the United States is far in excess
of the total, army, navy, pension and
invalid funds of Austria-Hungary and
Italy combined each year. Besides
which this government is expending
$1G0,O00,000 per annum for the mainten-
ance Of an army and navy, an expense
which has been increased this year, on
account of the brush with Spain, and
which will probably remain fixed at
something like $2OO,OOO,OOO per annum
hereafter.
The remarks by the senator from
Missouri are certainly timely. There
should be a rigid investigation of the
pension department at once