The National tribune., 1898-03-10
rs THEY VIEW 1T.
Veterans Opinions of the Pension
Question.
Urgin. Service Pensions,

| Urgin. Service Pensions.
ID. II. Derifield, Co d, nth Ky, Waverly
Mills, Mimi, writes: II believe every vete-
| ran who served 80 days or more should be
placed on the roll at Sl2 per month. Those
who are now receiving more should be al
lowed to retain their present pension.
Then Congress should do away with that
| Boards of Examiners and all clerks the
| are not actually needed. No further pen
sion legislation should be enacted"
| +. W. PetteS, LakOla, n. d., writes: al
would advocate a service pension based
| on length OF service with additional al
lOwance for disabilities incurred in the
army. If this cannot be done then pen
sionS should only be granted to those in
! want and unable to earn their own living"
| Chauncey ID. Rice, Chaplain, Mansfield,
| Post, 80, Middletown, Conn, writes: 'The
| National Tribune deserves the thanks OF
every Union veteran Tor its valiant advo-
| cacy OF their interests. There is much
righteous indignation because of the pres
! ent pension policy. If the course pursued
! elsewhere Is the same as IN this vicinity,
nearly all the claims granted are those
| filed within nine months, while the mucn
larger number that have been pending for
a longer period remain pigeon hOled Many
| OF the claimants whose dues are thus with
| held are poor men who deserve and need
pensions, to which they are lawfully en-
! titled. Surely the claims of men who are
passing away so rapidly ought to be set
| tied promptly. In my opinion the time
! has arrived when service pension bill
| should be enacted. My idea OF such a law
is that it should give Sc per month to
every honoraby discharged soldier not now
/ receiving pension, who Is under 81 years
| OF age; 81 to those who are 81, and there
after ST should be added for each year.
| BY this plan veteran e. years old would
| get SIP, and the few who reach the age of
! 10 would get S2j. No privileges which sol
| dIerS have under existing laws should be
/ diminished"
ID. f. White, 125th ~ Y. Spring Lake.
| n. Y, writes. Il think the time has come
! when all soldiers OF the late war should
receive Si2 per month. My grandfather
| " hite was III the Revolutionary War; he
received SIP. My father was in the War of
1912 and received SIP. The soldiers of the
Mexican War were given Sl2. and for this
reason | think all veterans of the late war
should receive the same. 1t would do
away with examining boards, and save
the Government thousands of dollars. II
the old soldiers ever need assistance thew
need it now. | think the majority are over
60, and many are over 30"
How Pensions Do Good
D. \. Abbot 66th Ohio, Kirwin, Kan,
writes: al admire the stand you take on
pensions. There is no equal amount of
money disbursed by the Government that
does so much good as that paid the old
soldiers. This money goes Immediately
into circulation, and pays many debts.
The merchants wait anXlouSly for the
quarterly payments to come, knowing that
the boys will come around and pay, and
so with all tradesmen. Had it not been
for the large amount paid To- the old sol
diers quartely at Topeka those years Of
partial failure of crops in Kansas, many
farmers and tradesmen would have gone
to the wall.
But with this help, which is so wide
spread, they were enabled to tide over, by
skimping themselves and families, and with
the good crops of 1896 and 1897 have been
able to pay off many mortgages and en-
JOY prosperity. The pension money is
really pro bono publico-"
Opposes Certain Pensions.
Joel English Co d, nth Ky. Cav. Pine
Grove Ky. writes: II am not in favor OF
widows drawing pension unless they were
wives of soldiers during the war. The old
soldiers are the ones who are entitled TO
pensions, and not women, many of whom
were not born until after the rebellion.
When an old veteran who has married
since the war dies let his pension die with
him. 1t is no affair of ours whom young
women marry, but if their choice be
soldiers, we have no right when he passes
TO the Great Beyond to draw money from
Uncle Sam. Where is the Justice OF giving
n veteran a small pension and as soon as
he dies giving to his widow two or three
times as much as he was receiving"
Their Hard Lot.
Mrs. NJ. j. c., a soldiers daughter and
wife of a veteran, living at Skdgg's Springs,
Cal, writes: During the previous Admin
iStratiOn my husbands pension was cut |
down one-half at time when he was
spending half the amount he received for |
medicine and docor'S bills. My father |
died soon after leaving the service for want |
of proper medicine. being too Door 10 DaV |
doctors bills and provide for his large |
family. He had lost his all in the rebel |
lion. Ny mother has never received a |
pension to make her declining years COM
Portable"
Praise for The National Tribune.
Dr. b. III. Bledsoe. National Military |
Home. ind. writes: You may think YOU
are alone in the fight against pension
hOwIers': the old soldiers do not say much
but think a great deal. Ii you could at
tend our meetings you would hear many a
and l believe you will make more friends
than enemies.
A. c. Buchana. Piqua, Ohio, writes:
The editorials entitled Politics and Pen
sions, The Veterans Appeal, and others
Will meet with hearty Amen from every
loyal veteran from Maine to California
disappointment.
j. L. Rice Mt Grove, Mo, writes."Never
were more truthful words spoken than in
the issue in which, speaking of the last
Presidential election, you say 'EXpecta-
tons entertained at that time have fallen
short of realization. Dissatisfaction is wide
spread and profound | know this to be
the truth Nearly a year has passed, and
it is still required that the soldier prove
disability emitting him to $50 per month
III order TO get Il rating of Sl2.