The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-12
How Far-Sighted Young women Mako
Uncle sam support Them.

How Far-Sighted Young women Make
Uncle Sam support Them.
From the Philadelphia Press.
1t Is easy to be liberal with other
peoples Congress seems to
find II so. even when the revenue Is
low and the possibility of war immi-
nent. The pensions appropriations
have grown ear by year. until they
now exceed $141. 900. 900 annually. The
legislation of the present congress will
add to rather than lessen h author
ICED pension claims upon the govern
ment. Some little attempt was made
TO check in some degree the growing
pension roll. No n proposed to in
terfere with the soldiers. but a few
courageous spirits thought some econ
omy might be practiced with the Wild
ows. 1t was proposed that h wild
ows of soldiers whose marriage X
place after this date shall not, on the
death of their husbands, be eligible to
a pension from the government. This
would seem to be an entirely reason
able and Just proposition, yet the house
committee on Invalid pensions report
ed against ii. In the opinion of a ma
jority of the committee a woman who
married an old soldier and nurses and
cares for him during the remainder Of
his days ought to be pensioned. X the
nursing of old soldiers Is a just ground
for a pension the law should secure the
pension to the old soldiers nurse. not
his widow. 1t does not follow that be-
cause a young woman chooses to mar
ry a battle-scarred or diseased soldier
that she intends to- nurse him and
make easy and agreeable his declin-
ing years.
II a pension is due to such a woman
! at the old soldiers death h presump-
ton lis strong that the pension is the
inducement to the marriage. III she
has the care of the old soldier she has
a motive for Fastening his march to
the tomb. 1t is on record that merce-
nary women of little character seek
| marriage with lettering veterans and
then. instead of nursing them, aban-
don them and await their death. when
they promptly turn up with a marriage
certificate and a claim for a soldier
widows pension.
Such marriages are against good
morals and a gross scandal and abuse
They are prejudicial to the old soldier
rather than helpful to him, as they
place a premium on his death and re-
ward the unworthy by a pension to
which the have no meritorious claim
There are 9S9.613 names on the PEN
sion list. but of these only 155.125 rep
resent survivors of the civil and other
wars. The remaining E34,49 include
the widows, minor children and some
miscellaneous claimants. but IT Is
mainly widows. The veterans of the
late wal are dying off, but the PEN
hsion roll is being constantly re-
enforced by their widows. All homo
to the war widows and those who mar
ried the soldiers or their return from
the field of strife without any induce
ment but their affection. These are
fully entitled to pensions. but n mar
rage of young women to b~roken-dowr
and aged soldiers that they may ge
on the pension roll ought to be dis
couraged. 1t is really a fraud on tn
government, and is carried to such al
extent that, as the committees reports
few old soldiers escape leaving
widow"
There are seven widows of the wa
of the revolution still pen
sions from the government. That wa
closed lis years ago n a soldier wn'
NAV have been only a lad OF 10 whei
that war ended would nave celebrates
his 9Oth birthday 40 years 6 had n
lived so long. The messy marble
press on the last survivor of the revo
luton for probably halt a century. we
his pension continues alive and nj
widow still pursues it. BY the sam
token we will be paying pensions I
the widows of the war OF the repelilo'
in the year 1880. unless a check is pu
on this business of marrying Januar
and May for the sake of insurlng Tn
latter a soldiers widows pension.