The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-05-10
EllE WIDOWS DE NriERANS.
The Records Shore that Federal
Pensioners Ave Quite Attractive to
Young Women

The Records Shore that Federal
Pensioners Ave Quite Attractive to
Young Women.
Philadelphia Press.
1t is easy to be liberal with other
peoples money. Congress seems to
find it so. even when the revenue Is
low and the possibility of war immi-
nent The pensions appropriations
have grown year hv year, until they
now exceed Sill 600 00U annually. The
legislation OF the present congress
VIII add to rather than lessen the au-
thorHcd pension claims upon the gov
ernmcnt. Some little attcm,t was
made to check in some degree the
growing pension roll. No one pro-
posed To interfere with the soldicrs,
bat a few courageous spirits thought
some economy might ba practiccd with
the widows. 1T was proposed that the
widows OF soldiers whose marriage
takes place after this date shall not,
on the death OF their husbands, be
eligible to pension from the govern
mcnt. This would seem to be an en-
tirely reasonable and just proposition,
yet the house committee on invalid
pensions reported against it.
In the opinion OF Il ajority of the
committee Il woman who murries an
Old soldier and nurses and cares for
him during the remainder Of his days
ought to be poEsioncd. II the nursing
OF Old soldiers is a Just ground for a
pension the law should secure the pen
sion to the Old soldiers nurse, not his
widow. II does not follow that because
a young woman chooses to marry
battlc-sCarrcd or diseased soldier that
she intends To nurse him and make
easy and agreeable his declining years.
II pension is due to such q woman
on the old soldiers death the presump-
is strong that the pension is the in
du2cmcnt To the marriage. II she has
the care OF the Old soldier she has
mOtlVc Tor hGsLcning his march to the
tomb. 1T Is on record tnat mcrccnary
women OF little character seek mar
riages with tOttcring veterans, and
tncn, instead Of nursing u H. ABANDON
them and await their death, when thcy
promptly turn up with Il marriage
certificate and q claim for Il soldiers
widows pension.
Such marriages are AGAINST good
morals and gross scandal and abuse.
They are prcjudlcial to the old soldier
rather than helpful to hl,n, as thcy
place premium on his death and re-
ward the unworthy by Il pension to
| Whlch thcy nav" no mcritOriOus claim.
iHcIc are 'oJ Olo names on the pen
sion list, bat OF these only 155 l25 re-
present survivors Of the cIvll and
o:her wars. The remaining 234 ,l92 in
Guides the widows, minor cullurun and
some miscellaneous claimants, but it
Is mainly widows. The veterans Of
the war are dying of, but the pension
ron Is being constantly reinforced by
, their WIDOWS. All honor TO the war
widows and those who married the
soldiers, but the marriage of Young
women to broKcp.dOwn and aged
soldiers, that they may get on the pen
sion roll, ought TO be discouraged. 1t
Is really iraud on the government
ana Is carried to such an extent that,
as the committee reports, few old
soldiers escape leaving the widow"
There are seven widows OF the war
OF the Revolution still drawing pen
sions from the government That war
closed llo years ago, and 4 soldier who
may have been only u lad Of -, when
tnat war ended, would have celebrated
his nint!cth birthday forty years ago
had he lived so long. The mossy marbles
press on the last surviving ,Oldicrs OF
the Revolution for probably half
century, yet his pension continues
awe and lis widow still pursues it.
By the same token We will be paving
pensions TO the widows Of the war OF
the Rebellion III tho year 1880, unless
check is put on this business of
marrying January and May for the sake
OF insurng the latter q soldiers
widows pension.