The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-29
OUR PENSION SYSTEM SCANDAL

OUR PENSION SYSTEM SCANDAL
Washington, July 20. From 1776 to Jul,
/. 1898, the commencement OF the pres
ent fiscal year, the United States govern
ment has paid In pensions to soldiers and
sailors OF past wars and to their depend
ents the enormous sum of S2,523,42S,2l 2.9i
And yet the obligations OF the govern
ment are but little more than half full
! filled. According to official computation,
50. OIL. 964 T46 "a Is yet to be paid to the sur
vivors of past wars, or more than twice
! the amount of money In existence IN the
| entire couatry.
This does not include the pension pay
ments that will result from the Spanish
American war of last year.
| 1t would seem from the above showing
that the proverbial saying that "repuo-
| lies are ungrateful" can have no appil-
cation to- this republic, especially In reia-
ton to its pension system. More money
is paid annually by the United states
government in pensions than by any otner
half-dozen governments in the world.
! This Ia the more strange when you stop
| to consider that under u monarchlal IoTln
| of government rewards may be conferred
| by the crown. Emperor William oil Ter
!! many can promote q subaiternate 10 d
| regiment for slight service. queen VIC
! tora can present crown JeWei 10 q
/ successful courtier. Nicholas ii, czar OF
! all the Russias, can give a province 10
a favorite captain. But in the republic
hof the United States, Uncle Sam mas no
! prerogatiye Indeed, his authority is SO
restricted and limited that he can not con-
fer single dollar of the peoples money
upon an Individual, no matter how merl-
torious his claim may be, without au-
thority from congress.
Such is the difference between mon
archial and republican form of govern
ment and yet the United States is more
/ liberal In the distribution of It's boun-
ties to its defenders than any nation IN
the world
! In strange contrast is the pension sys-
TEN of the United States with those OF
the leading European nations. When you
stop to consider the enormous standing
armies of Great Britain, Germany, France
and Russia and compare their annual
pension payments with those of the United
States the situation becomes the more re-
markable.
The average peace strength of the i'm
perial army of Germany is 1929 men.
! exclusive of volunteer officers and sur
geons, paymasters and other non-com
batants, Last year the pension payments
| of Germany, which are the largest of
any European country, were as follows
| Prussia, 44.900, 800 marks; Saxony, 1888 600
marks; Wnrtsmburg, 2,36S,OO marks; Ba-
varla, 6,4G2,000 marks, making total of
81 093, 900 marks. or s15.599, 1880
| Germany's appropriation for naval PEN
sions last year was only 1852 marks, or
| $3.50
The pension system of France is very
different from that in vogue in this coun
try. All employees of the government re-
ceive pensions, which are paid from a
fund derived from deductions made from
! the annual salaries of the employees
The same principles apply to the army
/ where a 5 per cent deduction is made
/ from the salary of the army officers for
the benefit of the retired list. The non
! commissioned officers are paid small
! pension after fifteen years service, while
the privates are not pensioned except
where wounds have been received in ac-
tual service, in which case the govern
ment makes specific appropriations for
pensions.
Direct appropriations are made by the
British government for the payment of
pensions for its soldiers and sailors but
the amount is so insignificant that no
comparison can be made with the pension
appropriations of this country. The esti-
mated payments for the fiscal year 1899
are as follows. Retired half-pay off |
GERS, ETC., G1,567S00; pensions for officers
who have received wounds, ETC., al,3S5,-
$40; for the superannuated. etc, G III 300; |
making a total of E30S0, 700, or in round
numbers. SIS 40S, 500.
The estimated appropriations for the |
support of the British army, which num-
bers 1888 men of all rank in time OF
peace, for this year. including the pen
sions, is more than $4,000 900 less than
the pension payments of the United States
for last year the amount being G19,22O,
300, or 500, 102,500 in round numbers.
~
The pension system of this country.
which has grown to such enormous pro-
portions, commenced in 1875. when the
continental congress resolved that all ofa-
GERS who should continue In the service
until the end of the war should receive
half pay for seven years after peace was
established. In 1880 the provisions of this
law were extended to the widows and
0Iphahs oil those who died in the service.
me half pay for seven years was extend
ed to half pay for life, and subsequently
committed to full pay for Ave years. PEN
sions were granted under this law
amounting to s50,100 per annum. and u-
creased until 1884, when they reached the
Then enormous sum Of $l75,SI3SS. Be-
tween 1876 and 1918 a principle was estab-
lished by which all persons, whether off,
GERS or privates, who had been disabled in
the course of military service should be
PROVIDED Tor at the public expense From
1871 to 1907 there was a gradual decrease
until the pension expenditures amounted
10 only s1O,5oO, Under various legisla-
i've enactments the pension roll increased |
until 1916. when 1t amounted to S2s6. 055. ~.
the highest figure thus far reached on
March l, 1917. congress authorized the is
suance OF additional pensions and In 1918
$50. ~ 9'-o'
IN 1915 thirty-fye years after the close
or the revolution, further extension oc-
CURED by which pensions were granted
10 all the survivors of the war who for
any reason, stood in need of pecuniary
assistance. Under the provisions of mis-
law the pension payments reached the