The times., 1899-09-17

mer Fighters and Their widows.
For some time past there has been under
discussion in the Pension Office the propo-
sition. now being agitated more than ever,
OF raising the pensions granted TO the vet
erans OF the Mexican war. The Mexican
War Veteran Association is agitating this
subject, under the leadership OF Gen VIII
Dur r. Smith. OF Lexington. Ky, the sec
retary and treasurer of the organization.
AT its next session a bill viii be introduced
in Congress which, it is said. win swell the
aggregate pension budget to an enormous
figure 1t will be remembered that the act
OF January %. 1887. thirty-nine years after
the close Of the Mexican war. was passed
providing pensions for soldiers and sailors
j and their widows for service Of sixty days
who were sixty-two years of age and dis
abied and dependent
The total disbursements since this aet on
account Of Mexican war pensioners. up to
the 1st Of July. were s26 $40, ,O02. 10. Al the
present time every veteran OF this war.
under the provisions Of the act Just quoted.
receives pension of IS a month. whether
ne has sustained disabilities or not. II
is row proposed TO give him s25 n month
This is to embrace every Mexican var
veteran who served for sixty days or who
participated in battle and served for a
less number than sixty days The Pension
ONCE rolls carry 9.26l such pensioners.
In addition TO the number Of such pen
sioners, which practically includes ell the
the survivors who have been able to prove
the necessary service. there are now pend
ing IN the Pension Once f19 applications
from other claimants. It is urged. how
ever. that the death rate of this class of
pensioners is growing very heavy. and the
Government viii hardly miss the amount
proposed TO be raised during the few re-
naming days Of the veterans of the Mexi
can war. The mortality among them dur
ing the past year was SOS. At this rate OF
reduction of these survivors. it is argued
the pension rolls viii be cleared OF this
class OF pensioners in very short time
The law OF 1887 now gives the Mexican
veteran a pension of SI2 a month. il he
is incapacitated for manual labor. or is
IN destitute circumstances. On the rolls
are 5,021 receiving IS month and f2I
receiving S12 a month On the rolls are
also S,175 widows of soldiers of the Mexi-
can war This indicates that, like the
pensioners of other wars, the Mexican war
veterans have in many instances married
women many years younger than them
selves. All the widows are pensioned at
the rate OF IS month, except q, who have
by special acts of Congress been granted
higher rates.
During the last fiscal year the payments
to survivors of the Mexican war fo1tzd up
S1,107. .594-63, while the widows received
SS1S,067.5S, making the total disbursements
on account of Mexican war pension ior the
year 1925, ,662.21. Since the Mex can ser
vice pension law was enacted on January
%, 1887. there has been paid TO survivors
of the Mexican war a total OF SIT, ,674 972--
80, and to the widows $685.. 029.S4, aggre-
eating $2e,6I0, COZ 19. PenSio- TO surviV-
ors reached high-water mark in 1855 the
first full year after the law went into ef-
feet, the amount being S1S61 756.07 The
highest payment to widows was SS46, 56025
in 1898. The highest combined payments
to both survivirs and widows was n 1889,
when the total was s2, 490. fills.
II is remarkable that nearly every pen
sioner of the Mexican war bids farewell. TO
a wife when he "shuffies of this mortal
COLL 1t is also worthy of noti,e that
there is invariably pressure on the part
of the widow or survivors to obtain an in
crease from the regulation IS to s12, which
is the limit. They all make this CAIN on
the ground that they have been incapaci-
tated for labor and are destitute. In this
connection. il is interesting to mention
that 153 OF these claimants obtained the
increase last year, and 600 applications are
now pending in the Pension Office bsaring
the names of those who hope TO obtain the
increase during the prezent yea.
The plea of the Mexican We eran Asso-
citation is that these soldiers over fftJ
years ago, at the imminent risk OF their
lives both from disease AMI the bu let, Sc
cured the most valuable CoEaiD now be-
longing to the United States Government,
and it is but a poor reqUitai if the Gov
ernment now provides for them and their
families in their old age and helplessness-
Many of the veterans are really poor. al
most destitute and helpless AIexandec
Williamson and Charles E. Mooney. both
of Lexington, KY, and officers of the asso
citation, are in this class Mr.. Williamson
is blind, and Mr.. Mooney is so feeble that
he can hardly creep about Their small
pension, it is said. is hardly adequate to
supply them with food, much less food and
medical attention.
The Government in some cases has been
liberal with this class OF pensioners; but
it often happens that those who are grant
ed by special acts of Congress the larger
pensions are less needy than those who
cannot obtain more than IS or Si2 a month.