, 1899-09-21
INDIANA PENSIONS.
STATE GETS LOTS OF MONEY.
Exceeds All Other States Per Capita, Re
ceiving $4,000. 900 Fer Year-Polit-
ical Eject.

Indiana takes the lead as a pension
state. The annual statement of the
pension department has just been is
sued. In round numbers the states
drawing the highest pensions are Ohio,
with $4,000. 600; Pennsylvania, S12.-
1OO,OOo; New York, $40, 10000; Indi-
ana. S10.OOO.0OO. and Illinois. $1,000
900. Indiana has 65.OOO pensioners,
who draw an average pension Of n
fraction over S160 per annum In the
list Indiana has DO veterans of the
civil war who are drawing the limit
of So Il month, nj seventy veterans
of h civil war and one of the Next
can war who are drawing $50 a
month. In number of pensioners and
number of high pensioners in the aver
age for all in the state. Indiana leads
any other state in the Union by a
broad margin. Indiana, with n popu-
lation 10000 less than that of Massa-
chusetts by the census of 1890, re-
ceives in pensions $1O,443,O 600 annual
ly, while Massachusetts gets but So
10000. Similar comparisons will
show that Indiana is the greatest
to her population.
COMMISSIONS Evans has analysed
the pension apportionment by congress
sion districts, and that makes n very
FAIR basis of comparison. ON this basis
Indiana shows Il clear lead. while Kan
sas comes In n good second. The In
diana pensions run SSO3, 900 per dis
trict Kansas ST75.OOO. Among the
states mt the front are Missouri. with
S44S,OO0, New Jersey with $4,000
n New York with S352.00O per dis
trict. Massachusetts averages SAT- 600
per district. The average pensions in
the five leading states are $50 in
Ohio. S126 In PENNSYLVANIA. S142 in
New York. S1G0 in Indiana and S146
in Illinois. Though there is Il differ
ence of S14 average between Indiana
and Illinois, there are over 5000 more
pensioners in that state. The differ
ence in average. however. gives Indi-
n pensioners 100000 more per an
num-. Though Ohio ranks first as "A
pension state. still. like Illinois. on IA
basis of population and pensioners. it
ranks below Indiana.
students of the question are endeav-
oring' to find n solution for the seeming
unequal distribution of pensions, In
diam and Kansas being favored. Pri-
marily I%ndiana's prestige is due great
ly to the part played by William w.
Dudley OF Indiana, who was commits
sioner Of pensions during the Arthur
administration and who was n most
liberal being when Indiana was to be
considered. He got the reins just when
the days of pensioning were having
their greatest ~ascendancy. and any
thing that anne from Indiana was
well looked after. This gave Indiana
a great lead to build on.
Then. too, both political parties have
made indian their battle ground. for
national victory or defeat, repeatedly
in recent years. Indiana. too. was one
of the states putting the largest num-
Der OF men into the field. Among the
states of the Union it stood fifth, with
New York. Pennsylvania. Ohio and
Illinois leading and Massachusetts and
Missouri following.
1t put 206.OO0 men into the field,
and in partial explanation of the great
number Of heavy pensioners. 1t can be
said that no other state in the Union
spilled so much blood, or participated
in as many bloody engagements.
The $4,000, 900 which finds its way
into Indiana annually by four install
ments of $500. 900, has IL very great
influence upon the state. The pension
money coming into Indiana this year
is as great as the proceeds of the 1899
wheat crop and more certain.