The Republican., 1899-07-27
A GROWING ARMY.
The Number of Pension Claimants In
creases with the Passing
of Time.

It is not probable that a thorough
idea of the cost to the government in
dollars and cents growing out of the
recent war with Spain and the present
struggle in the Philippines will fasten
itself upon the people of the country
for some time to come. When the Unit
ed States was drawing upon its every
resource more than year ago, get
ting ready for the anticipated strug-
gle with Spain, the expense of war was
discussed, but there were but few who
viewed the subject in all its phases.
Little or no attention was paid to the
aftermath. The question of pensioning
the men who in the ordinary course of
war would be disabled either by sick
ness or wounds, or the widows of sol
diers who would be killed in battle or
die as the result of disease contracted
while in the service, was scarcely
touched upon. Yet in the years to
come this particular phase of the short
but sharp contest will present itself
with force to the statesmen whose %Nty
it will be to provide for the cuTrentfxs
penses of the government. ThevNpGri-
ence of the pension bureau has taught
that the great majority of men who
have served in the various wars of the
country since the foundation of the gov
ernment have not filed their claims for
pensions until years after the war in
which they We're engaged had been
brought to close.
AS a result of the war with Spain
there have been about 1000 applica-
tions for pensions, either from the men
who were incapacitated in the service,
or by the widows of men who died while
with theircommands in camp or in field.
Seventy-tiye pensions have been al
lowed, the greater number of them be-
ing to widows, who are granted $12 a
month.
Already the amount paid out in pen
sions as result of the Spanish war
amounts to more than $1,000 a year.
and when favorable action is taken on
the claims now pending this amount
will without doubt be increased into
the millions. There can be no doubt
that claims will continue to be received
at the pension bureau. Indeed, if past
experience counts for anything they
have scarcely commenced. The num-
Der of men killed in battle during the
war with Spain was 279, while 1865
were wounded. These numbers repre-
sent but very small portion of the
ones who are entitled to pensions. The
vast amount of sickness in the various
military camps in different parts of the
country has made many invalids for
life, who have just claim for support
by the government. There are thou
sands of others who contracted diseases
in the service, which, while they do not
have the immediate effect of disabling
the victim will in a few years result in
permanent disability and afford good
grounds for application for a pension
There is no way of determining the ex-
act number of these cases, but it is
thought that they will number many
thousands.
The war in the Philippines promises
to add thousands of names to the list
of those eligible to receive government
aid. The number of deaths in action
is already considerable, and a greater
number have died of wounds received.
The unhealthful conditions under
which the troops in the Philippines
have existed have been responsible for
many deaths from sickness and for
still greater number of partial or total
disabilities. From present indications
many more will be killed or wounded
before the insurrection is crushed.
The advent of the summer season in the
Philippines will no doubt prove some
what disastrous to the American SOL
diers, who are accustomed to the north
ern and more temperate climate of the
United States.
The records of the pension office
show that more than $2,250 00O, ,0C0
have been paid out in pensions result
ing from the civil war The cost of the
active operations of that war-that is,
the cost of maintaining the various
armies in the field--was somewhat
more than $l,O0O,0OO, 900. Thus far the
pension money for the civil war has
been more than twice that paid out for
the cost of actual operations. Nor is
the end i'll sight. The amount of pen
sion money paid out during the fiscal
year 1898 was $4,000, 900 more than TIA,
of the previous year. There is every
reason to believe that it will be fully
IS years before the amount of money
needed for the payment of pensions of
the civil war will be materially de-
creased and fully so years before the
last claimant has passed away.-Wash-
ington Times.