The Holly chieftain., 1899-07-21
A GROWING ARMY.
rhc Number of Pension Cinimnh
creases with the Passing
Of Time.

struggle in the Philippines Will fasteh
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 10 the
aftermath. The question of pensionlng
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
I 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 duty
! ii will be to provide for the current ex-
\ penses of the government. The expert
ence of the pension bureau has taught
that the great majority of men VINO
have served in the various wars of the
country since the foundation of the gov
eminent have not fled their claims for
pensions until years after the war in
which they were engaged had been
brought to a close.
! AS 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 their comma nds in camp or in field.
| Seyenty-five pensions have been al
| lowed, the greater number of the m be-
| ing to widows, who are granted Sl2 u
month.
Already the amount paid out in pen
sions Us a 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. il 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 LAOS
We're 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 eN-
! 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
I aid. The number of deaths in action
Is already considerable, and 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 a
| 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 S2250, 900 900
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 $1,000. 900 200. 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 in sight The amount of pen
sion money paid out during the fiscal
year 1895 was Si,O00.000 more than that
of the previous year. There is every
reason to believe that ii will be fully
Is years before the amount of money
needed for the payment of pensions of
the civil war viii be materially de-
creased and fully so years before the
last claimant has passed away.-Wash.
ington Times.
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A lease of six inches of ground at III