The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-02-28
PENSION GRaBRERs.
Congressman Sims Of Tennessee Makes
an Inyidious Comparison.

The Savannah Morning News makes
the following comment on matter that
has been attracting great deal Of at
sention lately: The politicians of the
north have debauched pnblic sentiment
in that section in respect to pensions.
ln their efforts to curry favor with the
soldier voters they have fayored pen
sion laws Of such liberal character
that about every one who served in the
Uniop armies during the War of seces-
sion has been, or will be, able to get a
pension. Tens of Thousands Of men
have been given pensions who are no
more deserving Of the assistance from
the government than if they had never
been in the army. As result Of this
there is violated public sentiment in
the north in respect to pensions. Tha,
this is so is shoSn by the number OF
applications for pensions by northern
volunteers who served in the Spanish
American war.
In speech in the house on We'd
nesday representative Sims Of Tennes-
see called attention to the fact that
from eight volunteer regiments from
the states Of New York, Massachusetts,,
Michigan, Ohio and the District of Co
lumbia which were engaged In the bat
tie of Santiago, aud which had 209 men
killed and wounded, there have been
filed already 1858 applications for pen
sions, and that from twenty three regi-
ments and two battalions of regulars
that participated in the same battles,
and lost in killed, wounded and missing
l. ,344, there have been 1852 applica-
tions for pensions. Itscems, therefore,
that eight volunteer regiments from the
north have filed 636 more applications
for pensions than the twenty-three regi-
ments and two battalions Of regulars,
though the regulars have served from
April, 1898, until the present time,
while the olunteers served only about
six months.
Mr.. Sims compared the pension re-
cord of the foregoing eight northern
regiments with eight regiments from
the states of Alabama, Georgia, Ken,
lucky, Mississippi, South Carolina,
Tennessee and Texas. These southern
regiments served for longer period
than the eight northern regiments, but
from them have been filed only 76l ap,
plications for pensions, being 2,S27 less
han the number filed by the eight
northern regiments. "I.ook at the
Ninth Massachusetts" said Mr. Sims,
in the course Of his speech, ''aud notice
what record it has for pension applics-
tious. 1t did not have mao killed,
wounded or disabled, ana yet it has ou
file 643 applications" for pension. Mr..
Sims expressed tie opinion that if it
had renamed in service six months
longer every man in it would have been
an applicant for a pension.
There does not seem to be any doubt
that in the north the idea is to miss no
chance to get a pension. The people
of that section have been in the enjoy
ment of pensions so long, and on such
liberal scale, that the pension craze
is general and acute. The foregoing
comparison between the eight northern
regiments is remarkable one. If the
pension record of these regiments show
anything, it is said in the south the
young men volunteered from patriotism,
while those 10 the north had in mind
the opportunity for getting on the pen
sion roll for life. II will be said in the
north probably that the difference in
the number of pension applications
does not show greater patriotism in the
south, but greater tbriftiness in the
north.