Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-28
Pension Day Falls On July q, the
Nations Holiday.
Sis,SO0 COMES TO OTIUMWA ALONE.
Seems to BE No Doubt But That the
Pension Roll 10 ON the Decline-De-
crease wiil More Than Counters
balance New Names.

49, : L
about three hundred veterans and vet
Grams widows will flock to the court
house and to, the notaries' offices for
the purpose of having their vouchers
made sout. II. is roughly estimated
that about 300 pensioners reside in this
city and that the average amount each
will draw from the government will
be about $45 for the quarter, making
about $13,500 in all which will be, dis
tributed among the merchants of OF
tumwa.
Each voucher contains certificate
in which the official who makes out the
voucher certifes that he has seen the
original certificate of the soldier or
soldiers widow and this makes it very
necessary that each pensioner should
bring his or her naltcertificate and.
exhibit it to- the official. The certificates
is a means of Identification and is not
used for that purpose but the govern
ment requires that it be exhibited to
the official when the pensioner has the
7 voucher filed out. Each soldiers wiz
,3dow's voucher requires two witnesses
who certify that she is the person
named in the voucher and that she has
not remarked. Many widows rely up
Son picking up friends at the court
house or upon the officials themselves
for witnesses but as rule the better
Z plants to bring along a couple of the
neighbor women or to arrange before
hand with other pensioners to act in
shat capacity.
For those pensioners who regularly
go to the court house for the purpose
80 hnr, 11,os,~ !.
would be well to remember that July
is holiday and that the court
house will be open until 10 o'clock only
The next day, however, will do just as
well and will but delay the pensioner a
few hours in receiving his money.
Pension Roll ON the Decline.
There now seems to be no doubt that
the United States pension roll is on
the decline, and that from this time
forward there will be decrease both
, in the total number of persons on the
d list and in the amount of money dis
bursed for pensions each year. For the
past twenty years predictions have
been made from time to time that the
high water mark had been reached in
this respect, but the records have new
! er borne out these statements. On the
showing of the reports for the past
eighteen months, however, pension Of
flee officials claim that they are war;
ranted in declaring that the tide has
at last permanently turned.
Fri In making this announcement the
authorities have taken into considera-
ton the pensions to be granted as a
result of the war with Spain. The
deaths among the old pensioners are
expected to more than over-balance the
new claims to arise from the recent
war, SO that unless some unexpected
legislation is enacted to swell the roll,
nothing is in sight that will check it's
gradual decline. The forthcoming re-
port of Commissioner of Pensions III.
Clay Evans will in all probability show
q decrease in the number of pensions
on the roll, asscompared with the fig-
ures of June 80, 1899, of more than
5000. Up to date there has been q
falling off of 4,342 since the last rec
{ ords were compiled, and this merely
covers the first nine monthssof the cur
rent fiscal year. When the commits
sioner closed his books on June 80,
1899, of more than 5,O0O., Up to date
there has been a falling off of 4,34s
since the last records were compiled,
and this merely covers the first nine
months of the current fiscal year. When
the commissioner closed his books on
June 80, 1890, there was a total of
991,519 pensioners on the rolls, which