Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-09-25
STATE CONFEDERATE PENSIONS.
Annual Report OF the Chairman o! The State
Pension Board-6,5O Pensioners.

now is that a homo for Confederate SOL
diers will be established in this State
The Confederate veterans at their last
annual gathering adopted resolutions
that end and it now seems
as if the schome is taking, For years the
old soldiers thought q great deal more
good could be accomplished by distribut-
ing all the fund and letting the pension
ers help themselves at home. 1t is doubt
full If oven now the soldiers home idea is
the best. 1t will necessarily moan giving
an undue share of tho pension fund to
many will go to the home as t. mako the
cost worry much moro than is anticipated.
Tho por capita for support at homo oan
hardly be cont less than $3.50 por an
mum, and this docs not include tho initial
Investment for tho building and furni-
ture.
The veterans scom to want tho homo,
State has unfortunately done but little
for it's old soldiers and horoes, but tho
Offcct it will have upon those pensioners
who remain at homo and who get what
State aid they can at homo, have home
holp for tho balance, ought to be sacredly
guarded. The figures for this year show
that out of tho 6,503 pensioners in the
State, 6,26l are in the most numerous
class, &C." and receive $l4.70, and any
reduction in this amount to 60 to sup
port soldiers homo would make it so
meagre as to be niggardly. The soldiers
homo appropriation ought to DO mado
entirely separate and distinct from tho
general ponsion appropriation.
The State Pension Board has done
careful and effective work this year and
has saved at every possible point Comp.
frn1 lon MI, <lD IL <,f
the board, Miss Kato f. Mahor, have
done hard work. Miss Mahor is deeply
Interested i'll her work, knows hor pom
sioncrs thoroughly, and after months Of
work has prepared a most elaborate re-
port giving tho name, address, company
and regiment of every ponsionor, or the
veteran upon whose record tho pension
is granted. Those lists ought to bo care
fully scrutiniZed to detect possible fraud,
as neither tho State Board nor tho County
Boards can know tho history of every
case.
Mr. Dcrham has framed tho prelimi-
nary to his annual report and it makes a
most interesting showing. 1t is as fol-
lows:
TO tho Honorable General Assembly:
l submit horowith tho annual pension re-
port Of this Office for the year 1901:
Under Act Of tho General Assembly,
1900, the State Board prepared blank
applications for the applicants and rules
for the guidance of the County Pension
Boards. For tho information of mem-
bcrs Of tho County Boards in tho State
and others to whom this report will bo
sent, havo included the pension law
and rules.
Tho board, undcr tho terms of the Act,
ruled that q Confederate soldier or sal
lor, totally, disabled by paralysis, was
entitled to Glass A pension, notwith-
standing the fact that ho receives no
wound or bodily injuries in tho service
and tho cause of paralysis could not be
traced to such service. They also con-
strued the law that soldier who lost a
limb in the service of the State or Con-
physically, could not be placed in Glass
A, but was cntitlcd to Glass B, thoro
being nothing to show that his physical
condition was the result of injuries re-
ccived in service.
In some instances applicants were
blind; but whore there was nothing to
show that their loss of sight was the re-
suit of wounds or injuries received in
service, thcy were not placed in Glass A.
1t seems that under this law the unfor-
tunate Confederate soldier who is totally
paralyzed is favored above another un-
fortunate soldier who is totally disabled
and yet unable to show that his disability
arises from injuries received in tho sor-
vice of the State.
Whatever was the individual opinion of
the members composing the State Pension
Board, they cndcavorcd in every instance
to DO governed by the law and evidence
before them.
In this connection desire to call atten-
ton to the condition liable to exist in ths
State at an early date. Tho establish
ment of soldiers home by the State
may require for each inmate of this home
an annual expenditure of 5000. The in
mato may bo a worthy dccrepit soldier
who did not receive bodily injuries in the
the State will eXpcnd $1,000 for tho sol
tlier who lost his leg and has been for
thirty-six or moro years cripple and to-
day is practically bed. ridden, who re.
mains at homo to be cared for by an aged
and devoted wife or friends. | believe
that the soldier in his home county, with
equal disabilities, is entitled to tho same
consideration as the soldier who is an oc.
cupant Of the home at the Capital of the
State.
have no objection to mako to tho sol
tlicrs' homo. | merely call attention to
these facts, with tho hope that when al
Act is passed creating soldiers homo il
will be so safc-guardcd that tho small
sum that the State Of South Carolina is
able to spend for her war-scarrcd veto.
rams will not bo taken from the needy
pensioners and spent where at best only
Il few can enjoy it,
soldiers in this State, who received no in
jurics in tho army, got only Sli.70, and
from the standpoint of equity and justice
to take one of these mon, place him in q
soldiers home and spend 5000 annually
on him, and leave another at his home
and give him only $l4.70 savors of inc
quality to say tho least of it,
APPROPRIATIONS FOR PENSIONS.
There was doubt as to whcthor 500,
600 or Sl50,000 was appropriated at tho
| last session Of the General Assembly fOl
pensions.
After consultation with tho Other
members of the State pension board ad
dressed a letter to tho Attorney General
| setting forth the facts and asking thai
| he give an opinion as to tho amount o.
| tho appropriation. Before hc answered
| this communication the State Treasurer
expressed himself as unwilling to honor
my warrants for tho Sl50,000 on accoun
of pensions, even if the Attorney Genera
was of opinion that ! should draw war
rants for that amount. The Attorney
General under these circumstances dc
clincd to give tho opinion, and suggested
mandamus proceedings SO settle tn,
question. 1t was argued before tho Su
prcmo Court, which decided that 800,
600 was the amount appropriated for 1901
| proceeded to dsburso tho pension funt
in accordance with that decision and is
sued warrants on the basis of 100000.
| PENSION RECORDS.
| have cndcavorcd to mako this repor
full, by giving tho names of each appli
cant, with post Office address, the com
pany and regiment in which he sorvet