The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-04
Pensions. [.

| To the Editor of the Journal and Courier.
 Judging from the leading editorial ir
 the Palladium of Saturday morning
 as well as from similar screeds which
 have appeared occasionally from the
 same evident source, 1t would seem that | the sentiments of the individuals are
 subject to great changes as time passes
 A few years ago the Palladium was considered a true advocate of all meas
 ures that pertained to the interests of
 the men who saved this country from dissolution when southern traitors en- | deavored to establish a separate gov
 ernment But the Palladium of to-day
 seems to take a strong stand against the just legislation that congress has endeavored to put in legal form in the interests os these same veterans. In | it's editorial of Saturday it deals some what severely with the Grand Army of | the Republic for the position which that organization has taken in clam oring' for the removal of Evans as commissioner of pensions, and lauds the said Evans to the skies as being the right man in the right place. Startling figures are employed by the Palladium in stating the immense ex- pense that has been sustained by the government in the way of pension leg islation. In comparing Corporal Tan
 ner's administration with that of
 Evans it says During Corporal Tan
 ner's administration of the office the
 number of pensioners rose from 452, ,567
 in 1888 to S76,06S in 1892 and 1t has nev-
 ar ct fn ha1
 It would seem from this startling statement that we had an army of greater numerical strength than was ever heard of in all the annals of war. A mob of 9G0,000000 of surviving veter- ans who are already receiving pensions, added to those who were killed and died of wounds during the war, and those who are unable to get pensions, ought to have "squelched" the rebellion in much less time than five long years. I will do the Palladium justice by stat ing that the 960.000,000 was typo graphical error. But the true animus of that sheet remains the same,
 Now, in all fairness, while the Palla- dum is wasting so much brain work and ink in Calling down" the civil war veterans for the mercenary spirit which they exhibit in asking for much needed government aid in their declining years, what does it have to say in regard to the very large proportionate number of so-called Spanish War Veterans" who are now receiving pensions from be- neficent government?
 The war with Spain lasted only TAO days and the greatest engagements, as viewed by the civil war veterans, were only mere skrmishes in comparison with the sanguinary battles in which they participated And yet thousands of these young survivors" of the war with Spain are now granted pensions, while thousands of civil war veterans with honorable records are unable to obtain such assistance from the gov ernment by reason of some miserable technicality of pension law require ments. Is this, in all that is fair and just, right?
 In giving the figures stating the num- Der of pensioners now on the list it is well to take into considerati ton the fact that a large proportion are women the widows of deceased veterans. To bring the pension matter nearer home what does the Palladium think of the pensioning of certain city officials who, after several years of service under splendid salary-not by any means the SIS per month which the Union soldier received--are now "laid on the shelf with yearly salary that is amply suf- ficient to support them in ease during the remainder of their natural lives" As Artemus Ward said. T pause for reply
 The Palladium says: MT, Evans can not reduce the pensioners only as death removes them, but he has stopped the | steady increase of payments" o happy thought!