The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-26
sircuIatIon Statement.


General SiCkleS' onslaught upon rem
sion Commissioner Evans appears 10
have failed utterly. There was liter
ally no merit in the Generals com
plants. but on the contrary the very
specifications made were points in favor
OF Mr. Evans. But the incident was,
nevertheless. both suggestive and in
structive.
General SiclIes' opening statement
showed clearly with what anxiety and
lack OF principle the leading support
ers OF the Administration were reach
ing out for the pensioners votes. and
the moral support Of those who were
not pensioners. The National RepublI-
can Committee was willing that any
sort Of a promise should be made that
seemed likely 10 secure the soldier vote
for Mr.. Mckinley; and il Is doubtful if
any politician Of prominence ever said
q more indiscreet thing than General
SicllIes d:d when he declared that the
old soldiers would not nave voted for
Mr. Mckinley i they had not been as
sured that Commissioner Evans would
be removed.
The controversy has been o. more
substantial value in another way 1t
has directed attention 10 the enormous
and unparalleled growth OF the pension
list. People who never before bestow-
ed much thought upon the matter have
been astounded to learn that now, thir-
ty-slx years after he last shot in The
war Of the rebellion was fired, the pen
sion roll contains nearly a million
names and that the cost Is just about
equal to that Of maintaining either the
Russian OF the German army (pension
lists included). the annual sum being,
IN round numbers. one hundred and
forty millions Of dollars Such figures
are almost appalling
Very few people in the United States,
either North or South. begrudge the de-
serving old s0Idjes the allowance WHICH
stands between him and want, or
which. in d small measure. cOmpensatcs
him for & lost limb OF broken health
If the pension list contained only the
names Of such there would never be a
whisper of complaint heard IN the land.
Nor would the generosity of the nation
stop here Il would be freely extended
10 the bona fde war widows'-those
noble women VINO shared the early lives
OF the cd soldiers. and who. in the
course Of nature have been left depend
ant Put " hen we look at the vast and
stiu 81 cling list Of names. it is per
fectIy natural TO reach the conclusion
that generosity has been unduly OK
tended
At the close Of the civil war there
were only about a million men under
arms. Probably one-haIf Of them lave
died since. ami many Of those still Iiv-
ing have never thought OF applying for
pensions. SUN. we are confronted BY
the fact that there are as many names
on the pension roll today as there were
on the muster rolls OF the army It the
close Of the war And the end IS no
where - sight, for more than forty
thousand names were added to the pen
sion list last year.
In the face OF his showing we find
INSCRIPTIONS political nanipuIators
schemins for the old soldier vote" and
promising greater IiberalIty IN the Pen
sion Office in order 20 secure that voce
With z mi I n names on the list and
forty thousand more being ADDED annU-
ally. q prominent advocate Of the Re
publican candidates, during the last
campaign, actually. by his own state
nent, appealed 10 the old soldiers to
vote the Republican ticket. in consider
alton Of which he promised them upon
the authority Of the Republican Ma
tionaI Committee, that the present
Commissioner u Pensions should be re-
moved 10 make way for one who would
be more generous in his construction
Of the law. It Is no wonder that Gen
eral SIckles' attack failed. nor Is it sur
prising that tie American people are
now thinking more seriously about the
pension list than they ever aid before.