The sun., 1901-02-08
Evo,ut,on of pcusion system.

a little more tnun 0ne-siAtn VI Inc
amount annually expended for pensions
goes to the South. VI the nearly l,0OO,-
vvO pensioners or the civil war lis,oo3
We're residents last year OF the 10 South
ern States Including maryland anu MIS-
couri. 1hey We're paid Szi,5zi,zs4, whiie
the state "a ONO aione received lof tne
same period more than half as much, OF,
to be exact, sl6,lil,ll3. Ihe South fur-
nished to the United States Government
during the Civil War $4,000 soldiers,
exclusive negro troops. Inc Govern
ment enlisted lS6,09l negro soldiers dur
ing the war, the bulk OF whom came
from the South-kentucky, Louisiana
and Tennessee furnishing one-third OF
all the coiored soldiers i'll the service of
the Government. Many slaves, however
who fled to the North We're enrolled as
from Northern States, Massachusetts
organizing three regiments Of negroes,
while s,6l2 blacks enlisted in Pennsyl-
wanna. In an article in the Review OF
Reviews for February Thomas A. Broad
us, of the Pension Bureau, states that
claims of colored persons greatly Pre-
dominate in the Southern division of the
,ureau." This is rather surprising, in
view of the fact, noted above, that the
southern States supplied the Government
with $4,000 white soldiers, or 14S,00o
more than all the negro troops enlisted
II both the North and South.
Since the Civil War, Mr.. Broadus ex
Jlains, the South has been gradually de-
;eloping representation on the pension
oils. Today the regular army consists
If $4,000 men, of whom 10,433 are from
southern States, and only one-tifth Of
.hese are colored. In the Spanish War
period, from April Il, 1898, to October
g. 1898, the enlistments from the South
aggregated 4,399. From October 26, 1895,
o January l, 1900, the number enlisting
rom the South, many for service in the
philippines, was S,3l6, Of whom only
,591 were negroes. AS result of the
var with Spain $4,000 pension claims
we're filed, and among the claimants the
south is, OF course, proportionately rep
resented. The war in the Philippines
will be prolific of pension claims, and it
nay be assumed that considerable
lumber of Southern men will be placed
IN the roll of those who enjoy the bounty
# the Government. Many Of the North
rn settlers who have made homes for
themselves in the South for the past
tuarter Of a century are Civil War pen
toner's, who receive quarterly stipend
rom the Government. On the whole,
Ir. Broadus thinks he is justified in the
ssertion that the sum of $24,000000 paid
early to pensioners in the South cannot
nut be felt in a region so widely agrcul-
ural."
In the fiscal year ended in 1860, just
IN the eve of the Civil War, the number
# pensioners on the rolls was only IL
IA, requiring an annual disbursement
# s1,O0l,01S. The pension roll now car
les nearly million names, and the ap
Iropriation which will be made by Con
ress for the fiscal year beginning OF
July / next reaches tho record breaking
um Of s145,0O0,0O0. This is an evolution
t without parallel in history. In 1860, a,
Ir. Broadus notes, the Commissioner o.
, 'ensions expressed regret that the de
rease in actual payments was only s27,
60 less than in the preceding year. Th,
Commissioner of Pensions in this year o
, race asks for an increase of millions
Without manifesting half the concerl
which the Commissioner of 1860 felt
IN June 30, 1859, there were 165 veteran
5 # the Revolutionary War on the pension
oils. In November Of the following
ear there were but 81. The last sur
.ivor of the Revolution died in 1869, hay
: ng attained the ripe age Of 109 years an,
I months There is now only one surviv
@ ng pension soldier of the war of 1s1.
:. IN June 80, 1900, four widows and seve
daughters of Revolutionary soldiers wer
y N the pension lists. If the present po
}. cy in respect to pensions is not mod
i led the United States will be foun
aging bounty TO Civil War soldiers 3
heir widows for several decades of tn
= wentieth century, Eighty years afte
he close of the Revolutionary War, a,
ording TO Mr.. Broadus, 5000 widows
|. Revolutionary soldiers received pension
rom the Government If the averai
y luration of human life is not less tina
1t was in the past century there will
50 many thousands of widows of Civ
Il War veterans drawing pensions in 1874