The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-04-14
PENSIONS TO SOLDIERS.

You have of late published articles
laualng the Hon. H Clay Evans com
missioner OF pensions, for his admins
I uduOn OF that Office and cOndemning the
/ oid soldiers for their agitation for his
I removal Your last article was an editor
I ial IN your issue of April g. entitled
! Evans Forced Out In it you are
! Pleased 10 call the old veterans "peusiOn
I GraDDers. ask If Mr.. Evans removal is
! urged because he has refused 10 con
/ HiNe az ROBBERY, and wind I'd By max
! lns the direct charge that President
/ roosevelt IN order to secure the suppOrf
/ Of the Grand Army of the Republic In
/ the presidential nominating convention in
I lst4 mas determined to remove Mr. Evans
ana turn the pension Office over to the
! l0oters." These are strong and bitter
] words. They rankIe in the breasts Of the
! veterans who. while they may not cues
l uon your integrity of purpose. feel that
I you are mistaken and unjust.
WIN you permit one who bore a small
ana humble part as a Union soldier in the
war OF the rebellion. and who has had
much honor a { the hands Of his comrades
OF the Grand Army but who never has
received nor applied for a pension, 10
make some reply to your structures?
First, let me suggest that in a republic
thdt ooeS not maintain a large standing
army as do the 1nonarchies Of Europe and
ASIA, but depends for its defense in time
OF stress ana danger upon its citizen
soldiers, II IS, aside from questions OF
charity and duty, good policy to grant
pensions TO the surviving soldiers who
( fought Its battles and 10 the dependent
relatives 81 taose who died in the SER
vice; Tor the younger generation witness
ing this kind and just treatment of the
old soldiers, are themselves encouraged
10 tight their cOuntrys battles in expecta-
ton of themselves receiving in turn the
same consideration. And the COmDaTd-
I lively large sums disbursed in pensions
are infinitely less than would be the cost
OF maintaining an adequate standing
army.
The official record shows that during
the war of the rebellion in the army lex
GLIDING the navy and marine Corps) there
We're Z.flS,394 enlistments and 359.5S
deaths from an causes 1t is estimated
that about 100000 Of the old soldiers
years of age and all of them feeling the
enervating effects Of the hardships Of
their campaigns. Adding the navy and
marine corps it will probably bring the
total enlistments up to about 100000 So
that there are approximately 100000 liv-
ing veterans and the families Of 100000
dead soldiers who are possible applicants
for pensions.
President Mckinley in his message to
congress in December. 1899 embodying
the report OF the commissioner OF pen
sions, gave the total number on the pen
sion roll as 99l.5lS and the total yearly
disbursements for pensions as S1SS, 355,053.
or something less than an average Of
$40 per year for each pensiOner. The
situation has not materially changed
since.
This message gives three other inter
esung items for the year lSs9, namely:
Dropped from pension rolls .....,... 43,lS6
Added 10 rolls .........--.......--... 1891
Pensions claims disallowed .....-....107, 917
These latter figures give color TO the
old soldiers contention that the pres
ent administration of the pension Office
has arbitrarily resolved to add no more
names TO the pension roll than VIII
partially make good the reduction caused
By the death of the pensioners already
on the roll, and not TO fairly and justly
adjudiCate pension applications under the
law but to examine them in hyper
critical spirit with view TO ind some
pretext. however trivial, TO reject the
application.
Does any candid. fair-minded man be-
lieve that in one year there were 1887 I
applications for pension presented TO
Commissioner Evans that were so fraud B
ulent and without merit as to deserve /
rejection In other words have the adj =
vancing years so changed the hearts OF /
the old soldiers that whereas genera Z
ton ago they so loved their country that 3
they offered their young lives IN its de- I
Tense. now they have made wholesale (
attempt 10 rob and loot that same cOun- !
try2 Is Mr. Evans the only man in the
country, honest. able and ut to admin 4
lister the pension office?
ANY and every one who has had bust 4
ness with the pension ONCE under ats
present Chief must and viii near tess &
timony 20 the captious hypercritieaL IN /
reasonable. not to say petutoggiing way !
its business is conducted, and every
method used 10 tire discourage ana ouily P
an applicant into disconunuing IN dispatr
his effort 10 procure pension. MS .
death does not otherwise relieve the com
missioner from the soldiers lmportunl- F.,
ties
In a debate on the floor Of congress .
over pension bills on Feb. = last, Mr.. F.
Subway OF the house pension committee .
in explanation of the food OF pension .
bills before congress and MS advocacy OF &
certain private pension bills then before 4
the house, said that it was Simply pc
cause the applicants do not get justice I
in the pension office" And other mem
berg expressed themselves IN the same
manner. (see the COneresslonai Record B
for that day. and the time OF congress .
Is thus taken up in passing hundreds OF I
private pension bills. TemeQying the ln- /
Justice of the, commissioner Every pen
sion day in congress witnesses a mood o. I
ike charges against COmmissloner Evans. {
They ask onlv justice talr, honest
impartial administration OF the pension I
laws. made by their country Tor their 4
benefit and the benefit Of the surviving
dependent relatives Of their dead com
rades- The amount disDUrsed annually
for pensions Is large But does the coun-
try beErudge it2 Would there nave been
any government to paw pensions or 10
maintain the freedom. the protection. the
prosperity the American people ENJOY out
for the sufferings. the sacrifices and ser
vices Of the Old soldiers OF the war or the /
rebellion who. soon each and all must 4
pass to his rest2
MAURICE NJ. KAIGHN:
Past Dept Com Dent. Jtah e. a X
salt Lave CIV. Tf+eh APRIL u.
CIVILIzING THE INDIAN.