The Washington times., 1902-01-26
PAY PENSIONERS
EVERY MONTH.
Officials Deem Proposed Plan
an Improvement.
ONLY QUARTERLY At PRESENT.
Under Present system Cid Soldiers
Proceed 10 Spend the Amount
soon as Received.

The bill providing for the payment CT
pensions monthly instead Of quarterly" -"
said an official of the Soldiers Home.
would prove a blessing to the pension
ers. / do most sincerely trust that the
bill will become law. and there are
hundreds of good reasons which could be
advanced in its favor. If the men got
their money every month instead of quar-
tsrly it would do them far more good,
because receiving it in such large sums it
turns the heads ofmany OF them and they
proceed to blow it in in manner calcu-
lated to surprise the natives.
-Four times a year we have a star en-
gagement of the pension princes Every
man in The District knows what this en-
gagement is-brief periods of extrava-
gance indulged in by the unfortunate old
soldier who is cared for here at the
Home and who has a bunch of money
four times a year to indulge his appetite
and gallop with the bottle gang or
course, there are many of the good old
fellows who do not travel with this class
but there are plenty of them to keep
things moving at RAPID rate. If they
didn't get their money so seldom it would
last longer and not make such idiots of
them.
But One Ambition.
These improvident fellows have all
kinds of ways of getting rid of their
money. and l regret to say that many
OF them seem to have but one ambition.
and that is 10 have money enough to buy
a bottle of liquor. There are always
plenty of worthless fellows who hang
around the Washington barrooms TO help
these old fellows blow in their money.
and four times a year the police have to
deal with what they call 'touchin' drunks'
which. in plain English, means 'drunks'
wherein the pensioner falls into the hands
OF the worthless barroom loafer and han
ger-on, who succeeds in getting him load
ed on mean liquor and then touches him
for his money-sometimes borrowing it,
but more frequently taking ii when the
old fellow is too full TO know what is
goins on.
Pcnsiorer Legitimate Prey.
These loafers regard the pensioner as
legitimate prey. and, l regret to say that
there are some keepers OF the lower dives
in and around Washington who are no
better than the 'touchers.' for they en-
with them. Pension day is always a har-
vest for the vagabond element which in
Tests Washington. Even those who will
not steal the money of the pensioner will
hang around and help him spend it, These
old fellows have money SO seldom that
they want to drink with every fellow
who comes along. They are as easy TO
work for drinks as the greenest Georgia
farmer.
ngn
money gives out. he can come back to the
home and get plenty to cat and a COM
Portable bed, so il is matter of but LITTLE
concern 10 him how long his money holds
out Then. too, he knows that il he
wants money between times that he can
hypothecate his pension papers and get
advances. While there are strict laws
against this. IT is carried on to a large
extent, the money-lenders embracing
curbstone brokers, lawyers merchants
and saloonkeepers. In this way MANY an
OLD soldier draws his money and paws IL
right over 10 the 10 percenter He does
not hold it long enough to see the color
OF 1t, and turns right around and makes
new notes for more money The monthly
payment would do away with all this
Princes Every Four Months.
Yes; so long as the old soldiers pen
sion money holds out he is a prince
You could write columns about the old
fellows and their peculiar whims-the
strange ways of getting rid of their
money. and their ideas OF having royal
good time four times Il year. There is
one who does not have his money twenty
minutes before he hires a cab and drives
ABOUT the city alone He instructs the
or1ver to stop at a saloon every half hour.
ana al every stop he takes a drink
straight liquor every 5ime But he told
me that before he starts out he drinks
haIf pint of olive oil. and OF course
you Know that oil and whisky won't mix.
and that when you begin to feel the
whisky you can do it like the whale did
Jonah He keeps this up day in and day
out until his money is gone and then.
he comes back to the home
II his allowance was 1.0G0 q quarter
! guess he'd spend ii all the same way
There is another here who spends his
money in the swellest barrooms that will
tolerate him. He is vermouth fiend. and
when his pension money is all gone he
will fall back on the cheapest alcohol
he can buy at a hardware store dilute
II with water, and shift along with that
until he gets his next pension money.
know of another who exhibits a great
deal better judgment. He sends the bet
ter portion Of his money TO his old
IlOtHeI N vermont. ana the remainder
he lays out in candies which he keeps
TO give TO the children along the streets
over which he takes his walks. This he
has done ever since have been connected
with the Home.
Likes Equestrian Exercise.
There is another here whose weakness
runs TO horseback riding, and for a week
after pension day his old soldier can be
seen out riding in the neighborhood of
BrightwcOd. This extravaganza is his
limit, save few extra drinks OF whisky
a funny pair in the home run together
all the time, and have never been known
to put up rcd cent in treating anyone
except themselves. They are together
continually. and when pension day comes
they get their money and start out for a
good time, and they have it. too. never
inviting their most intimate friends TO
take part. They rig out in new clothes go
TO the theatre, patronize frst-rate res
taurants and saloons smoke good cigars,
and when their frolic is over will come
back 10 the home and live quietly until
next pension day when they go out for
another good selfish time They fought
In the same battery. and are both with
out relatives.
Wreath for LOgnn's Tomb.
The prettiest piece of extravagance
know of here at the home is that of one
old soldier who just as regularly as pen
sion day comes. buys costly wreath of
flowers and places il on the tomb of the
gallant Logan. He loved the general. and
spends a greater portion of his time about