Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1903-10-10
BIG PENSION CAMPAIGN.
General Blacks Plan to Help
the Veterans.
A LARGE INCREASE FAVORED.

Years Old Without q Pension Who
Had Sixty Days Actual Service to
Receive a stipend.
General John G. Black, the new COM
mander in chief Of the Grand Army Of
the Republic. has begun his admins
tration by declaring in favor of an in
crease of the pension expenditures Of
the government that would amount to
from $21 100000 to $3O,O0O.OOO year
and would run the total payments up
from the present figure Of $14O,OO0,OO
to $161, 100000 or $17O.O0O,O0O, says the
Washington correspondent of the New
York Herald.
General Black has declared that it
will be the policy of the Grand Army
of the Republic to fight from now on
for a pension for every veteran OF the
civil war more than siXty-two years
old who saw sixty days of actual serv-
ice and for his widow after him. This
means that General Black intends to
commit the Grand Army Of the Re-
public to a campaign for the addition
of at least 100000 names to the 1,0O0.-
600 already on the pension rolls.
The commissioner of pensions. Mr..
Ware, estimates the number of sur
now drawing pensions at more than
100000. He says they may number
225,O00. If the proportion Of widows
to survivors is as great as was the pro
portion of widows to survivors at the
corresponding date after the Mexican
war. there are probably few more
than 100000 widows of civil war vet
Grams who are not now drawing pen
sions 1t is difficult to estimate what
proportion Of the survivors are sixty
two years old or more. but it is quite
probable that enough are Of that age
to bring the total number Of new pen
sioners. including the widows. up to
about 100000.
The amount that this would add to
the annual pension expenditures would
depend upon the rate of pension to be
allowed. If a service pension law
should be enacted it is safe to say that
the rate would not be less than Sc a
month. or SIP year. At this rate the
addition of 100000 names to the roll
would add $21.6OO.OOO to the annual
expenditures,
Advocates of a service pension for
the civil war would hardly. however.
be contented with such beggarly pit
lance as So Il month. especially in view
of the fact that the last congress in
creased the rate of pension for sur
vivors of the Mexican war to SIP a
mouth, or $144 d year. 1t is certain
that congress would not give the sur
vivors of the civil war service pen
sion of $12 month.
1t is probable that if such pension
should be provided for the rate would
be So month. This would involve in
creasing the pensions Of 37.748 pension
ers who are now drawing less than So
a month and would bring the addition
al expenditures up to approximately
$3O.OOO.OOO.
An idea of how long the civil war
pension roll is certain to maintain for
midable proportions whether service
pension law is enacted within the next
few years or not can be based on the
fact that there are on the pension roll.
ffty-five years after the close of the
Mexican. war, 1904 survivors Of that
war and 1910 widows, or total Of
1884 pensioners on account Of the lit
tie army of 1918 men that partici-
pated in it. At the same ratio there
will still be on the pension rolls in
1921. or tifty-fve years after the date
from which the pension Office reckons
the close of the civil war. no less than
100000 pensioners on account of that
war
Some further idea of the longevity of
pension rolls may be obtained from the
fact that there are now on the rolls. I
eighty-nine years after the close of the
war of 1912, one survivor and Lib |
widows. and, although it is 120 years |
since the close of the war of the Revo- |
luton. there are still on the pension
roll two widows of soldiers of that |
war In other words. widows Of sur |
vivors of the civil war in considerable !
numbers will still be drawing pensions !
in the year 1886. :
Many of the future widows of civil
war veterans are little girls in pima
fores. Many more of them are being
rocked in their cradles. Some of them
have not yet been born. 1t is now
thirty seven years after the official
close Of the civil war. The younger
Of the two surviving widows of vet
Grams of the war of the Revolution,
Esther s. Damon of Vermont. was not
born until 1914. or thirty -one years
after the official close Of the war.
Within the last few years widows of
the Revolutionary war have died who
were born more than thirty seven years
after the close of the war.
The willingness Of girls to marry old
pensioners is proverbial. One Of the
widows of the Revolution who died
during the last year was Nancy Jones.
who was born in 1916. or thirty three
years after the close Of the war. and
who married Darling Jones. a survivor |
of that war in 1890 when no WAS civ |