The National tribune., 1903-06-11
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eral benefits to the country through the
widespread distribution OF the annual pen.
sion money. You ase laying special stress
upon the fact that these payments pre-
vent an undue accumulation OF funds at
the Eastern money centers, while the othey
three-fourths of the 5000 ,000, ,000 gathered
by the GovrnMent yearly in the shape Of
taxes and revenues, and spent for various
purposes, are said to be flowing directly
back into the Golfers of the capitalists and
corporations of Wall Street, without do
ing any good to the people at large. This
view seems to me to be erroneous. There
is, in fact, very little difference in the man.
ner Of distribution and circulation Of all
the funds collected and disbursed by the
| Government through its various depart
ments.
That every dollar expended is for value
received or services rendered we may pre-
sumo.
| The disbursements for civil service,
army and navy, rivers and harbors, post
Office and interest on the public debt d;f-
| fer only in so far from the pensions paid
to soldiers Of the civil war and their de-
pendents, that the former pay the current
expenses of the Government, while the lat
! ter represent individual claims for services
| rendered and losses sustained many years
ago.
Their effect on the business situation Of
the country is. however, the same, and in
proportion to their respective amounts.
That the bulk of these disbursements
should finally 60 to the money centers,
where the banking and transportation in
terests transact their business and make
| their settlements, is only natural and
necessary, as they in turn furnish the
means for keeping the wheels Of industry
in shop and field ageing. As the heart
4 81, III y~h hn
| body. so bring about the daily require
ments of trade, agriculture and the arts,
constant intercourse, which is greatly
| facilitated by the use Of money in ex-
change.
| There may be an occasional clashing Of
these interests as each one is trying to
guard his own from the selfshness of the
others, but, upon the whole, all thrive best
when a decent regard for the common good
is observed all around. Our resources in
ready money are very large. but compared
with the great volume Of business trans
acted, they nre but 4 small fraction, and
were it possible for any clique to stop their
free circulation only temporarily, it would
| lead to most serious consequences.
| 1t is true that conditions arise with US
from time to time, when credit is ex-
hausted by overspeculation, and an un-
reasonable expansion seeks more or less
violent readjustment to existing facts and
| circumstances, which create for a time a
panicky feeling. This, however, can only
occur after the general business situation
| has become bad, and not through mere
Vaccinations of speculative cliQues, who,
as a rule, mainly feed on their own kind.
When We consider the enormous vol
ume of appropriations, amounting to about
81 200, 100000 during the two years term
of one Congress, we can readily see the
great influence of its legislation on the
| business affairs of q Nation. and the most
| conservative course seems to be essential
| to prevent trouble.
The annual budget must be adjusted to
| steer equally clear of large surplus or a
big deficit, a most difficult matter to ar
range successfully. The danger of possi-
BILE mistakes in this direction would be es-
sentially diminished if the funds of the
Government could be legally kept as de-
posits in banks instead of being locked up
| in the vaults of the Treasury, where they
are not accessible for business purposes.
If l have, heretofore, argued against
the view that the distribution Of pensions
! is in itself benefit to the country, be-
cause, as is said, that it especially af-
fords the means to keep money in circu-
| iation which might otherwise congest and
| lie dormant at financial centers, l did not
" ulSputS tuc icdbl tuc JuoilSS
and equity Of pensioning our veterans or
their dependents; on the contrary, con-
| sidered their claim upon the gratitude of
the country SO firmly established by actual
facts and immortal deeds that they can
well afford to dispense using a mere Incl
dental circumstance as a favorable argu-
ment.
The country is indebted to the soldiers
for risking their lives and the welfare Of
their families at time when the Nations
very existence was trembling In the bal
ance. A terrible war Of four years dura-
tion, full of untold suffering and misery,
decided the issue.
| A grateful people inaugurated a system
Of pension payments for the victorious SOL
diers Of the Republic as the best means to
pay a debt which could never be computed
in dollars and cents at fair rate. with
out swamping the resources Of tho coun-
| try, rich and seemingly ine1haustible as
they are. We may admit that the pen.
sion roll has attained formidable proper.
tions by reason Of the great number en-.
gagged in the struggle, but we will not in.
dorse the statement that tho pension list
is a great burden which the country can
not carry without staggering under the
load.
i A nation Is but composite Of many
families. Take an average family, and
you will find the children and the aged
and infrm depending on the efforts and
labOrs Of the adult vigorous man and the
care Of the housewife, whose terms Of use.
fulress are ordinarily limited to 25 Or &c
years. During this period they do all the
substantial work and accumulate savings
il the chances are favorable, bring up theiI
children and repay their Indebtedness tc
their parents incurred when they were still
young. This is simply every day life, and
the understood rule wherever family
ties are kept sacred, and duty and love
go hand in hand. Neither parent nor child
if true, will ever find it a burden to pro
vide for and minister to the wants Of their
loved ones.
i If this is good and the true course fol
family to pursue, why should it not up
ply with eqr-l force to a nation-espe
cially after it has passed through such @
terrible ordeal as our civil war proved tc
be, where hundreds of thousands laid
down their lives, lost their health. gave
up opportunities to secure their future
that the Nation might live-the Union bt
preserved. Every man killed or disabled
during his service in the army Is a per
manent loss to those who had natura
right to depend on him for assistance Oh
support, and the country owes them rep
aration MS far as money can compensate
for losses OF this kind.
Nor is the country as q whole made any