The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-10-09
BIG PENSION CAMP4IG'.
General Blacks Plan to Help
the Veterans.
A LARGE INCREASE FAVORED

one Of From s2l 100000 20 $780,
600, 0o0-Evcry veteran sixty-two
Years old without Pension who
Had sixty Days Actual service to
Receive a stipend.
General John O. Black, the new com.
mander in chief Of the Grand Army OF
the Republic, has begun his admins
tration BIZ declaring in favor Of an in
crease Of the pension expenditures Of
the government that would amount to
from s2f 100000 to SS0000,000 a year
and would run the total payments up
from the present figure of S14o,0000oGI
to $161, 100000 or $170000,000, says the
Washington correspondent Of the New
York Herald,
General Black has declared that il
win be the policy Of the Grand Army
Of the Republic to fight from now Oh
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 1000
GOO already on the pension rolls.
The commissioner Of pensions, Mr..
Ware, estimates the number of sur
vivors of the civil war who are not
now drawing pensions at more than
100000 He says they may number
225, 600 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 quit
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 il is safe to say that
the rate would not be less than So q
month. or ST2 year. At this rate the
addition of 100000 names to the roll
would add S2l 100000 TO the annual
expenditures.
Advocates Of a service pension fol
the civil war would hardly, however
be contented with such beggarly pit
lance as So a month, especially in view
| OF the fact that the last congress in
creased the rate Of pension for sur
! yivors Of the Mexican war to SO {
month. or $144 year. It is certaif
that congress would not give the sur
1 vivors Of the civll war a service pen
| sion of $12 a month.
/ 1t is probable that If such q pension
| should be provided for the rate would
be IS a month. This would involve in
creasing the pensions of 37,74S pension
ers who are now drawing less than 81
month and would bring the addition
al expenditures up to approximately
! S30,o00,000
An idea Of how long the civil Tal
pension roll is certain to maintain for
midable proportions, whether a 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-fYe years after the close of the
Mexican war, 1894 survivors of that
war and 1910 widows, or a total Of
1854 pensioners on account Of the lit
tie army Of 7S,71s men that partici
pated in it. At the same ratio there
win still be on the pension rolls il
| 1921. or ffty-five years after the date
from which the pension office reckon'
the close of the civil war, no less thar
100000 pensioners on account of tina
war.
/ Some further idea Of the longevity o.
pension rolls may be obtained from th'
fact that there are now on the rolls
eighty-nine years after the close of thu
war Of 1872, one survivor and ILL.,
widows, and, although it is 40 year
since the close Of the war of the Revo
luton, there are still on the pension
roll two widows Of soldiers Of tina
war. IN other words, widows of sur
yivors Of the civil war In considerable
numbers will still be drawing pension
in the year 1886,
Many of the future widows of civil
war veterans are little girls in pima
fores. Many more Of them are beini
rocked in their cradles, Some of then
have not vet been born. 1t Is nov
thfrty-seyen years after the ofIicia
close of the civil war. The younge
Of the two surviving widows of vet
Grams of the war Of the Revolution
Esther S. Damon Of Vermont. was no
born until 1914, or thirty-one year
after the official close of the wal
Within the last few years widows 9
the Revolutionary war have died VIII
were born more than thirty seven year
after the close Of the war.
The willingness Of girls to marry oil
pensioners Is proverbial. One of tn
widows of the Revolution who die
during the last year was Nancy Jones
who was born in 1916, or thirty-thre
wears after the close Of the war; an
who married Darling Jones, a survive
81 that war, in 1882, when be was si1