The National tribune., 1903-02-12
A s,a-RArz NOT HIGH.

n burden upon the wealth of the country
than n lower rate has been. 1t was only
in 1850 that the valuation of all the prep
erty in the country reached s7.OO0. GOO. O0O.
Now it is in excess of $90,000.0O0, 900. or
over II times as much.
The survivors of the Revolutionary War
received Service Pension of So a month.
which, compared to the prevailing wages
at that time, represented by the pay of the
army, was very much higher than S12 a
| month is now. During the Revolution, the
pay of private soldiers. was 81 month,
and in 1870 it was reduced to So, and this
was on the same plane with the prevail
ing wages to laborers. farm hands, etc,
who could be hired for 81 a month and
board. Consequently pension of So Il
month was equivalent to double the
amount of the pay received, and to the
average rate of wages.
The survivors of the War of 1872 and
the Indian Wars all received IS n month.
The pay of the private soldier in the army
at that time correspondent with the pre-
vailing rate of wages, and was S. month.
During the Mexican War the pay of pri-
Yates was 81 month, and the veterans in
the Mexican war now get from So to $12
a month pension.
Since then the pay of the army has been
raised to S13 month. and the standard
of living has everywhere risen far above
that of the past century, and consequently
$12 month does not represent to the vet
eran of today anything like as much of a
reward and means of support, as So did to
his predecessors of the previous wars of
the country.
Still more important is the fact that the
average pensioner under the proposed Act
represents UNNECESSARILY more service
than was required of veterans of any pre-
vious war. In the Revolution, War of
1872, and the Indian Wars, the men were
called into service as they were needed,
frequently remaining but week or so, I'M
til the emergency passed when they were
dismissed to their homes. All these re-
ceived pensions. This idea was expressed
in the act to pension survivors of the
War of 1872, where pension was allowed
to every man who had served so little as
IA days, or had been under fire. The War
Of 1872 was, with comparatively few ex-
ceptions, series of forays, or threatened
fOrays, upon our coast, or the thinly-set-
tied frontiers of New York, Ohio, Michi--
gan, Tennessee and Georgia. Whenever
one of these was in the air, the militia of
the threatened country was called out, and
remained under arms for a few days, until
the danger was passed. Every man vino
reported for duty under one of these calls,
and who took his turn at guarding a
bridge or ford, or marching to some i'm
portant point, received pension. In all
probability 100000 men took more or less
part in the War of 1872, but of these only
1877 were killed, and 3,737 wounded,
making total Of 1914, or about half
what Grants little army of $1,000 lost in
two days of hard fighting on the banks of
the Tennessee River at Shiloh, and also
about one-half of what Rosecrans's army
of $1,000 lost at Stone River.
Yet these men earned every dollar that
they received. Tie War of 1912 was neces-
sary to establish our position among the
Nations of the earth, and resulted in Eng
land, which by the defeat of Napoleon had
become the mightiest power in the world,
being driven off everywhere from our bor-
ders and eur independence secured.
The same might be said of the Mexican
War. A pension was granted to every
man who had served 60 days in the war,
which included the time occupied in
going to the place of rendezvous
The average Mexican volunteer did
not see nearly SO much service as the
average three months volunteer in the war
of the rebellion. Very many thousands of |
them, like the volunteers for the Spanish !
War, never saw an armed enemy. In
Guiding the Regular Army and marines,
there were 1O1 ,2S2 men enrolled for the
war. OF these there were but i ,557 killed, |
and 1920 wounded, or less than the Army |
OF the Potomac would frequently lose on |
some morning reconnaissance. The quotas |
of whole States did not lose a man during |
the war. Alabama, Iowa, New Jersey,
Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina |
and Wisconsin did not have a man killed |
or wounded. Georgia had 2,132 men in |
the field, of whom but were killed and 8 |
wounded. Missouri had 7,O16 men, of |
whom but % were killed and 40 wounded. |
Ohio had $3.50, of whom IS were killed |
and 80 wounded. Texas had the largest |
contingent of any in the war, S,O1S, of |
whom but 46 were killed and 20 wound |
ed. Virginia had but men wounded, out |
Of her 1890 enlisted. There were scores
Of little battles and engagements, during |
the war of the rebellion, in which the killed |
and wounded far exceeded the total loss |
OF the Mexican War. Yet every man in |
any way engaged in the war, whether in |
camp of instruction, on his. way to the |
Mexican frontier, or other duty, received |
a pension, and he did not forfeit this by |
subsequently engaging in the rebellion to
destroy the Government which pensioned
him. The widows of all such also received
pensions, and there are, today, on the PEN
sion rolls, on account of the war with |
Mexico, $4,000 survivors and their
widows, most of whom Joined in the rebel
lion against the Union. Yet the country
is getting off very cheaply by this small
stipend to those whose services gave us
country of imperial extent, and added
to our National domain the grand States
OF Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and
California, and the Territories of Arizona |
and New Mexico. How beggarly seems
IN fhnn e., Ill