The National tribune., 1903-09-24
THE SERVICE PENSION BILL.

|
ment. while giving unanimous indorsemen
to the So a month service pension
thought it good policy to qualify this b,
making only those veterans who have
reached the age of"62 eligible for the pen
sion, and combining the allowance to wild
der previous to the passage of the .Ac
of June ~21: 1888. This was intended Il.
a sop to public. opinion, the National En-
campment experimenting. and very rightly
that there will be a strong fight made
against the passage of this measure o.
justice. Or any Liberia lization of the pen
sion laws. The National Encampmen
| thought it good policy to disarm opposi
| lion as far rs possible by the qualification.
named. The National Tribune, while wei
coming the very gratifying action of tho
National Encampment on this vital sub
fject. still believes that the limitations. il
any, should come, from Congress. and not
be suggested by us. We shall certainly
not get any more than we ask for. 1t will
be surprise if we get as much. There
fore The National Tribune shall continue
to urge what it believes to be eminently
right: the only qualifications in the
bill to entitle the men to the receipt of SD
{, month pension. being service of 80 days
during the war of rebellion and an honor
able discharge. and that the widows of
all such be entitled to the same allowance.
We believe as Il matter of principle that
every man who served 80 days and was
hOnorably discharged is entitled from now
until the day of his death to at least So
a month from the Government which he
saved, and for which he sacrificed so much
the unbroken policy of the Government,
and based on sound public principle. The
Government has always proceeded upon
the principle that its wars should be
fought by its citizens. and not by a stand
ing army. and that the men who separated
themselves from their fellow citizens TO
discharge this duty of fighting for the
country deserved not only the gratitude
of those for whom they fought, but a
proper provision for their old age. This
was done even in the Colonial days and
from the foundation of the Government.
and its workings have been such as to JUS
tify its wisdom and sOundness. No pub
lie man of any recognized standing has
ever disputed this principle, but all have
cordially supported it.
The soldiers of all previous wars have
received So Il month. The proposed rate
of SO month merely allows for the diff
ferenceS which have come into all allow
ances and wages. The soldiers of the ear
licr wars received from S. to 81 a month,
where the pay to-day is from $13 upward.
The standard of living has changed every
where. and the purchasing power of mon
ey is not so great as it was in the earlier
days. Twelve dollars month does not
nearly so much now to the man
who gets it as SIS did to the veteran of the
Revolution, the War of 1872 and the In
dian Vars.
As, to the pension of widows, there has
been. a, vast deal of nonsense about young
women marrying old men for their pen
siOns. Possibly there are 4 few instances
of this kind among characterless young
women and foolish old men. but they are
a very meager percentage of the whole.
Since the passage of the law of 1890
Il great many thousand veterans who have
been bereft of the wives of their youth
have contracted rightfuI and happy mar
riages with women Who have been true
wives to them. have reared and educated
their young children, and have been alto
gether the noblest and truest of compan-
ions and helpmates. They have taken care
of their husbands in their long years of
declining powers eliminating in death and
it is an inexcusable cruelty to deny them
pensions. ..n,,s--,
u or these reasons, which we think I'M
The National Tribune shall
continue to advocate its original pension
bill, granting at once pension of $12
month to every man who served honOrably
80 days in the war of rebellion, and to the
widows of such as have died, without any
other qualifications than those mentioned.