The National tribune., 1903-05-07
TRIBUNE WASHINGTON @, THURSDAY T.

| vailed which now confront us. at still
longer period after the close of the war
for the suppression of the rebellion. Dis
eases. long dormant in the system, now
appearing, with q persistency, unifOrmi-
| ty and regularity that leave no room 70
doubt their origin in the exposures and
labors of army service, are bringing down
stalwart frames by thousands every year,
working their ravage too often most ruin
ousiy among men whose youthful vigor
and patriotic pride kept them always in
the front. and deprived them of the once
dreaded hospital record" long so preci-
Gus and essential to the applicant for a
pension under our pension laws.
COST OF TIE SYSTEM.
The pension system, since the begin
ming of the Government, including the eS
pense of maintaining it. had cost 1892,
O9,019.37. on July I. 1902 OF this, all
since June 30, 1S65-in other words. the
whole pension bill of the Nation from
1880 until the close of the civil war was
SfO,OOO,OOO less than the present cost for
one year.
This expense must not. however. be
charged to the ''old soldiers of 1861.
There are already 10000 invalids and
widows of the Spanish war on the rolls.
and in all the long period between 1860
anu 1888 every officer and soldier of the
Regular Army, and the widows of all
such, placed upon the pension list under
general laws or special acts, also all pen
sioncrs of previous wars, have by some
strange misapplication of terms been Off
ciaily classed as relcts of the 'civil war"
But even if it were true that the entire
0o,00O.OOO had gone to the defenders
of the Union and their dependents. how
richly was it earned and how royalty has
the expenditure been justified. To say
nothing of the priceless value of the vic
tory they won, it is easily demOnstrablc
that the average veteran in his honorable
career of citizenship since the war has
contributed more in Federal taxes than
the sum total of his army pay, and that
these veterans. in the aggregate. by their
protective industry. have added more to
the wealth of the Nation than the entire
cost of the war and of the pension roll
for 40 years. Ft
HOW THE FACTS ARE EXAGGERATED.
Some of the soldier-haters love to dwell
ON the fact that there are now 40 years
after the war; round million (999, 44Gl
names on the pension roll. This is taken
as prima-facie evidence of gigantic frauds.
But when we analyZe the tables we see
that but 725. 100 of them are soldiers and
sailors of the civil war" (even on the
foregoing liberal Interpretation of that
term. The remainder are widows and the
pensioners of other wars.
The same class of willing critics com
placently charge up to the old soldiers Of
the Union the gross expenditure. which
not only includes all amounts paid to their
fellow pensioners, but also the enormous
cost of maintaining the Bureau and adj
mlnistering its trust. There are 1,73G
salaried officials and employees in the
Pension Bureau at Washington: there arc
~ Salaried employees at the IS Pension
Agencies where the money is disbursed
in quarterly payments; there are numer-
Gus local Boards of Surgeons who are
paid fees for examinations. The follow
ing is given i'll the last annual report of
the Commiss Toner of Pensions as the IAN
nual cost of maintenance"
Salaries Of Bureau en-