The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-11
WARE TELLS ALL
ABOUT PENSIONS
List Decreases After Total Pay
ment of Over Three
Billions.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 10
The annual report of Commissioner of
Pensions Ware places the total number
of pensioners now on the rolls at $780,
545, of whom 729,356 are soldiers and
267, 100 are widows and dependents
Mr.. Ware announces that it is not
probable that the pension roll will
again cross the million mark, the high
water mark having been reached a
year ago. Five of the pensioners We're
on the roll on account of the War of
the Revolution, 1,116 on account of the
War of 1912, ABA on account of the
Indian wars and 1884 on account of
the Mexican war. The great bulk of
the roll is as follows:
Civil war, invalids 703,456, widows
24S, 800; Spanish war; inValidS 5000,
widows 1862; and the regular estab-
lishment invalids 9.170, widows 1888.
The roll shows a net loss of 1920
pensioners during the year. Out of
total of 30S.S49 applications on hand
during the year, 130,109 were admit
ted and 1874 rejected.
The average annual value of each
pension is now S133. The annual val
lie of the Spanish war pension roll has
reached $1,765.310.
Commissioner Ware makes the fol-
lowing recommendations
Laws for revoking the pension of
any man convicted in any court of in
famous crime; prohibiting the giving
to women who marry old soldiers aft
er the soldiers become old and a diff
ferent method of examining applicants
for pensions, stamping the present sys-
tenn as uncertain, expensive, unsatis-
factory and generatiVe of an enormous
amount of friction; boards constitut-
ed of experts organized under civil
service rules, which should go from
place to place on fixed days, giving
examinations and receiving testimany
regarding the condition of applicants
and making reports thereon. He also
recommends a law providing for super
animated clerks, vigorously urging
some law of retirement and precision.
Mr. Ware says the bureau has gain
ed upon the current work 100000 cases
during the last two years. An inter-
esting historical ANALYSIS of pension
figures shows that the actual total dis
burSementS in pension accounts in the
Revolutionary war, War of 1912, Mex
lean war, Indian war; Civil war and
the war with Spain was $3,038, 623, $50.
1t is estimated that $16,000,00 was
paid in pensions for disabilities and
deaths due to military and naval SerV-
ice in the wars of 1872 and with Mex
leo, and during the time of peace prior
to the War of the Rebellion, making
the payments of pensions to soldiers
and sailors of the War of the Rebellion
and of the regular military and naval
establishment since the close of said
War of the Rebellion and their wild
ows, children and dependent relatives,
amount to $2,S62, 24O, 400.
The cost of the pension system per
capita of population or 1908 Is given
as $1.75. The system, according to
Commissioner Ware was the greatest
as burden to the people of the Unit
ed States in 1898, since which time it
has shrunk from $2.44 to $1.53 per
$1,000 of taxable wealth, and in ten
years he says the burden will cease
to be noticed Mr.. Ware estimates
that the unpensioned survivors of the
Civil war, exclusive of deserters, is in
round numbers 100000, and says that
this unknown army is meeting with
misfortune and disease to such an ex-
tent that it is applying for pensions
at the rate of over $4,000 per annum.
In ten years Mr.. Ware predicts the
unknown army will have ceased to
be a factor.