Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-25
MONEY FOR VETERANS
Annual Report of the Pension
Commissioner.
BURDEN GROWING LESS
LESS THAN $1.32 PER $1,000 OF
TAXABLE WEALTH.
High Water Mark Was in 1902, When
1,0OO,732 Were Carried on
the Rolls.

The total number of pensioners for all
wars and for other reasons governing the
granting of pensions in the United States
reaches 9S9,S52. and they received last year
$40, 257, O29.O3. OF the war with Spain
there are 1880 pensions of all classes, and
the net gain in the roll since 1900 In all
classes is 1,233 Living outside of the
| United States there were 1910 pensioners,
who drew from the fund $722, 44O6S last
year. The high-water mark was reached
| September 80 1902 when the rolls carried
LOCO 1872 names. In the year just ended the
number of deaths among the soldier pen
| sioners was 81 ,72S of these 3O,O71 were vol
unteers of the civil war. Divided into gen.
eral classes there were on the rolls at the
close of the last fiscal year 72O,315 soldiers,
! 273,S41 widows and dependents and 6O5
army nurses.
Veterans of All Wars.
Since the establishment of the pension
roll 1t is seen by the report that the num-
Der of men engaged in unfolding the flag
| was 1904, $685. and the total Claims paid
reach the enormous figure of $3.179,7 H.
16l.65. Classified, the number engaged in
| each struggle for the supremacy of the gov
eminent was:
Revolutionary war................... lS4, OSS
War of 1872. 2S6, I3o
Mexican NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1918
Indian wars ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. VI, yJ3
civil war. ........................ IAIa3oo
Spanish war. ......................"... SlL,UJU
Fighting in the Philippines and
China ............................ 146, 1o1
Large though these figures are they do
not include a large number Of civilians who,
in temporary organizations, fought the
savages through period of 125 years with
out making any claim for their services.
The pension system was the greatest as a
burden to the people of the United States in
W ir1p q burden been
constantly decreasing until 1t has shrunk
in eleven years from $224 to less than $l.32
per 81, 600 of taxable wealth In ten years
more the burden will cease to be noticed.
The Only Revolutionary Widow.
The record of Noah Damon, whose widow
Is the only one of the war Of the revolu-
ton now pensioned by the government. Is
inspiring to American patriotism. 1t 1s In
teresting as showing the instability OF
military commands during the war. The
pension office record follows:
Esther S. Damon, Plymouth Union. VT;
age ninety; pensioned widow OF Moan
Damon, who served as a private In the
Massachusetts troops as follows: Six days,
from April 10, 1775, In Captain tucker r,
company; twenty-five days, from April H.
1777 in Capt. Seth Summers company, Col.
Benjamin Gil's regiment: two months nve
days, from May Is. 177, in Capt. Moses
regiment; two months twenty-five days,
from December 10, 1777, in Capt. Thomas
Whites company, Col. Edward PROCTOR
regiment; two months twenty-five days,
from April 8, 1878, in Capt. BENJAMIN Lap
hams company, Col. Jonathan Reeds regi-
ment; one month seven days, from jury 20
177S in Capt. Nathaniel Clapp's company
Col Benjamin Howe's regiment: nine Gays
from February g. 1910, in Capt Abner
Cranes company. colonel not stated; one
month one day. from August IA, 1l19, In
Capt. Joseph Richards company, Coionei
Gilrs regiment. and eight months. from
Nav II, 1880, in Capt. Caleb Champney
company.
Other interesting cases follow:
sarah c. Hurlbutt. Little Marsh. Pa;
age eighty-six; pensioned by speclal act;
as daughter of Elijah Weeks, who served
two and one-half years. from fall of 11I6
as private in Capt. Josiah Smiths com.
pany. Col. Thomas Marshalfs regiment, or
Massachusetts, troops.
"Rhoda Augusta Thompson, Woodbury.
Conn; age, eighty-three; pensioned by spe-
cial act, as daughter of Thaddeus Ihomp-
son. who served six years from May ~,
1777, as a private in Capt Jonathan Brown
company. Col. John Lambs regiment, OF
New York troops.
Mortality During Year.
.'Rebecca Mayo, died March 8. 1904, at
Newbern, Va; age, ninety-one; pensioned
as widow of Stephen Mayo, who Served as
a private in the Virginia troops as follows:
Three or four months in the fall of 1776,
in Capt. Thompson's company, Col. Camp
bells regiment; thirteen months, from Feb
ruary 4. 1777, in Capt. Hawkins company
Col. Charles Lewis regiment: two or three
months, In ITO, in Capt. Hatcher's COM
pany and from the spring to the following
September, 1884, in Capt. Andrew Hayden's
company.
Hannah Newell Barrett, died December
af
and three; pensioned by special act, as
daughter of Noah Harrod, who served two
years from May, 1882. private in Capt.
George Webb's company Col. Shepard's
regiment of Massachusetts troops.
Last Survivors.
Daniel F. Brakeman, the last survivor Of
the war of the revolution, was born in Scho-
harie county, N. Y, September %, 1859;
died in Freedom, Cattaraugus county, N.
Y, April 3, 1860; aged. one hundred and
nine years, six months and eight days; and
thus one Of the heroe, OF the revolution
who fought to bring the United States into
existence, lived to see Lee surrender at
Appomattox and to see Alaska purchased
from Russia and added to the Union.
Hiram Cronk is the only surviving PEN
stoned soldier Of the war Of 1912. Mr..
Cronk was born April 20, 1900 and enlisted
at Western, n. Y, on August 4, 1914, when
he was just d little more imam fourteen
years old, and on the same day his father,
James Cronk, and two brothers, Casper
and John, also enlisted, serving under Capt
Edmund Fuller in the defense OF Sackett's
harbor. At the close of the war the father
and three sons were honorably discharged
November 16. 1874"
The Pension Bureau Force.
The number OF employees of the pension
Office on June 80 last was 1851, the salary
allowance for the year having been s., 1872, :
2lO. majority Of the employees are over
fifty years Of age and fourteen are over
eighty years Of age. The total number of
ex-soldiers of all wars in the bureau is 1852.
of whom 379 are pensioners. In sex and
race the employees are classified as follows:
White: Male ..................... 1,243
temale Observation-Disclosures. 1853
Coioreo: Male ....-............... IS
Tctudic .................s
The number of Spanish war pensioners
on the roll is 1889, and the annual value
of the Spanish war pension roll Is 2,224.-
i73.
Applications and Reflections.
Regarding applications the report says:
TEar to,