The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-10-25
UNCLE SANS PENSION ROLL.
u Now Averages one-ouartsr Of the
Total Government Receipts.

The pension roll of the government
now averages about tf5.O00,O00 an.
naully, or onefourth Of the total gov
crnmont receipts.
No other nation In all history has
been SO liberal with It's defenders in
war. and, at the same time. none aas
boon so we'll able to- AFFORD that liber-
ality. Our pension roll Is The wonder
Of other countries. not only from It's
size. but because of its reluctance 10
reach the maximum point and begin
n steady decline
Now however. the pension commits
sioncr believes that the high point has
been touched, and that IN the years
just ahead of us the decrease will be
very rapid. So convinced is he that
this is to be the case that he Is plan
ming TO reduce his office force, and
vacancies in pension ONCE clerkships.
as they occur from time TO time, are
not 90 be filed
10 has been one of the paradoxes OF
American pensions that the roll. not
withstanding decrease of from $1,000
to 10000 names a year by death. has
maintained q high level for eight sue
cessive years Az the close of each
fiscal year OF that period the number
of. pensioners has fallen just below a
million. excepting Ia 1904, when the
million mark WAS slightly exceeded
The high lcvel of pension expense
was reached more than ten years ago.
but the paradox above referred 10 has
been IN evidence an the while until
this year This paradox Is the result
OF The law of 1890. the dependent pen.
sion law, which recognized The valid.
ity of claims for government aid on
disabilities not directly contracted in
the service This law also pensioned
widows and minor children OF veterans
who could not have asked support un-
der prior laws, and had the effect OF
doubling the pension rolls so far as
the number Of names Is concerned
There were 5379tl pensioners In
! 1890. Next year the number was 676.
i60. In 1899 II was $40 6.06s and in
1898. 966.0l2. The largest annual APP
preparation for pensions was for the
fiscal year 1929. tl61.744. 900. The
1878, $l4S,765, 600
Under this dependent pension law
OF $50 perhaps million claims we're
I filed. and these accumulated IN the
| pension office greatly In excess Of the
/ ability Of the clerical force to examine
! them. From that surplus enough
! names have been recruited year after
( year to make good the natural losses
/ OF from 10000 TO 10000 But the sur
plus Is now disappearing There were
half a million names left IN Il six
years ago. and to-day the number Is
$4,000
In four or Eve years these claims
will all have been checked up and dis
posed Of. aud then the heavy death
rate. with nothing TO balance Il, will
make itself felt in rapid decliPe not
only of the number Of pensioners, but
Of the annual appropriations
u IS the belief Of officials OF the pen
sion Office, says the Chicago Journal
that the pension appropriations art
soon TO be cut anywhere from $4,000,
900 10 s25.000,000 a year
This belief takes account OF th,
spanish war pensions and OF the add
lions 10 the list which will com,
through The Ware resolution, whicf
gives a small sum 20 all veterans wht
haye passed their siXtysecond birth
lay anniversary