The National tribune., 1906-03-15
@ouR BIG PENSION LIsT.v

labored editorials upon the text of the
preparation bill. The trouble with these
figures is that they are not placed in
proper relation to others which will
explain and qualify them. The old
and true axiom is that Facts out of
place are worse than out-and-out lies. $
The facts which should be considered
in the same connection with those fur
nished by the Committee on Appropria-
tions are:
1st. That our pension expenditures
represent by far the greatest war the
world ever knew, with the greatest
number of men actually engaged: with
a longer period of active hostilities,
involving incomprehensible numbers of
men and proportionately an equally
incomprehensible number of disabili-
ties from the arduous service and of
wounds and death.
I'd. That in comparing the pension
roll with those of European countries
the United States pension roll repre-
sentS a great deal more actual, hard,
terrific fighting than all the pension
rolls of Europe to-day. To the man
who really thinks and compares this
makes our pension roll seem moderate
instead of excessive. Never before in
the history of the world was a con-
kept at the front and continually fight
ing during four long years. From
April 10, 1861. to about the same date
liz 1865 the rifle was never silent nor
the cannon idle somewhere upon a far
flung line of battle that extended more
than the breadth of Europe from the
Atlantic Ocean to the prairies beyond
the Mississippi. Everywhere and all
the time men were in constant motion
against the enemy, with almost hourly
fights somewhere which ranged from
casual encounters by scouts and recon-
which more men We're killed and
wounded than in all the other wars of
the country put together. Our pen
sion roll represents more men actually
killed upon the field of battle than
England has lost in the 500 years that
she has been a Nation. The great wars
which have convulsed Europe in the
last 80 years, or since the close of the
Napoleonic period. were not bigger
than single campaigns in our ~rmy.
The Crimean War, which rs the only
war with civilized seplz that England
was engaged in from the time of
Waterloo until the outbreak of the
so large, as the campaign against
Vicksburg. for example. The Franco
Prussian war was not so destructive of
life as Grants campaign against Rich
mond. We have no exact figures as to
the Russo-Turkish war of 1877, but ii
was probably not as much of a military
operation as Sherman's campaign
against Atlanta. The Franeo-Italian-I
Austrian war of 1859 did not begin to
cost as many lives as the struggle west
Of the Mississippi. The Austro- Prussian
war of 1866 had only single battle, |
which was easily decided by the Prus-
sian needle-gun. These are all the
real wars that Europe has had since
and taken altogether, they
do not equal the amount of fighting
done by the Army of the Potomac |
alone, to say nothing of the Western
armies.
Therefore it is the grossest injustice |
n 10
sion roll to place them and their SER
vices on equality with what has been
required of the European soldiers on
all the pension-fists of those countries. |
There is another thing which The |
National Tribune has steadily insisted |
upon and has been as steadily ignored
by the papers which have attacked the |
pension roll. That is, in all the great
the care of the Government
for their soldiers is not at all accu-
rately represented by their pension
rolls. In every country in Europe
there is a preference given to soldiers
and soldiers widows In various ways
in public employment and in places
under the Government monopolies |
which take the place of pensions. For
in Germany no man or wo-
man can be in Government employ
except as the result of military service. |
Even the men and women who watch |
of railroads and have other
similar positions are discharged SOL
diers or their widows. It is much the |
same in France, and in addition dis |
charged soldiers and the widows OF !
soldiers are given privileges in selling
matches and other Govern
ment monopolies, which furnish them
a support.
Our pension roll is not great on az
count of the sums paid certain favored
but because of the i'm
mensity of the army required to put
down the rebellion. II those who write
on the pension question would take the
trouble to examine the Commissioners
report and find that the average an
nual value under the Act of June 81,
1890, is only s1OS.03, or a trife over
50 week, he will complain less. Ger
tainly a man who went through such
a terrific war as ours is not being Law
ishly rewarded by giving him s2 al
week after he has reached the age of
50, as substantially all the veterans
have. The trouble is not in the large
ness of the pensions, but in the num-
Der OF men that were required to over
come far greater army than any