Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-10-13
UNCLE SANS PENSION ROLL
II Now Averages One-Quarter Of the
Total Government Receipts.


The pension roll of the government
now averages about $145, 000,000 an
naully, or one-fourth of the total gov
eminent receipts.
No other nation in all history has
been so liberal with it's defenders in
war, and, at the same time, none has
been so well able to afford that Hber-
ality. Our pension roll is the wonder
of other countries, not only from it's
size, but because of it's reluctance to
reach the maximum point and begin
a steady decline.
Now, however, the pension commits
sioner 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 Office clerkships,
as they occur from time to time, are
not to be filled.
1t has been one of the paradoxes Of
American pensions that the roll, not
withstanding decrease of from $4,000
to $4,000 names a year by death, has
maintained a high level for eight sue
cessive years. At the close of each
fiscal year of that period the number
of pensioners has fallen just below a
million, excepting in 1904, when the
million mark was slightly exceeded.
The high level of pension expense
was reached more than ten years ago,
but the paradox above referred to has
been in evidence all 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 I'M
der prior laws, and had the effect of
doubling the pension rolls so far as
the number of names is concerned.
There were 537,944 pensioners in
1890. Next year the number was 676,-
$50. In 1892 it was S76,O6s, and in
1898, 966,012. The largest annual ap-
preparation for pensions was for the
fiscal year 1928, s161, 744 900. The
next highest was for the fiscal year
1878, 14S,765, 900.
Under this dependent pension law
of 1890 perhaps a million claims were
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
tyear to make good the natural losses
of from 10000 to $4,000. But the sur.
plus is now disappearing. There were
half a million names left in it six
years ago, and to-day the number is
! $4,000
In four or five years these claims
will all have been checked up and dis
posed of, and then the heavy death
rate, with nothing to balance it, will
make itself felt in a rapid decline not
only of the number of pensioners, but
of the annual appropriations.
| 1t is the belief of officials of the pen.
sion office, says the Chicago Journal,
that the pension appropriations are
soon to be cut anywhere from SIS ,O00,-
| 900 to S25,00O,00O a year.
This belief takes account of the
Spanish war pensions and of the addi-
lions to the list which will come
through the Ware resolution, which
gives a small sum to all veterans who
have passed their siXty-second birth
day anniversary