The National tribune., 1906-05-31
As TO PENSIONS.

Headquarters Grand Army of the Re-
public, Fendall Building, Washing
ton, D. c., May T., 1906.
Circular No. g
Comrades: When I was elected at
Denver last September. 1 told the En-
campment that the win OF the Order
as expressed at that meeting would be
the law and the lode star of my admin
istration. At the same time, 1 told you
that 1 should not have the disposition
to. figuratively speaking, run my head
was in hearty accord with the ex-
pressed desire of the Encampment for
the service pension law. which would
give S12 per month to every survivor
of the Union armies receiving less than
that, or none at all: and also heartily
in favor of the proposed amendment
to the law increasing the pensions Of
widows from IS to $12 per month. At
the same time / stated that there We're
three men sitting in the Encampment,
upon whom l should call for counsel
and assistance. in laying the matter
properly before President Roosevelt.
L named in that connection Gen. Gren-
vile M, Dodge, of Iowa; Past Comman-
der-in-Chief Gen. John C. Black, Presi-
dent of the U. S. Civil Service Commits
sion; and Past Commander-in-Ch
Maj. William Warner, U. S. Senator
from Missouri. Acting In accordance
with that announced intention, when
L returned home to Washington, 1 had
an interview with President Roosevelt,
told him as near as 1 could exactly
what had been done by the Encamp-
meHt, and what L had said to you.
When l named the three men to him,
he said That's good; they are all good
men. L suggest TO make it four by
adding Pension Commissioner YES
paSian Warner" / answered that
had considered that as a matter of
course, as l sould call upon him for
all the figures he could give bearing
was to get up the figures, giving what
information was obtainabIe regarding
the survivors, and the amount it would
take annually to carry into effect the
desires of the Encampment.
Before we could arrange for a meet
ing of all the parties named, with the
figures before us, time had run away,
until it was the night of the 18th of
January when we were all assembled
in the parlors of Commissioner Warner.
The figures we had before us showed
that, to increase to S12 per month the
pensions of those of our comrades al
ready on the roll, under the general
law, at rates ranging from 81 per
month up to $11.75 per month, would
ldht @A,opSnfoo.o1. 1O uO TIE SAINT ny
those who are on the roll under the
act of June 81, 1890, at rates ranging
from Sc per month to $11.50 per
month. would take S12,517,734. To
increase to S12 per month the pensions
of widows on the roll under the gen.
eral law, at the rate of either sS or SO
per month, would take S107,2S0, and
to increase the pensions of widows on
the roll under the act of June 27, 1890,
at the rate of either IS or $40 per
month. would take sS,243,256, making
a total required to put all those on the
roll at less than $12 per month, up to
S12 per month. of $23,733,7 1854. This,
bear in mind. would be the annual cost
to the Treasury of the United States.
and does not take into consideration
any of those who have not yet gone
upon the pension roll at all.
We estimated that there were sur
vivors not on the pension roll to the
number of 1876, ,009 men. We also es-
timated, that of those it was safe to
say that $4,000 would apply. and this
would add to the above named amount
of 23 millions and odd dollars $40, ,S00,-
600: so that the closest figuring we
could do showed that to carry out the
wishes of the Encampment, would in
yolye an annual expenditure by the
Treasury Department of $34,533,7 ,726.S4
With the knowledge before us that
there was at that time a small deficit
| in the Treasury--in other words. al
that time the receipts of the Govern
ment were not equal to it's expenses
the conclusion was forced upon every
one of us that it was futile to go be-
fore Congress and ask to have the
amount of over "a millions of dollars
added in a lump to the annual expenses
of the Government. We had sat down
that night, with the satisfaction ui
knowing, through Pension Commits
sioner Warner, that that day the Com
mittee on Appropriations of the House
| OF Representatives had agreed to al
| amendment to the general appropria-
! ton bill, which would put into statu.
| tory law what we have come to know
as the age Order" made by Presi
| dent Roosevelt. While there was NJ
i fear of any reversal of that order whils
| he sits In the White House, still it stood
| only as a presidential order, and any
President who followed him could o.
course reverse the order, much to th'
| disa ppointment of our old comrades.
/ We had the further satisfaction o
! knowing that the Committee had alsC
| agreed to an amendment to the Law
under which, when under the Age Or
/ der a comrade went to the pension rol
4 at 81 years of age, or anywhere abov'
! it, that thereafter when he reached
for instance, the age Of 65 years or 6!
or 20 years, he would by mere reason
: of that fact go UP at SIS to IS pc
month. at 68 to $40, and at 10 to 81
per month, the limit Of the law.
We found that there had been a gen
eral belief that such a condition 0
4 things did exist, but such was not
! fact, as the statutory law as it the
stood provided that prior to an increas
of pension there must be medica
examination by the Pension Board o
Medical Examiners, and. of course, n
! Presidential order could obviate tn
n requirements of the statutory law.
! Thus you see that by these amend
ments, promised that day by the Com
mittee on Appropriations, Representing
E both political elements in Congress, W
, at once achieved practically an age
! service pension.
With these amendments in force dur
ing the ensuing year. we all realized
; and the expression was unanimous, tina
what has come to be known as the "un
known army (Which under a genera
e service pension law would be applyin
r for pensions, and which in almost ever
, instance is estimated to be much large
in number than we believe It will prov
! to be-, would be so far exhausted in tn
: coming year, by the operation of thes
!, amendments, that we could easily sho
| a year from now that it would not tax
anywhere near s34 100000 per annun
A which would be required now to pI
= the desires of our comrades into effec
Il We had an appointment with Pres
dent Roosevelt for IL o'clock next da
and when that time came he "cleare
| the deck" SO to speak, and gave I
| ha1 70 tari l,;,S