The National tribune., 1906-12-27
A s1c RATE NOT HIGH.

| the uniform rate of SIS month granted
for other wars. This can be fully met
by the statement that the conditions OF
the country have changed so much that
$12 month is relatively no higher than
| SS was for the veterans of the Revolu>
ton. of the War of 1912 and for the
| Indian wars. Those of the Mexican
| War are now getting substantially S12
4 month. The pension rate must not
only take into consideration the con-
| ditions of life at the different times.
but also the average rate of wages paid
| The wages paid always indicate very
closely the amount necessary for ordi-
nary support of life. The pay of a
| United States soldier has always been
graded with reference to the wages
prevailing in the country, because III
order to induce a man to enter its SER
vice the Government had to offer him
something like an equivalent of what
he would receive in the civil walks of
life. The first soldiers in the service
of the Government after its formation
received 81 a month. and this, in 1890,
|
figure it remained until 1895, when it
was raised to $4 month, and in 1898,
when the Government needed men for
the French War, it was raised to $5 a
month. This represented the prevailing
wages in the country at that time, and
consequently the pension of a Revolu-
tionary veteran at IS Il month was twice
the pay of a private soldier. The pay
remained at So month for II years.
until the War of 1912, when the Gov
ernment's need of men caused it to be
raised to IS a month, which it remain
ed during the war, but upon the con-
clusion of peace was cut down to So a
month. Eighteen years later, in 1888,
it was raised to Sc month, and in
1898 was made 81. 1t remained at this
figure until Aug. 4, 1854. when the i'm
provement of the country and the de-
mand for men in civil life compelled
the Government to raise the pay to
s11 a month. Aug. 6. 1861, it was raised
TO S13 a month, and May 1, 1864, to
SIG month. If the rating of a service
pension, therefore, bears any relation
to the cost of living and the average
wages, then $12 a month is much below
6 proper rating Eight dollars month
vas considered a just rating for the
Revolutionary soldier at the time when
the pay of a private in active service
was only 81. SO and S. a month; it was
proper rating for the veteran of the
War of 1912, whose pay was $S a
month, and also a proper rating for the
Regulars and volunteer soldiers of the
Indian wars, whose pay was but S. and
81 a month All of these got rate of
pension higher than their pay was while
in active service. Sometimes it was
even double that of soldier in the
Army. 1t must be kept in mind all the
time that life was much easier to sup
port in the old days than at present.
Everybody had a little piece of land,
and even mechanics and tradesmen
were likely to live in homes in which
were attached plots of ground which
they could cultivate and secure from
them part of their livelihood. The
pension they received was therefore an
assistance to other means of support.
The conditions have so changed that
comparatively few of the veterans of
the war of the rebellion have now the
same opportunities to get the neces-
saries of life that their predecessors did.
Land is not so cheap nor so easy to get
as it was formerly. It is practically
out of the reach of hundreds of thou
sands of those who are on the pension
roll. The veterans OF previous wars
had many opportunities of employment
such as are denied veterans to-day.
They could be watchmen and assistants
on work which was not heavy. They
were usually preferred for these places,
and the little salaries that they got with
their cultivation of a piece of ground
and their pensions made life comfort
able and easy. The Civil Service has
closed all this out and shut up many
official avenues of employment which
were formerly open to veterans and for
which they were preferred. To repeat,
if sS month was a proper pension for
the veterans of the Revolution, the War
of 1912 and the Indian wars, where the
private soldier received from So up
ward, then at least $12 a month is
proper for a pensioner at time when
the private soldier in the Army is get
ting from S13 to $40 a month.