Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-08
MONEY FOR PENSIONS
Mr.. Gardner's Statement to
the House.
APPROPRIATION BILL UP
Forty Years After the War of the
Rebellion.
GENEROSITY OF GOVERNMENT
Exceeds That of Any Other in the
Notwithstanding Statistics and
Computations Given.

I'm 1924 there will be approximately 34G,-
CO. civil war pensioners on the governments
rolls.
IN 1917 this number will be approxi-
mately sNS.
I'm 1883 the civil war pensioners on the
rolls will number about 60
I'm other words a child that was born
on the Both of last June and lives to be
eighty-three years old will find sixty per-
sons drawing pensions from the govern
ment on account of the civil war that end
ed now full forty years ago"
These are some OF the interesting statc-
ments made in the House today by Rep
resentative Gardner OF Michigan. chairman
of the pension subcommittee of the COM
mittee on appropriations. in his discussion
of the pension appropriate ton bin.
Mr., Gardner's speech was fun of care
fully prepared statistics and interesting,
comparisons. and he was heard with In
terest and attention the part of tho
members of both parties on the floor. Some
of his declarations were of particular I'M
portance. eontraverting the general belief
on various points concerning the pension
rclI.
''In no single respect" said Mr.. Gardner.
is the appreciation of our countryTnen
better manifested nor the measure Of their
gratitude made more apparent than In the
ungrudging manner with which, year after
year they ray the vast sum which this
Interest entails upon the national resources.
The Pending Bill.
1.-THE pending bill carries Sl39 100000 with
which to pay for the ensuing year the
claims of even million of pensioners. OF
the claimants representing every war in
our history. from the revolution to the
Philippine Instruction, inclusive, all
but 53,42i the heritage of the war for
the Union. 1t is now full forty years sincs
the termination of that war. The young
est of the men who served In the Union
army are fast approaching sixty years OF
age, while the average is not far from
siXty-five.
Forty years after the close of the war
We have not only. the maximum number OF
pensioners, but are nearly up TO the maxi
mum amount of pension appropriations.
The civil war is estimated to have cost the
nation $4,000, 000,00 Already 49, Do, Ala, SIS,
more than one-half of the first cost OF
the war. has been paid out on account of
pensions. / confidently make the prediction
that before death has removed from the
rolls the last pensioner on account of the
civil war an aggregate will have been paid
equal to the entire first cost; in which
event the two combined would total S12.-
000.000,000 or three-fourths OF the property
valuation of the entire country at the begin
ming of the conflict desire to make fur
ther prediction, that twenty years from
now, If in the meantime we have no other
war, there VIII be on the pension roll or the
nation approximat ely a half million names.
Assuming that like conditions viii OBJ
tain, 1t follows that In 1924 there Will be
346, 662 civil war pensioners. o..
AT that time twenty-Six years viii have
interviewed since the war with Spain. IL
the army In that war furnishes the same
ratio of pensioners as the Union army In
the civil war there will be 1872. Ala chargeabie
to the Spanish-American war, making from
these two sources alone total of 4I0,0fo.
Add to these a reasonable per cent from
our enlarged regular establishment and
from q constantly increasing navy, and il
is entirely within the probabilities that
twenty years from now-that u.s. in 1881
the nation will have, from the material now
on hand and in prospect, without any more
wars, nearly, if not quite, 100000 pension
erS.
The Governments Generosity.
mo government on earth approaches that
of the United States In the generosity with
which 1t treats the men who fight its bat
ties France, which most nearly approaches
our government in the sum total for pen
sions. pays but s26 $4,000. Germany fol-
lows next in order, with an annual ex-
penditure for this purpose of 81 ,G5S,O 600;
Austria Hungary is third, with So t23, 49,,
and Great Britain is fourth, with 50 $50, +05.
These four great powers, whose soldiers
have fought some of the bloodiest battles
in modern warfare, pay an aggregate of
SIS, 42T, 6S7. which Is less than one-half that
paid by the United States.
But it cannot be denied that the pension
roll of the Union army represents moro
hard fighting and more BATTLEFIELD casualties
than all the soldiers in all the armies OF
Europe since the standards OF Napoleon
went down at Waterloo.
1t would require 1888 0S4 additional to
the present appropriation IL all civil war
soldiers now receiving less were brought up
to So per month, and If all widows re-
ceiving IS were increased to Si2 it would
add IS. 362 ,O66 more, or. together. a total
increase of S29, 10S, 1SO, making the appro-
priation for the ensuing year Sle3, 900 600
We may well pause and consider before
giving assent to such proposition at this
time.
'The whole pension business has grown
with that upon which 1t feeds. In all our
history prior to the civil war there were
but L 700 special pension bills enacted into
law. Now more than half that number are
passed in a single session of Congress.
while the total since 1861 is 1905. In the
first six weeks of this session there were
introduced in the two houses total or
s 800 private pension bills, number far in
excess of any previous Congress.
The Spanish War Results.
1.-The pension results Of the Spanish
American war illustrates another phase OF
this subject That war furnished total of
312 600 enlstments. Today there are more
war soldiers than the maximum number or
men I'm Skaters army in Cuba. There
were killed a total of Cos officers and en-
listed men, The entire number killed and
wounded was 3.457 and the deaths from all
causes was 6,6l0, or a small fraction over
. per cent of the aggregate enrolment.
The deaths and casualties of every sort
and kind of both officers and enlisted men
the enrolment. From that army there
have already been fled with the bureau
CO. G37 applications for pensions"