The National tribune., 1906-03-15

Il
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
i'll the same connection with those fur
nished by the Committee on Appropria-
tions are:
LIST. 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 disa bii-
ties from the arduous service and of
wounds and death.
I'd. That in comparing the pension
roll with those of European countries
it must be kept steadily in mind that
the United States pension roll repre-
sents 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-
slant average of about 100000 men
kept at the front and continually fight
ing during four long years. From
in 1865 the rife 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-
noiering parties up to the battles In
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 Nation. The great wars
which have convulsed Europe i'm the
last 80 years, or since the close of the
NapoleOnic period. were not bigger
than single campaigns in our Army.
The Crimean War, which rs the only
war with civilized 4eple that England
was engaged in from the time Of
Waterloo until the outbreak OF the
Boer war, was no bigger, rather not
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 it
was probably not as much Of a military
operation as Sherman's campaign
against Atlanta. The Franco-Italian-
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
Waterloo, 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
to the veterans who are OH the PEN
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, I'm all the great
countries 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
example. 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
CfoSSluSS VI TdiiToduS dHu nave OlueT
similar positions are discharged SOL
diers or their widows. 1t is much the
same in France, and in addition dis
charged soldiers and the widows OF
soldiers are given privileges in selling
tobacco. 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
individuals. but because Of the i'm
| mensity OF the army required to put
| down the rebellion. If 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.0S, or q trife over
| 81 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 81 a
week after he has reached the age of
so. 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