The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-06
and bs entitled to receive pension. as

and be entitled to receive a pension, as
| follows.
In case such pcraon has renched the
4 age Of sixty-two years, sl2 per month;
seventy. years, SIS per month; scyenty-ilve
| years or over, $50 per month"
This is the worst and least justlnable Of
all the pension acts Tho government is
willing to provide for every Union veter-
| ~, who Is unable to provide for himself;
and does make such provision. But
veteran over sixty.two years Of age, who
| served ninety days In the War between
| the States and received an honorable dis
charge, whether he be In need or not. Tho
pension Is In the nature Of reward
for his service. and is therefore, con-
trary to the spirit which should permeate
every pension enactment. It belittlcs
patriotism and makes service Of coun-
try in time of war a thing OF traffic. True
patriotism Is made OF purer stun. No
true patriot draws his sword for country
with any hope of pecuniaiy reward in
his heart, He does not enlist for duty's
sake alone. Flo Is moved by his manly
instincts. by his pious zeal, and he es-
teens 1t privilege to fight for his native
land. 1t was that sort Of ploty that In
spired the soldiers of Japan In her war
with Russia and that made them invin-
chile. If a war veteran was disabled In
battle, or II he afterwards becomes
disabled from any cause It is fair that
the nation which he served should tako
care OF him, and It is no dshonor to him
to become q peusloncr on tho nations
bounty; but tho veteran who is not In
need and who accepts purse OF gold as
a reward for any military service he
may have rendered is on par with the
man who defends his own mother from
an assailant and then accepts pecu-
nary consideration for his act.
This may seem an extreme view, but
It is the view which Robert Il. Lee en-
tertained and which he exemplified.
Apart from the matter of sentiment the
new pension act will cost the government
a pretty sum OF money. According to
a Washington correspondent, with the
new law In operation the annual pension
bill will aggregate between sl4S,ooo0 900 and
Sl5s,000,0o0. The naval appropriation BILL
which was hotly opposed in the House as
extravagant was less than 500, 900, O0o
Army appropriations were even less Tho
addition of the new service pension law
means that rewards to veterans OF the
War with Mexico. the Civil War and the
War with Spain will cost the people Of
the United States more by one-half every
year than the maintenance Of either
army or navy.
The War Department estimated on
juno 30 1906 there were 7s2,7o2 survivors
of the Civil War; of which not more than
$4,000 were on the pension rolls, leaving
10000 not pensioned. The Commissioner
OF Pensions, Vespasian Warner, in a let
ter to Congress. said:
1T Is safe to say that under the terms
OF this bill at least one third Of the 'un-
known army (of 100000 would file appli-
cations during the coming year, and that
an additional 100000 would be required
to pay them for the coming fiscal year,
or about Sl5000.0O0. The same amount
would have to be added to the pension
appto prlation for some years, probably
five years to come"
There wo go. The pension. grahhers
will SEQ to 1t that some means be adopt
ed from time to time to prevent the PEN
sion payments from growing less.