The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-09
Confederate Pensioners.

To the Editor of The Age-Herad:
 Recognizing your fondness for Confed- crate veterans, which is highly appreciat- ed by us, and which we try to reciprocate by being constant readers of your pop ular paper, and knowing that you are always willing to do whatever is right to advance their interest, 1 ask space in your columns for this communication. In the outset l disclaim any intention to impugn the integrity of any official. However, as any schoolboy, who has never studied bookkeeping, can see, there is something wrong. and the legislature, or whoever has the power, should cause the wrong to be lighted or corrected.
 These veterans. who gave the best years of their lives battling for the rights of the state, should not. in their decrepi- tude and poverty, be left to struggle against want, while the money appro- priated by the legislature for the pay ment only of pension warrants Is seem ingly diverted into other channels to pay other debts. This money may have been used to pay the military expenses, while suppressing the strike; to pay the expenses of extra sessions to advance the political interests of candidates of the prohibition party, or to pay princely fees to a few lawyers in futile effort to destroy the railroads
 In whatever way, and for whatever pur- pose the pension fund has been used, other than to pay pension warrants. 1t has been done unlawfully, as can be seen by reading Act No. 291, page 302 of Gen eral Laws of 1907"
 On July 1, 1908, we were not paid the half of what was due for that quar- ter. being paid only $5. when SIP. 50 was due to fourth-class pensioners; and on July of the present year the same class were paid only s6.9O. The same ratio of reduction was made in each of the other classes.
 In the report of Major Brandon, state auditor, for the fiscal year ending Sep tember 30, 1908, appears his letter to Gov ernor Conner, in which he seems to take great delight in saying that. for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1908, the veterans received moro money than ever before" for he uses these words several times. It becomes more emphatic, too when we find Governor Conner In his message to the special session of the leg islature. making use of the same express sion. These words seem to have some hidden meaning, which can only be de- fined by the governor or the auditor.
 Because we received more money than ever before is that any valid reason why we should not have been paid the full amount due, especially when the reports of auditor and treasurer show that on September 30. 1907. and the same date, 1908, there, was an 'overplus' in the treasury to the credit of the pension fund? Because the state paid us S30 in 1907. and $42 50 in 1908. which was "more money than" she paid in 1907, does that cancel the debt of 1908?
 Again, this money is not paid to vet erans out of the earnings of either Gov ernor Conner or Major Brandon, and I fail to see why they lay so much stress upon the fact that we were paid more money last year than the year previous Those of, the fourth class were paid $1.90 each more this year than during 1908, and will these two gentlemen in 1910 again play upon the harp of thousand strings" and use that same excuse they received more money than ever before" to cover up whatever deficiency in our warrants that may occur?
 Every veteran knew that he received more money last year than ever be- fore,'' but they did not feel indebted either to Governor Conner or Major Bran don, but to the liberality of the legfs- lature of 1907, who increased the pay per quarter of each class.
 The members increased the special ap- propriation to $40000O and ordered mill tax on each dollar of taxable prop erty to be set aside for veterans. By Major Brandon's report, dated October 1, 1s0s he states that there was bal ance of sSe0,o0O in the treasury to the credit of the pension fund on October 1, 1907, and his report and that of the treasurer agree that $429 S.1s was the amount of the 1 mill tax collected for 1901 Now take these three amounts. Balance October i, 1907 ........$ 360,S62. 73 Special soldiers tax ....... 429, ,163 IS Special appropriation .......... 400, 0,000. .00
 Aggregating ..................$1,19 .$1 ,19O. .o15 .91 Amount paid for the year end
 ing October l, 1908 .............. ITS, 495 10
 Leaving a balance then of ....s 411,52o.s1
 Which grew to s4ao, ,SSs. g. as can be seen by reference to the auditors report.
 What became of the balance of $26o,- s62. .73? The special tax and special ap- propriation amounted to more than was paid to us. The law says that the over