The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-25
srrAl1Nc coNr1NuEs srnALlNc.

misses altogether the point OF our
protest against the pension policy OF
the Government at washington We
do not object, and never have OBJECT
ed. TO ample provision for the req
eraI soldiers who were actually ds-
ablod by their service to their coun
try: but our contemporary knows that
there are thousands oil men sharing
the bounty of the Government who
never felt wound or smelt burning
powder.
Since 1865 the Government at
Washington has paid out in pensions
ss,s4s,s9s,T21, more than eight times
the total value of all the real and
personal property returned for taxa
ton In the State OF Tennessee The
pensions paid to the soldiers OF the
Revolution aggregated s7o,ooo'ooo; to
the soldiers of the War of 1872. sa5.-
7s7,sss; to the soldiers of the Indian
wars. se,ss5,6o9; to the soldiers In the
war with Mexico, s424a2,1S4; to the
soidiers in the Spanish American War
and in the Philippines, $26,3sS,SoS
"saving the Union" has cost the
United States since the war closed In
1866 in the way of pensions s3e5i,O1o'-
1a7 more than the cost of the wal
which made the Union, the wars since
that time against England, the In
dams, Mexico. and the Spaniards. No
satisfied with what they have alrcad!
taken for their services in the fei
and in the suffers camps and 70!
cumming, hardly session OF Con
Sress passes when some new schem
is not presented for further robbery
of the Treasury in the name of patri-
otisna.
This is the point of all that We
have said against the pensionine oil
men who fought in the United States
armies, The plan now Is to put al
the soldiers who fought in the volun
teer regiments on the pension lists
whether they fought or not, ant
whether they suffered any injury from
their service or not. Col. Charlie:
Francis Adams, of Massachusetts, ha
made a most vigorous protest agalns
the shame and dishonesty of tho plan
and we agree with him, as all homes
men must agree with him. 1t Is 6
shame 10 the real soldiers of the coun'
try that they permit such schemes
without resistance, that they com
pound such felony, that they sit idly
by while the noncombatants and the
grand army of pension agents perfect
their plans for still further robbery
of the Treasury thus bringing them
selves into contempt by suffering So
called "patriotism' to be made mat
ter of merchandise.
Our Tennessee. contemporary writes
IN perfectly beautiful way about,
how every time the hour hand goes
around the dial plate of the clock, an
average of FIVE of them hear taps
and join their comrades on the other
aide of tn river" That ais magnih-
cent, but it is not honest Forty-flve
years after the war closed, there are
s4sla4 pensioners on the rolls ant
the list is steadily frightening. j
cost last year s2,s52,5sS to disburs'
the pension funds, and since 1866 i
has cost sll5,Io5,oso to pay out tn
money TO sthe pensioners. We woul,
have every soldier who fought in tn
Union armies and who suffered injur
from his service taken care Of b
the Government; but we would hav
the pension lists purged from top t
bottom, SO that when the hour han
moves around the dial of the cloc
there will be FIVE men who can G
to their comrades on the other side q
the river with clean hands and te
them that their country has not 70.
gotten them and has refused to be
come the prey Of the predatory gan
of foragers who are still doing bus!
ness at the old stand.
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