The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-31
A Specialize ON Pensions.

KEIFER Of Ohio pronounced the last
word Of his speech on pension apprOpria-
tons in inc House on March 20 there was
nothing more To be said on the subject:
not wisp Of hay for the hand cleaner.
There is no better authority living. at
least no fuller authority. His ldentifioa-
ton with the civil war. the Grand Army
IT the Republic and the war with spain
il set forth with pride and particularly
in his biography in the Congressional
Directory. and no doubt with absolute
verify. IL II almost a story Of the strlg-
gle between the States. When he de
clined the Lieutenant ColOnelcy Of the
Twenty-sixth Infantry in the regular
army In 1888 az the age Of ~ he may
have thrown away the ambition TO
write his name on the roster of COM
manders in chief. AZ any rate he is
an arsenal OF facts bearing on pension
legislation. A few Of them of abiding
interest may be taken from his exhars-
tive speech Of March ~.
The total Of disbursements for all wars
has been S3,oI3.Os2 .5I3T3 In 1919 the
expenditure was SiOI .S73. 7O3SO. and
against this may bs set the fact so elo-
quent Of the generosity 81 the Govern
ment, in spite Of the detraction uttered
unblushingly by promoters Of perennial
pension bills. that between July /. 100.
and June ~, ise5. the support % veterans
and their families. including widows in
sequence, cost the nation only Sos. AS
80 - IN 1909 there were p .s97 invalid
soldiers and as widows Of the late war
with Spain on the pension rolls Az that
time there was only one Revolutionary
war pensioner. a daughter Of the widow
81 n veteran. BUT the list included SaS
widows Of folders II the war Of 1872
The number Of pensioners on account Of
all wars was StS. IS4 in iSo0. During the
last fiscal year - 336 widows took their
place on the rolls under the act 81 April
10. 1875 1T is If interest 20 note. said
General KEIFER. that in recent fiscal
years about every fourth dollar received
from the ordinary revenues of the United
States has been disbursed 10 pay pen
sIOnr
During tho fiscal year 1919 Ohio lei
all the States in number Of pensioners
and receipts, respectively 90 81 and
SIG. 376. 3i3 Is. Pennsylvania was "A close
second with ~ ,OeS pensioners and re-
ceipts If tI5.5S3. s74 a.; New York war
not a clO=e third. With - Sss pensioners
and receipts Of sI3.S42. 1891 In the
solid South there were these totals
Virginia. s.73s pensioners who drew
81 .5O7. 7bs 20: North Carolina. 4.0s2 and
S295 .O3I o.: Georgia. !. 4S2 and s5Sl .O77 ~ .
Florida, ISIS and $500. 5iO.33: Alabama,
S.7s3 and tSi2. 35I 81. Louisiana, 1896
and 1851 .lO2 ~. Texas. 1912 and 81 $40
go 81: Mississippi. 4.7n9 and s7s0 .sO4 10:
Tennessee. Is.e45 and 81, i65. 2i4.2s: Ar
kansas, 1881 and 81 ,7s9. 500 rs. and
Kentucky. S.l63 and t4,3I9, l3s.3s. II
the South has helped 20 pay pensions
for fOrty-five years II has had the bene-
fit Of a large amount of pension money
in circulation.
A most interesting table embedded in
General KEIPER's printed speech ~
latss IN the number Of pensioners in
IDINAblu fpAuNFNto asAA AAAr ulupuHtH Nitsy
received in 1919 All over the world and
in all the Seven seas money derives!
from the United States treasury circ,I-
lates on pension account The total was
tss3. 0JG ~ in 1919. and 5.O47 benehciaries
received IT, We pay. said senator
KEITER, "a lone penslonsr who resides
on ST. Helena. the prison island and
Scene Of the death us2l) Of the illustri-
Ous exile NAPOLEON BoNAPARTE There
are other lone pensioners: in Algeria,
Bolivia, Capr do Verde Islands. Comora
Islands Madagascar. SAntO Domingo.
Havti .Corea Paraguay. Samoa, sieychslls
Islands, Spain and ~. Martin. There
~" sIxty-four countries. provinces and
islands in foreign parts To which pension
checks or orders arr regularly sent
There never was any distribution Of
MONEY ~ IeTvRsive. comprehensive.
continuous and enduring a. the pension
system 81 ~" nsted States, and senator
kEIFFR and other tenacious friends Of
IN" veterans and their kiih and kin bv
blood and marriage propose additional
bagislataon TO provo beyond cavl the