The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-14
TIE SERVICE PENSION.

The House lust PASSED the Sherwood
service pension hill, which, 1t IS.
will adj Si0,000,00O year
10 the cosl of pensions; but Secretary
Fisher estimates that il Will add sos;
600 900 a year. This latter estimate
would take the pension appropriation
up considerably above S200,000,O0U an
nuslly. II is an immense sum. But,
when we remember that the cost of the
War OF the Rebellion. including The
pensions that have been paid since. IS
the prize Of the preservation Of the
Republic, no one viii dispute the fact
that the devoted service was worth the
money
There may, however, be reasonable
doubts as TO the application Of the law
and the payments under 1t. This pres
cnt law illustrates very fairly the gcn-
eral idea that the pension legislation
has been. AMI continues to he. In favor
of those who did the least service,
and IN corresponding degree against
those who did the most service, This
present Sherwood law gives TO all who
served from ninety days TO SIX
months SO a month; from SIX 10 nne
months. $40 month"; from nine months
TO one year. $25 a month; more than
one year, $50 month. IL is difficult
to cyadc the logic of the position that
n service pension, TO he a real service
pension should continue in increasing
degree right along up TO the full ser
vice rendered The war lasted four
years. If soldier yoluntccrei under the
first call for 10000 troops, and then
re-enliste.l at tho end of that service
and served the full four years. he is
entitled, as a matter of service rccog.
milton, 10 increased pension above The
soldier who served only one year, or
two wears, or three years. An actual
service pension would not stop at one
year as applied TO any one who served
for four Years.
1t is true that the pension roll is an
immense burden, 1t is true also that
mnltltudes of names arc carried on
that roll which seem TO be found there
merely as a gratuity or charity. Such
pensions as these arc on different
basis altogether from service pension.
If The Government wishes to pension
people as mere gratulties, compliments,
OF through sympathy, that is one
thing. If the Government pensions a
crippled volunteer, that is pension
due most strictly Of all, and is the real
pension that every government reco9-
nizes. \ man crippled in the military
or naval service of his country is en-
titled of absolute right to a sufficient
sum to support him in dcccncy aud
comfort for the rest of his days.
This is the most prsiseTorthy pension,
the pension which is due of absolute
right All others are more or less
voluntary on the part of the Govern
ment but a pension TO a crippled vet
erap is compulsory, and Justly so. be
cause that crippled veteran has abso'
lutely earned everything that be re
ceives.
The service pension is on different
| basis altogether. If IT is a service pen
sion, indeed. ii should recognize to the
| full the length Of service, and II might
be also the kind of service rendered
A service rendered in the rear, III
| hospitals, or auv auxiliary military ca
pacity is again different from ser
vice that was rendered AT the battle
| Gold hot hnC
ton should be made here or moi
would depend upon the disposition OF
| Congress IN the legislation but Ger
tainly service pension is miscailet
when it stops at one year and gives nC
recognition for length of service be
yopd that year. II the soldiers had no
| served longer than that there wouls
have been no unified Republic of th'
United States; and service pension, Il
be properly so called, should take no
tice Of the fact and recognize the ser
vice rendered. II it does not il is not
true service pension, but mere gift
an arbitrary grant miscalled as a ser
vice pension,
j NC SuGTNDOu ptuelOu uIII Suouiu VI
defeated in its present form in tn
Senate. for it is neither one thing no
the other. II is not a service pension
bill As il claims TO be, anil 1T is not
proposition TO pay either for wounds o
for disability incurred in the service
or otherwise. Therefore it has no stand
ing from reasonable basis. and is
pure bit OF demagogy. The true sci
vice pension, if such is 10 be granted
need not he so large, but it shoull eel
tainly be so framed as TO give recoI
milton TO the length Of service rendered
and the payment under 1t should b
apportioDcd in the ratio OF the tot'
service Of the soldier or sailor who
10 receive that service pension,
: The Forty Thieves were Persian; an
: their posterity has been unfaibng; tine
i have afflicted tho land without cea
4 ing. Both Russia and Great Britai