The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-30

public discussion. we arc glad to give
space to his communication as follows:
| Salt Lake City Utah. Dec. IS. 1911.
| Editor Tribune:-I have always con-
| tended The Tribune was 4 friend OF tho
old soldiers Of the civil War, but after
| reading YOUR editorial on pension mat
| ters or December 2ith quito number of
| friendship. You stated in tho article re-
| fcrred 10 that the Sherwood bill should
| he defeated "a passed hv the House and
| that In your opinion ii was not n service
| pension bill At alt but clear case OF fa-
voritism and bounty TO tnosc who have
least earned II, because their service was
short and insignificant during the war.
| But you must remember that some OF
| these short.lime men saw some service.
| refer you TO the fit;y-sixth Massa-
chusctts regiment of l00-day mon which
| lost $50 mon during their insignificant
service. reported by the National
! Tribune and We SUPPOSE their report Is
| correct, And the Congressional Record
Of December, l:th. page 2lo, gives the
| number Of Civil War soldiers as Az 500.
| and out Of this number tnere are 36S. .Sai
| one year men and only l06, ,06 ninety -day
and SIX month men of insignificant
service. and If this government should pav
every old soldier i726oo) The sum OF 81
would only bc sl7o.l36.Ooo 8 year. and as
tho old soldiers arc answering 10 the last
roll call one every 10 minutes. lH FOR
each - hours. or $3.50 per an
sum he called FOR? Mud vet YOU recon-
| nend as a service pension at 81 per dav
| for every days service over ono year.
There arc = great many old soldiers in
| Salt Lake City who served one. two. three.
and over four years. Now. these mon
would be entitled 10 a good, fat pension.
say $3.50 Dor month under your recon-
mendcd service bill. Fifteen old com
| rades who have been granted special
pension bills i'm the past two or rnrct
years have died and three or four OF
them never drew tho first payment he
fore they died, and n Congress is going
10 do anything for the old soldiers now is
the accepted time. Yours very respect
fully. WILLIAM CROME.
AS to the friendship Of The Tribune
for tho old soldier it needs no rcas-
sertion here; ii has been loo often
demonstrated TO allow of any question,
Besides, the editor Of The Tribune, TO
whom the above communication is ad-
dressed, served nearly four years in
the war Of the Rebellion, and has no
disposition to lisparage in the slightest
degree the services rendered by the dc.
Tenders Of the Union.
With rgard to pensions, The Tribune
be made a roll Of honor clearing it of
all fraud. Tho Government has been ex-
trcmelv liberal in the extending OF It's
pension system. The Tribune finds no
fault with it, but insists that a pen
sion TO he called n service pension
should be graded according 10 the serv-
ice rendered. We do not believe that
the pension favors should be especially
aircted to the final volunteering of the
war, where the newly enlisted men
saw practically no service. With regard
TO the -buudred-day men. the ninety,
lay men first called out, and those who
saw real service, 1T is enough 10 say
that at the termination of their period
they. with practical uuaminity. re-ep-
listed and served during the war. Their
claims for 4 service pension would not,
in chief degree, rest on their short scrv.
ice at it's beginning, but woull be
reckoned for the whole of their service.
As we have shown from the report of
the Commissioners of Pensions, the pen.
sion roll carries the names of upwards
of 100000 men who were but sixteen
wears old at the close of the war. II
is impossible that those men could have
rendered any momentous service 10
their country. 1t was patriotic in them
TO enlist. and we find no fault with any
pension which the Government may
wish TO bcstow upon them; but 10 put
those men on an equality with the men
who served for from three 70 four years,
| ln sfr / hnr1pn nj b.,
| war. and call this a service pension. We
| consider to be a mistake in terms. The
pensions, as rule, have favored the
men who served the shortest time: and
VIC think that If there is to be a scrv-
ice pension at all. that iayoritism
should cease, aud that the service
should, as stated, be graded according
10 the length of the service rendered.
We dc not, of course, insist upon Il dol
| lar dav pension for anybody but
| only that whatever the rate -, it should
| bc awarded according 10 service Still,
| il is impossible for Us 10 see how any
BODY on a dollar a day service could
| draw $3.50 mouth. for even If n mln
sery ed during -four wears he would have
served but 1860 days. aud could lraw
but 81 $50 a wear, OF say. sI2C mouth,
| something less than oue-tbird Of the
amount stated bv Nh. Crome.
All that VIC urge in this matter is.
that if service pension be granted.
that IT should. in fact. be based upon
the service which the pcnsioncr per.
formed. That is all. We are not quarrel.
inc with any pension granted or 10 be
granted; but, if tbc pension bill uoN
| pending is TO be called "A service pen
sion. it should be made service pen
sion aud shoul not place tho long
service men on precisely the same basis
as tho 10000 men now ON the pen