Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-03-01

Will be undertaken at once.
upon the incomplete rolls fled in the
office Of the State Historical Commits
sion. These rolls were not made up
contemporaneously with the enlist
ment and services Of the members of
the companies, and are known to be
notoriously incomplete, containing
very few data to the names.
Gen. Walker will be asked by the
State Pension Board to furnish the
names Of the other 20 pensioners of
Company E, Tenth Regiment, in or
der that an investigation can be made
at once as to his charges.
Gen. Walker expresses surprise at
the number Of Confederate pension
ers being greater than his estimate
of the surviving soldiers Of this State,
based upon the membership Of sur
vivors and camps. He should re-
member that while these camps are
doing a noble work in maintaining
the traditions of the past, there are
many commensurate SOluleIS WHO were
just as ready to die for their coun-
try and yet have not heralded their
service or their virtues by Joining
such camps. They rest satisfied in
the consciousness OF duty we'll done.
| would much prefer to take the rec
objections of the Confederate soldiers
who made the anldavits as to the
qualification Of the pensioner in pref
crence to wild guesses and estimates.
Again, while South Carolina was
the first State to secede and did not
wait on other States to come to her
aid, yet she treats all volunteers from
other States on the same basis as she
does her own sons, and grants pen
sions to soldiers Of any State who
fought In the Confederate cause, who
can establish that fact. So Gen.
Walker evidently overlooks the fact
that large number Of pensioners are
from other States-in fact most of
the Southern States are represented
on our roll--Virginia, North Caro-
lima, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mis-
sissippi, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky,
Tennessee and Arkansas. Most of
the other Southern States do the same,
thing for South Carolina veterans
now residing within their borders.
For instance, in Cherokee county
there are between 80 and 40 from
North Carolina alone. In Spartan
burg and York also great many,
| and so on in other counties.
In order that the public may have
full information, the pension report
OF the Comptroller General is pub
lished with the name Of every soldier,
his company and regiment. Copies
OF the report are distributed among
| all the boards, to the members of the
General Assembly and to the public
generally. They are subject to exam
ination by all, and whenever name
is found that Is suspected Of being
improperly on the rolls, if the matter
is reported to the Comptroller Gene
raj, it will receive prompt investiga-
tion.
The creation Of the Office of pen
sion inspector would be, in my opin-
ion, useless expense, and entirely
out OF place when no Confederate SOL
der can be placed upon the roll with
out proof of service and the approval
of their comrades. The old soldiers,
who receive mere pittance from the
State, can i'll afford TO have any of it
paid out in increased expenses Of ad-
ministration. The amount is not suf-
ficient to justify further reduction
by increased expenditures for useless
officers.
Confederate soldiers. or any camps,
or the public generally, are invited to
examine the pension rolls of this
State and are urged to call the atten-
ton OF the Comptroller General to
any fraud or any name thereon not
entitled to a pension, with evidence
tending to prove the charge. Such
information will be carefully consid-
cred and acted upon.
A. w. Jones,
Comptroller General, and Ex-Omcio
Chairman State Pension Board.