The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1912-07-20
Five BILLIONS IN PENSIONS
APPROPRIATION OF 1888, 900, 900
is MADE FOR THIS YEAR.
Have Been More Than 425, 900 APP
plicatiOnS for Government Aid
Under New Pension Act.

WASHINGTON, D. C.-The Unit
ed States pension bureau at this time
is the most popular place in the
country Since the new pension law
was passed May IL there have been
more than 425,000 applications for
government aid from this act alone.
The flood of applications has broken
all records in the bureau, and it is
taking the time of every available
clerk to handle them as they come
in, and at this there is much delay.
The payments on the new pensions
began July 4, and arrangements are
being made to pay them up to date
just as rapidly as the circumstances
will permit. But because of the work
incident to fling the applications
and then searching the records to de-
termine whether they should be al
lowed it has been absolutely impossi-
BILE for the pension bureau to keep
up with the task. At least 10000
letters a day are coming in to Com
missioner Davenport, and even with
the very best of help and plenty Of
assistance he is swamped with
them.
Since the new law went into effect
$4,000 pensions have been allowed
and the applicants either have begun
already to receive their money or
they will do so in very few days.
Only about 500 original claims have
been filed. These are from persons
who have never drawn pensions be-
fore, but who have filed applications
because of the larger sums granted
under the new law. All the other
applications are from persons who
have been drawing pensions from
the government in the past.
There are certain restrictions sur
rounding the new law with which
the general public is not familiar.
Only veterans of the Mexican and
civil wars will receive its benefits, all
those entitled to aid from the revo-
lutionary war and the war of 1912
having died. The great rush to have
applications considered has been oc-
casioned by the fact that the pen
sions, if granted, date from the day
the applications are filed.
There seems to be no decrease in
the number of pensions paid, al
though veterans are dying at the
rate of $4,000 a year, and the rate
of mortality is steadily on the in
crease. Many of those who die
leave widows who are entitled to
pensions, all women who were mar
ried to the pensioners prior to June
81, 1890, falling in this class.
Pensions for veterans of the civil
war have already cost the govern
ment more than $4,135, 1885. An
appropriation of 100000 al
ready has been made for this years
disbursements, and next year this
will be increased to $164,000,OOO.
The revolutionary war cost $7O,OOO,-
600 and the war of 1912 about $780,
100000. On account of the Span
ish-American war it is estimated that
there has been paid out practically
$34, 100000, this making the grand
total, including the Indian wars,
"a, 1881, $50.
AS long as a liberal government
takes care of its old and decrepit SOL
diers and their widows as the United
Staets does there is certain to be
long pension list, and though strange
as the case may be there appears
to be little diminution in the total
of pensions paid from year to year,
despite the fact that the civil war
ended fifty years ago and the Span
ish-American war saw its end in
1898.