The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-07
DEFENDS HIS BILL.
Congressman Sherwood Says McCum-
Der Substitute Won't Do.

Congressman Isaac r. Sherwood, of
Ohio. has sent the State Journal the
following letter in defense of the Sher-
wood pension bill which passed the
house:
Washington, D. c., Feb. B. 1912
To the Editor of the State Journal.
The McCumber substitute for the
Sherwood pension bill. will not in my
judgment be satisfactory to the sur
viving soldiers of the civil war.
In order to draw the maximum pen
sion under this bill, soldier must
have reached the age of 10 years and
have served three years. Very few of
the veterans who served three years,
Will ever reach the age of 75 years.
When the Hon w. w Dudley was
commissioner OF pensions. he made the
Od1c1al announcement that a soldier who
entered the Union army at the age of
Is years and served in our war for
three years shortened his life five years.
The war with Mexico is only IS years
older than the civil war, and it was a
brief war with only five or six notable
battles, and yet today, there are only
1,460 survivors of the war with Mex
leo.
Under the McCumber substitute. very
few of the 100000 soldiers called out in
1862, could ever get the maximum pen
sion of $50 per month
On July 2, 1852, President Lincoln call
ed for 800, 900 men. On August f. 1862,
/ he called for 100000 more, making a
total of 600 900. OF this number, 421,465
men were mustered in for three years.
None OIL these regiments was mustered
in until September, 1862 The war closed
, in April, 1865. All of these regiments
were mustered out before they had
served three years. Hence not a man
of any these veteran regfm that
fought the greatest and f1ercest battles
of the bioodiest war in all history could
ever get dOllar-a-day pension should
he live to be 100 years old under the
proposed substitute bill.
A prominent soldier of the Army of
I the Potomac was in my Office a few
! days ago-CoL Thomas Scarlet, of the
famous Irish brigade, of Gen. Hancock's
I corps. He served three years lacking
! nine days in the most desperate bat
! ties of the war. Hence, should he live
1 to be a hundred years old he could
never get a dollar a day under this age
/ bill. He sized it right in saying that
/ this was a bill to pension a real bat
/ i've years after his death.
| There is only one meritorious pension
system-that based upon services, upon
| sacrifice, upon merit. Make the pen
/ badge of pauperism- Do this and no
| secretary of the treasury would dare
to 90 over to Philadelphia and say-as
| Secretary MacVeagh said in Philadel-
ohia soon after the Sulloway age-pen-
sion bill passed the house-"that the
pension roll is no longer roll of honor.
Pass a pension bill based on valor and
achievement and heroic sacrifice, and
the brutal and comTnercialized critics.
who are now denouncing the surviving
soldiers of the civil war as grafters in
the monopoly journals and syndicate
| maya zines. will be without either Oc-
cupation or honor in the estimation Of
the patriotic men and women of this
republic.
I hope all the old comrades will now
make their demands for Il just and equi-
table system OF pensions be known to
their senators and representatives in
| congress
| It gives me great pleasure to say