Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-13

the asking.-Adv.
crippled old men. Only is of the veterans
on the roll are under 65 years of age.
Their capacity for labor has passed and
they must depend upon their United
States pensions and the very limited
amount which the State can allow them
for livelihood. Few of them possess
much of this worlds goods.
while those who stayed at home
through the flush days of the Civil war
accommodating a property which would
keep away want in their declining years
these patriots were barring their breasts
to storms of shot and shell and enduring
the exposures incident to a military life
all for the ptiful sum of s13 per month
in inflated currency really worth about
So
"And when they did return, those whose
bodies were not buried on Southern soil
they found in most cases their capacity
for work very much impaired and thus
they have gone through life suffering
with disease and wounds, and it should
be a pleasure to the State and Nation to
put those men beyond want in their ola
age.
This fact is very noticeable. that,
from year to year. the applications from
soldiers grow less while those from
widows are Increasing. And while but
one of the Aroostook war soldiers re-
mains on the roll IS years after that af-
fair occurred. another class of pensioners,
the mothers Of the Civil war, who mads
such heroic sacrifices in sending their
sons to the army, are fast disappearing.
only seven names appearing on the roll
during the year and two of these have
passed away.
LAS matter OF course, the largest
number of pensioners on the roll is that
OF the widows of the Civil war. While
their ages average younger than the
veterans by two years and five months.
they are as a whole most worthy class,
A comparatively few are under so years
and they in most eases are lett destitute
with family Of small children, while
those who are older have spent their
lives in caring for their invalid husbands
and their families ana are now left to
care for themselves in their broken-down
old age.
The following list gives the name. age
and residence of each pensioner of 80
years or over:
soldiers-Amos s. Hodgkins. 30, La
moine Charles l. Haines, so, Wales;
Simeon N. Blood. 90. Surry.
Widows--Julia a. Dean, 30, Standish;
Catherine II. Gray s0 Athens; Betsey
e. Marks, 9o Rockland; Betsey Brown,
81. Milton Plantation; Nancy j. Mudgett,
81, Belfast; NJ. Theresa Sampson. 81,
Waterville: Julia A. Smith. 81, Wash
burn: Sarah A. Russell, 99, veazie; Mar
tha S. Hurd. "a. Hartland; Clara L. Well
man, 81, Belfast.
Mothers-Mary S. Dyer. 80. orono; So
phia II. Lucas, 81. Lewiston; Melissa c.
Libby, 81, Norway.
The average age of invalid Union SOL
diers on the roll is 70 years and 10 months
and of widow, 6s years and five months
The report speaks as follows OF military
pensions;
Chapter lS4 of the Public Laws of 1911
provides that all pensions granted by
special resolves of the Legislature to de-
pendent soldiers and sailors or dependent
relatives thereof, shall be paid by the
State pension clerk. Pensions so grant
ed continue from year to year unless ter
minated by act of the Legislature. and
have always been classed as military
pensions. To provide for their payment
for the past year an appropriation of 5000
was paid by the last Legislature.
''Under the several resolves granting
military pensions there were Sc bene-
fieiaries to whom certificates We're issued,
81 being for the full year. three for six
r,npthS and opa for 10 Months Two hav-
ing died and one other has not been heard
from since the payment for the third
quarter. With this exception all vouchers
for the year have been returned to the
office and checks sent by the State treas
urer to the several pensioners, amount
ing to s5.47s.33. This leaves an unexpend-
ed balance of s52067 with possibly SIS to
be deducted on account of the one MISS
ing voucher.
The number and rate per month of the
military pensions are as follows: Six at
$ per month; two at s. per month; L at
IS per month; 20 at s. per month; 10 at $40
per month; four at s12 per month; one at
$24 per month; one at $50 per month
"In issuing pension certificates, not on
ly the certificate is sent to the pensioner,
but voucher filled out ready to be
signed for each quarter while an order
for payment is sent to the treasurer of
the city or town where the pensioner re-
sides, These vouchers are returned to
the pension office by the several city and
town treasurers and here examined and
certified to the State auditor. and the
amounts covered by the certified vouchers
are reimbursed by the State treasurer to
the treasurer of the several cities and
towns.
Guides Warned.