The Washington herald., 1915-07-11

That greater and adequate prepared
ness may be provided for by means OF
a simple method not requiring an in
crease in taxation will be pointed OUT
at a conference OF army officers to be
held Wednesday at the Army and Navy
Club.
The plan Is to apply TO the military
establishment the annual decrease in the
money expended for pensions While It
is not strictly within the scope of study
of the War College to consider how
money should be raised for the mantle
nance of an adequate land force and re-
serve. officials of the institution will offer
this suggestion at the conference.
Taking the recent reports of the Pen
sion Commissioner as a basis, it is esti-
mated that IN adequate force of reserves
could be maintained without increasing
the gross expenses of the government
OF the tota! disbursements of slii,loo,-
Tf7s5, reported by the Commissioner OF
Pensions Cor 1912-l3 s1s4. Ss7. 81 IS was for
civil war pensioners. The average age
OF the enlisted men of the civil war was
twenty five years. and that of the Off
GERS thirty wears. AS the war ended fif
" years ago, it is safe TO assume that
the average age of the living pensioners
is at least seventy-one years. allowing
for the younger widows, and it is prooa-
bly, more At this age the expectation oil
life, according to the insurance tables, is
eight years, less rather than more.
Many Die Yearly.
The Commissioner of Pensions states
that on June 80, 1912, there were 472,6Ss
male survivors of the civil war drawing
pensions. During the next fiscal year
81. 9s4 died If they continue to die at the
same rate. at the end of eight years from
now there would be about half the pres
cnt number If civil war survivors. with
a very short expectation of life This
would mean that eight years from now
the charge will be ss0,00O,O00. in round
numbers in place of $3.50, o0o. 900. 1t may
we'll be less, it is difficult to see how it
can be more.
Thus in light years the government
can have sSO.oOO,OOo to expend upon the
army without increasing taxes. and soon
after as much more, or $3.50, 900. 900 in all.
From 1866 to 1915 the United States paid
Si,5S6. 96S, $40 in pensions. as part of the
cost of not having had some 1000
trained men under the colors in 1861.
II has been asked: would it not
now be well then to decide that auto
matically the difference between the
sI74ooo,o0 of pensions of 1918 and
the pension appropriation for any sue
ceeding year should be devoted to
military preparation; not merely in
increasing the present military and
naval establishments. but in the mill
tary training of the youth of this
be preparation for the better con-
duct of life
II tins is done the survivors of
The civil war may well feel that, as
one by one they disappear. their spirit
sun survives in their descendants. and
1hat the government has charged itself
y ith maintaining for all time their
martial virtues in a new Grand Army
OF the Republic.
Eo 49, Recommend E..
Tn. conference will be composed of
Secretary of War Garrison, Maj. Gen.
Hugh L. Scott, chief of staff; Maj
Gen. Tasker H. Bliss, assistant chief
OF staff: Brig. Gen. NJ. NJ. Macomb
president of the War College; Brig
Gen. E. II. Crowder, judge advocate
general, and a committee from the
War College. The conference will
he held in the evening. Sessions will
be held at intervals until August 1
The Secretary of War and the off,
GERS of the general staff are working
night and day on the recomme ndations
that are to be sent to Congress. The
Secretary is going over, line for line,
the different reports which the COM
mittees of the War College are max
ing Before he submits his report to
Congress Secretary Garrison intends
not only to acquaint himself with the
details of the recommendations of the
general staff. but also with the
process of reasoning and investigation
W hich led TO its conclusion.