The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-07-25
VETERANS MAKE APPEALS
FOR INCREASED PENSIONS

| Montgomery, July 24-(Special Gen. c,
w. Hooper of Selma, heading a delegation
of Confederate veterans told the ways,
means and appropriation committee a;
the afternoon session today that he left
Montgomery last week under the impre>
sion that the legislature had gone back
on the old Confederate veterans.
| bill providing for transferring all
Confederate veterans, 70 years of age and
| over. automatically to the first class
which entities them to draw SIS every
| three months had just been adversed by
a house committee and a proposition to
increase the pensions had met similar
| fate.
! The veterans unwilling acknowledge
defeat, however, and got busy on their
return home and conference with the
| ways means and appropriations com
mittee of the house was arranged for
| this afternoon.
General Hooper read an article he had
prepared for publication Immediately af-
ter returning from the conference last
week in which he reviewed reconstruction
days following the civil war, and the
valiant struggle made by the soldiers OF
the south for the preservation of their
homes and their state. and lamenting the
apparent neglect of the state in its care
and treatment of them.
General Berney of Mobile read memo
rial prepared by the Alabama division
of the United Confederate veterans ana
addressed to the governor and the legis-
lature requesting the passage of a bill
fixing the pensions at $12.50 a month to all
Confederate veterans, which a 50-percent
increase over the allowance to those IN
the first-class 80 years and over under
the present law.
The memorial set out that the average
of the veterans is rs years and that all
of them are over 70, than on July 1, 1919,
there were 1856 pensioners of whom
5,S49 were veterans and 7,77 widows. In
the first class there were 2,29S pensioners,
second class 4,o11, third class s,o66. The
first class draw 800 a year, the second
class $50, and the third class s64, widows
coming under the third class.
Representative Green of Dallas said to
give each pensioner would require an ap-
preparation out of the general fund OF
$543, 900. He said he was in favor of the
appropriation and he appealed to the COM
mittee and the legislature to make 1t. he
said there had been a decrease of 5S1 in
number of pensioners between January !
and July of this year.
Senator Baker said he made inquiries
and learned that Florida pays her Con-
federate veterans SIS a month and pays
1t monthly.
Senator Craft of Mobile said the state
was rich ana advocated a pension VI 9Ao
a month. which he said in view of the
death rate would not increase the total
appropriation very much. He said the
people of Ala ALBANIA pay more for coca cola
than the pension fund amounts to.
Capt Frank S. White of Birmingham.
| introduced as senator said said he ap-
preciated that title as he was entitled 10
| it. He said he was the only private IN
the Confederate army that ever reached
the United States senate, and 1t took him
a long time to get there and he coudln'
make it a second time.
| The increases asked by the veterans are,
first class $50 a year, second class $1o~
and the third class 1856. bringing each
class up to $50 The total approprla'
tion required to meet these pensions Is
s1.H5,222.
| It is estimated that there are between
800 and 1000 Confederate veterans In the
state not now on the pension rolls.