The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1920-04-23
union VETERNS To
MUSTER OUT BY 1916
Soldiers Of GIGS To Hear
Last Bugle Call In
u. Few Years
BY MARVIN MURPHY.
lin Courier-JournaD

veteran of the Civil War who
though of course he does not sus.
pect the fact is destined to be the
last survivor of the 1900, 900 men
who were in the Union Army.
This man, when he dies, will be
more than los years old. 1t is not
at all impossible that he may be
nearer 10.
The Government here in Wash
ington has the matter all carefully
figured out, so that it knows al
most with certainty just about how
many Civil War veterans will be
alive in each coming year, up to
the time when the last of them will
answer the final bugle and be mus
tered out.
The reckoning is based mainly
upon data furnished by twenty-odd
life insurance companies and, deal
ing as II does with such great num-
bers Of individuals, serious error in
averages virtually is eliminated.
Necessarily the figures are only ap-
proximate, but they may be accepted
as nearly exact.
All Will BE Gone BY 1OI5
Twenty years from now, in 1910,
there will be about $40 Civil War
veterans surviving. All of them, of
course, will be very old-the young
est of them well on in the nineties-
and having reached the extreme limit
OF life, they will die off rapidly. All
of them will be gone by 1916, but the
last old soldier may linger almost
until then.
With advancing age the death rate
OF the old soldiers is increasing, and
may be expected further to increase
with the progress of the years.
Thus, five years from now there
will be only 1908, the Govern
ment estimates In 1880. according
to the reckoning, 1902 veterans
of the Civil War still will be living
Five years later they will number
only 6.296; and. as already said, in
1910 there will be but $40 survivors
Though the Civil War ended fifty
five years ago, the Federal Pension
Bill, which has just passed the House
and is now pending in the Senate,
carries S214,OOO,OOO and demon
strates once more that the burdens of
war do not end with the war genera
tion.
While no one may begrudge the
amount paid to the survivors of the
Civil War; or the allowances to the
widows and orphans. Coz whom Lin
coin urged a nations care and re-
membrane, the annual pension bill
has become one of the major appro-
priation measures of the Federal Gov
eminent
each year, but the increased pensions
allowed those who still live on part
ly because of country's gratitude
and partly because of the high cost
of l.+ing-- hold up the total
Still Paying for War of 1912
uncle Joe" Cannon, meIaber Of
the Appropriations Committee of the
House. submitted the following data
in explanation of the current bill:
Eighty-one widows of fighters who |
fought more than century ago IN the
War of 1912 were on pension rolls
on June 80, 1919.
At the close of the last fiscal year |
the Civil War pensioners numbered
56S,343.
There were still living 1855 PEN
sioners accredited to the war with |
Mexico.
The Indian wars are responsible
for the presence on the rolls of more
than 5000 pensioners.
There were 1891 pensioners re-
siding in Kentucky. They were paid
$5,s35,523.S5 in 1919.
Since 1890 the United States Gov
eminent has paid more than 5000
100000 in pensions. OF this sum,
approximately $1,000, 100000 went to
pensioners of the Civil War.
New Law For World War Vets.
An interesting statement OF the
pension apportionment among vet
Grams of various wars in which the
United States engaged is supplied by
Mr.. Cannon. In round figures he
reports that from 1890 to 1919 inclu-
siye, the Federal pension payments
have been as follows:
War of the Revolution, $4,000
600; War Of 1912, $46,OOO,OOO; In
dian wars, $16,7OO,OOO; Civil War
$5,299,OOO,OOO; spanish-American
War and Philippine lnsurrection'
Se5,21l, 900; regular establishment.
$50, 900, 900; War of 1917, SSH27S
(this small amount being to pension
ers entitled TO such before the wa'
insurance act became effective In oc-