Evening star., 1922-12-31
FEW VETERANS ARE LEFT
TO DRAW HIGH PENSIONS
Enactment of Bursum Bill Emphasizes
How Rapidly Defenders Of
Union Are Passing.

widows to $50 a month. All Army
nurses who served in the civil war
are accorded a pension of $50 a.
month.
In the case of veterans who lost
limbs or were otherwise injured in
line Of duty. the pension figures run
as high. in the new act. as s125
month. This holds for any men who
may hereafter be granted pensions.
as well as for those already on the
roll.
A special proviso of the Bursum bill
Is that no claim agent or attorney
shall contract for or demand more
than $40 for prosecuting claims for
the increase Of pension provided for
In this measure. under penalty of a
ment for not moro than a year, or
both.
Increase Has Been Steady.
The pensions provided for the vet
Grams of the civil war have been
added to from time TO time, as the
veterans grew older and less able ~
care for themselves. The first So
called age and service pension act
was put through in 1890, twenty-five
years after the close OF the war. This
provided pensions for men who had
been disabled not in the line of duty.
and the pensions were, viewed from
the standpoint of today, ridiculously
small. from IS to slo a month. In
1907 the age of a veteran at which he
was entitled to a pension was fixed
at sixty-two. and the pension at s12.
with a provision that at seventy the
veteran was to receive SIS. and at
seventy-five. $50 month. In 1912 the
pension again was increased. ranging
from $13 to SIG a month at age sixty
two. depending on length OF service;
from SIS to $1g a month at age sixty
six: from s1s to s25 at age seventy
and from S21 to $40 a; age seventy
five. The next pension law. in 1918,
made the pension for veterans at age
seventy-two and over run from $32 to
$40 a month.
The last pension law enacted for
these veterans prior to the Bursum
bill was in 1920. when pensions for
all veterans who had served for n
minimum of ninety days in the civil
war were made $50.
1t is recognized, of course. that the
pensions allowed widows Of the vet
Grams will be running long after all
the veterans of these wars are dead.
In fact. Uncle Sam was paying a pen
sion to widow Of the war of 1872
ITO years after that war had ended.
The old soldiers have married young
=
more than once that women have
married the veterans merely for the
sake of the pension. But that this
has been a general custom is en-
phatically denied by spokesmen for
the veterans and for the Women's
r. In fact. II is pointed out that II
woman who has given care and atten-
tfon through a number of years TO !,
helpless old soldier Is entitled to th.
benefits which a widow is intended e.
receive.
Reached Peak in 1905.
The pension roll of the United Stat
reached its peak in 1905. when there
were 9SS,441 pensioners on the list.
But, owing to increases made in the
size of the pensions. the total appro-
prtations for pensions in recent years
has continued to mount until it reach
ed. approximately, 26O.oOo.0oo year
The proposed increase in pensions un-
der the Bursum bill will. 1t is esti-
mated. increase the pension appro-
100000 during the first year Of its op-
GRAFTON. But after that the decrease
Will be very rapid, due to the drop-
ping of pensions on account of death.
The history OF the past in regard to
war pensions is expected to have its
bearing on the future. When the vet
Grams OF the world war grow old, per
haps twenty-five years from now. old
age pensions for those disabled.
though not in the line of duty. MAJ
be expected. And as they continup-
to increase in age, until age itself be-
comes disability, the pensions prob.
ably Will be increased, as they have