The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-07-17

aian war. Lord Dunmore Of VI.
ginia was authorized to offer boae.
les Of land TO all officers and ~.
aiers who had served in this -,
he grants ranging from 5000 acrv, s
for Aeld officers to 5000 acres a
captains, 100 acres to subalterns !.
Bts3 officers and so acres to M
Yates. Washington secured patenss
In his own and other oificers.
names for 5000 acres, Of which
his own share was $4,000.
These grants were much lar,.,
than those promised officers ana
privates Of the Revolutionary vsr
when colonies were given 500 acres
majors 400. captains 800, lieuten,
ants 200 and non-comm. sisoned n.
ficers and enlisted men 100. vh,,.
major generals received LOO acres
and brigadiers $50 acres. Four
thousand square miles or 2,5Oo00o
acres. including some IL counties
in northern Ohio, were set aside
to take care Of these grants.
Four million acres of bountv
lands were given to the soldiers n
the War Of 1872, while to survivors
OF the Mexican and Indian var
S.662. 450 acres OF the public do.
main were distributed under $50.
EOS warrants. Then came the Ciyi,
war and under the Act Of 1862 ,snd
scrip worth $1.25 per acre was dis
tributed for 100000 acres.
Bounty Jumping 4 Business.
All volunteers in the Northern
army during the Civil war received
cash bounties, cities and states
competing with each other and
with the federal government, while
many individuals hired substitutes
to take their places at the front. BY
1865, owing to the magnitude Of the
war and the difficulty of getting re-
cruits, the gratuities which VOL
untcer could gather in amounted to
as much as $500 and bounty
jumping" had become a business.
A man would enlist in one place un-
der one name, hurry to the front,
collect his bounty, desert and then
go to another locality and repeat
the performance under another
name. Aside from what the gov
eminent paid out it is estimated
that local and state bounties in this
war amounted to more than $780,
900. 900.
When we come to the matter Of
pensions which are deferred boun-
ties or bonuses it is found that pri-
or to the World war the govern
ment had disbursed q grand total
Of $500, 1886, 1893, in addition to es-
tablishing and maintaining soldiers
homes. The number of soldiers and
sailors in the several wars covered
by this expenditure was: Revolu-
tionary war, 184,03S: war of 1872,
286,730; Mexican war, 78,71S; In
dian wars, 1888: Civil war, 2,2l3.-
1853; Spanish war, $4,000; Philip
pines and China, 146,151; total, g.
304 1893. The average pension paid
to each enlistment has been 1913.
Official records show that $685.
1872 men and women participate in
the World war. OF these 4,350, 4s7
were in the army, 5S6,302 were in
the navy and S0,063 were in the
marine corps. II the pensions and
bonuses which will eventually 80 to
this great fighting force average
substantially the same as the pen
sion payments for other wars II Is
apparent that the total bill will az
gregate something like $4,000. 0o0,-
900.
That pensions are conducive to
longevity may be doubted. but it
is a fact nonetheless that pension
crs cling to the rolls a surprisingly
long time. The last survivor of the
Revolutionary war did not die until
1869, and on June 80, 1910, the PEN
sion lists still contained the name
OF one daughter of a Revolutionary
soldier, the daughters having been
pensioned by special act of con-
gress. At the close of the fisGai
year 1915-1916 there were lis
widows of veterans Of the war OF
1872 still drawing pensions from
the government, while on the same
date there were 1928 Mexican war
pensioners on the rolls, BIB of these
being survivors and the Others,
widows. AS for the Civil war vet
Grams and their widows and deLen-
dents who are still pensioners,
their name is legion. and the gov
eminent is disbursing approximate
ly SAG, 900 900 to them each year.