Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-21
u. S. SAVING NEARLY $4OOOOOO
: 4 YEARLY ON PENSION CLAIMS
Thousands of Spanish War Veterans Have
Failed to Apply for Funds Allowed
Them for Service.

The Government is saving nearly
$4,000,000 year because the persons
who might demand it refuse, either
from personal scruples or otherwise
TO ask for it,
This enormous saving is shown in
the records of the Pension Bureau
particularly in respect to veterans OF
the Spanish.American War. Under
the present pension law veteran OF
this war who saw at least 80 days OF
actual service is entitled to pension
ranging from $50 to $50 a month, de
pending on the extent of his disability
for manual labor.
The disability provision, however. is
practically nominal The lowest fig
ure. $50 a month, is granted to men
who are 10 per cent disabled. Even
the youngest of the men who Went
out with the Regulars or the Nolun
teers in 1898. pension officials point
out, now is approaching middle age
and many of the veterans are well
beyond this stage in life. 1t is a
rare individual indeed to whom 80
years does not bring at least 10 per
cent disability.
Pension Easily Obtained.
As a matter of fact, the pension is
allowed practically all veterans who
apply for it and whose service claims
are upheld by the records of the War
Department.
More than 100000 men served in
this war Mortality tables show that
approximately 225.0 of them should
still be living, and the actual figure
probably is very close to this approx
nation. Out of this number, abou,
$4,000 have applied for pensions. This
leaves close to 100000 who never have
put in a claim.
Actually. the average Spanish War
pension amounts to about $3.50 a
year On the basis of these figures
the saving amounts to $500, 900.
Probably if all applied. however, the
average would fall considerably
below this figure.
The explanation given by pensions
officials is that q considerable num-
Der of the men entitled to a pension
do not know about it, despite the
efforts made to spread the informa-
ton by various veterans organiza-
tions. But thousands of others, it
is believed. know that they are en-
titled to this money and either do
not consider it worth asking for or
believe that they belittle their patri
otto sentiments to make such appli
cation.
These are mostly professional and
business men, in good circumstances,
whose capacity for earning living
actually has not suffered with adj
vancing years. They would be en-
titled to the money on. the basis OF
their physical condition for actual
manual labor which certainly is not
as great as it was during war days
But for practical purposes they fee
no disability and dislike to take adj
vantage of the technicality of the
law. Some among them, pension
officials believe. would refuse to take
money for their patriotic service re-
CARELESS of their condition.
Civil War Applications.
Curiously enough, applications fol
Civil War pensions still are coming
in, more thai. 60 years after the claim
ants were mustered out of the service
Last year 1873 of these applications
were received. OF these cases, ia
present service Of somewhat question
able status, which was not provided
for by any of the regular pension laws
The claimants had been civilian at
taches of the Army, such as clerks