Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-03

ably that annual expenditure will be
largely exceeded.
When. Just before the end of the last
session of Congress the johnson bill TO
pension World War veterans was passed
BY the two houses and signed by the
President, it was predicted that the PEN
sion system thus inaugurated would ul-
tinately cost the Government billions
of dollars. Few realized, however, that
this meant not few billions, but many
billions, and that the pension system
thus established would stretch its costly
way far beyond the life Of the present
generation.
The pension experts of the Govern
ment do not attempt to forecast what
the pensions for the World War vet
Grams ultimately will cost the Nation.
All they will predict is that the ex-
penditures will run far into the BILL
lions, that it will be without parallel
In the history of this or any other
country, and that it will continue for
many decades.
Huge Debt Contracted.
When the World War closed, the
United States Government had piled
up debt of more than SIS, 600, 900 900.
Vast as is that sum, it is not out OF
bounds to say that before the last al
lowance for compensation or pension
is made for World War veteran or
his widow another $25, 600 100000 Will
have been paid out.
1t was recently announced that the
last veteran of the Mexican War had
died. In other words, it was 80 years
after the armies of Scott and Taylor
marched against Mexico that the last
man who had fought under their ban
ners passed on. This means that when
the year 1000 arrives, few survivors
\ yxF he ixiTOo
sions for World War veterans, on this
basis, will still be paid in the year
1000. OF course, the number OF pen
sions paid to World War veterans then
will be insignificant and the total will
dwindle much before then.
But 1t is not to be overlooked that
the war widows will have to be taken
into account 1t is now lbs years since
the victory Of jackson at New Orleans
marked the end of the fighting in the
War of 1912. Yet there are widows OF
the War of 1912 still on the pension
roll, and on this basis 1t may be an
tieipated that widows of the veterans
enrolled for the World War will still
be drawing pensions in the year 2o3S.
Cannot Estimate Total.
No accurate basis is afforded for
estimating the probable expansion of
the pension system for World War vet
Grams. The experience with Civil War
pensions is of value, of course, and so
Is the Spanish-Amsrican War expert
ence.. But neither is an accurate guide.
One reason is that the Nation is, show
ing disposition to be more generous
than 1t has ever been before to its
soldiers Another is that the reduced
value of the dollar tends to increase
the allowance in dollars TO disabled
veterans.
The element of politics cannot be
overlooked More than 1000 600 men
were called into service in the Army
and Navy in the recent war and it was
inevitable that their demands should
have great weight.
The recent session of Congress passed
an act for disability pensions ranging
from S12 month for Is per cent dis
ability to $40 a month for total dis
ability. It was estimated by the Vet
Grams Bureau that this $4,000 would
be granted pensions this fiscal year and
that the sum paid out to these pen
sioners would be slightly more than
would grow to 3S0, 900 in 1885 and that
the pension payments then would total
about $50 600, 900.
It is not to be overlooked that the
compensation law already on the
statute books is not interfered with,
that more than half million veterans
of the World War have been granted
compensation and that the disabled
veteran who is entitled to compensation
may elect to obtain 1t instead OF
pension.
Rush TO File Claims.
The estimates which were given to
Congress as to the probable cost of the
pension system seem certain to be far
TAf@ mel TfN-
reau already predict that long before
1895 the sum of sac, 200 900 will have
been lef far behind. In fact, the esti-
mates for the current year viii prove
inadequate, judging by the rush which
is already on to file applications for
pensions under the new act.
1t is predicted by the Veterans' Bu-
reau that If the machinery for passing
on applications does not get clogged
up the estimate of 10000 pensions for
this fiscal year will be exceeded. One
factor which may temporarily hold
down the total is the lack of sufficient
medical examiners TO meet the rush OF
applications and dispose Of them
quickly.
Before the passage of the pension
measure. recently enacted, about 50O,-
0G0 applications for compensation were
turned down, largely because the APP
ability was aof service origin. Under
the new law such proof viii not be re-
Quired.
Consequently. it is calculated by some
experts that most of the men who have
been refused compensation will make
application for pension and that In
most instances they will be penSioned.
Pensioning of one man in a community
naturally win lead others to apply.
Move to Increase Pay.
Besides, there is no doubt that ire
mendous movement will begin before
long in Congress to increase the amount
of the pensions over those granted IN
the recently passed johnson act. Those
pensions, or disability allowances,
were bitterly scored in the debates in
Senate and House, especially in the
Senate, on the ground that they were
too low 1t was charged that in
case of totally disabled man they were
absurdly inadequate.
The next Congress will witness a
strung movement TO increase the rates
That movement may be checked tenn
porarily but 1t will not be for long
1t Is the judgment of nearly every OBJ
server that the new pension law viii
prove only the first step in the direction
of much more liberal pension legislation
for the World War veterans.
Any doubt on this score may be set
Jed by considering the course Of pen
sion legislation for the veterans of the
Civil War. In the act of 1890 the
maximum allowance for a. fully dis
abled soldier was $12. BY legislation
this year a Civil War veteran who
served 30 days and was honorably dis
charged is entitled to $75 month, anc
II he requires an attendant he Is en-.
titled to 500.
BY repeated acts of legislation the
allowance to the Civil War veteran has
been increased steadily, and whereas