By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
NCLE SAM, who Is the
head—and also all the
officers and empiorves—
of one of the
businesses in the world,
naturally has some big
bills to pay. One of the
biggest is the bill which
Old Man Mars, who
7 deals In war, brings
around every year and after he has
left Uncle Sam finds that he has
handed over to this dealer In wars
nearly one-fourth of all the money
which he had laid aside to pay all of
the expenses of running this business
which operates under the name of the
United States of America.
For instance, this year Uncle Sam
will have to pay to Old Man Mars
the staggering sum of $828 000,000,
That is almost £100,000,000 more than
the total cost of running the entire
federal government back in 1016. It
is more than one-half the cost of run.
ning the entire nation of France for
one year. It is almost equivalent to
the anual cost of maintaining the
navies of the United States, France
and Japan. Back in 1017 when It
was announced that it would require
£1.000,000000 to run our government,
there were those who shook their
heads and wondered “what we are
coming to." Now, 13 years after that
first “billion-dollar year,” we are
ing the necessity of spending nearly
that amount, paying for wars which
ended long before most of us were
born,
If anyone wants =a
war, let him talk to Gen.
head of the veterans’
Col. Earl D. Church,
commissioner of pensions,
them learn something of the cost in
careers, lives and money of the mere
aftermath of war. Being more or
less intangible, it is difficult for us
to visualize those first two-—careers
and lives—but for the third, let these
figures from the government budget
for 1030 tell their own story:
{WORLD WAR) VETERANY
Salaries and expenses
Printing and binding
Military and naval compen
sation
Medical and hospital
ices
Adjusted service certificate
fund
Military and
. ance
Hospital facilities and serv.
ices
TU. 8 government
surance fund ..
biggest
fac-
against
Frank Hines,
bureau, or to
United States
and from
lesson
191,450,000
serv.
31,650,000
112,000,000
115,250,000
6,000,000
sear aan
$7,400,000
TOAY ....covicnnnnueennes
PENSION OFFICE
Army and navy pensions...$221.000.000
Salaries, pension of 1.2 25.000
Investigation pension census 105.000
Fees of examining surgeons 450,000
Total wins $222,780,000
UNITED STATES SOLDIERS HOMES
National homes of disabled
volunteer soldiers $ 5.689.100
Grand total ...coveusnae..3828,844,100
Nor will the paying of Old Man
Mars’ bill this year be the end of the
matter, Next year it will be the
game, only larger, and the next and
the next and the next until the esti.
mated peak Is reached in 1065. For,
even though by that time Uncle Sam
probably will be through paying pen-
slong for the War of 15812, and the
Mexjean war, he probably will still
be paying some for the Civil war and
certainly some for the Spanish-Amer.
fean war. And then there are the
World war pensions yet to be paid
We haven't’ come to those yet, but it
seems certain that we will come to
them. As the number of our World
war veterans grow less, the needs of
the aging survivors and thelr families
and dependents will Increase. And no
one dares predict how far In the future
Uncle 8am will be paying out World
war pensions,
The War of 1812 has been over 115
years but during the fiscal year which
ended June 30, 1929, the government
paid 350 a month each to 11 gray-
haired women whose husbands fought
under the American flag when it had
only fifteen stars in its fleld of blue.
The Mexican war ended 83 years ago
but until September of last year Uncle
Sam was paying a monthly pension to
Owen Thomas Edgar who served in
the navy during that war. And when
he died at the age of ninety-eight
»
Above—One of the best known build.
ings in Washington, D. C., is the Pen.
sion building which stands in Judiciary
Square about halfway between the
Capitol and the White House. It is
built of red brick and has a remark.
able frieze, depicting the various di.
visions of the army in action, which
runs all the way around the building.
Four hundred by five hundred feet is
» gtill were 730 widows of Mexi-
wir veterans the rolls of the
Civil war has
wen over 05 years but last year pen
pension b
}
|
were being mid to 50.040 soi-
gions
who served In 1 var, to 39
and to 181.
diers
nurses widows of vet.
erans.,
(th er per
804 soldiers,
widows placed
Spanish-American
and 4.000 widows by the Indian wars;
45 soldiers and 15 widows by the
World war and 14.758 soldiers and
3.600 widows by regular army,
These, with the pensioners previously
joned, made a total of 477.915
persons who received a total of $220.
800.180 from Une There were
13,270 fewer persons drawing pen-
sions in 1020 than in 1028 but the total
paid the last was $024517
greater because the level of expend!
ture was raised by new degisiation
which increased j war
widows more than
wsloners last year were 178.
414 nu and
the rolls
PR
5.574 sold
28,643
by the
iors
rses
on
war:
the
ment
le Sam,
year
pensi ions to Civil
seventy-five years
old,
The history 4 of pensions for veterans
YAS back to the
jest days of the republic. On June
1776, even “bet ore the Declaration
of Independence had been adopted, the
Conti inental congress appointed a com-
mittee to “Consider what provision
ught to be made for such as are
sade or disabled in the land or
sen
This committee made a prompt re
port, and on August 26, 1776, the first
national pension act in America was
passed by the Continental congress.
That part of the law fixing the amount
wns as follows: “That every com-
missioned officer, non-commissioned
officer, and private soldier who shall
lose a limb in any engagement, or be
go disabled in the service of the
United States of America as to render
him incapable afterwards of getting
a livelihood, shall receive, during his
life or the continuance of such dis-
ability, the one-half of his monthly
pay from and after the time that his
pay as an officer or soldier ceases.”
After the Constitution had been
adopted and the new government had
been organized, it continued for a
time the pensions which had been pre-
viously granted and assumed their
payment. Soon, however, a strong de-
mand arose for a new pension law,
and on March 23, 1792, the first pen-
sion law passed by the new govern-
ment went into effect,
Later there grew a demand for a
pension law not based upon disability
incurred in the service and In his an-
nual message to congress on Decem-
ber 2, 1817, President Monroe recom-
mended such a law. A bill was passed
by the house on December 24, as a
sort of a Christmas present to the
veterans of the Revolution, passed by
the senate Immediately afterwards
and approved by President Monroe on
March 18, 1818,
The looge wording of this law, how-
ever, made frauds easy and the grant
of pensions became a public scandal,
A law passed In 1820 required all pen-
gloners already on the tolls and future
applicants to file a statement of prop-
erty as proof of their alleged depend.
ence upon government bounty for a
livelihood, As a result, the names of
many pensioners were stricken from
the rolls.
In 1832 a law was passed which
granted full pay for life to all whe
had served at least two yeurs In the
Revolution and proportional payments
to those who had served less than two
of
earl
American goes
20,
service.”
© BARKS & Ew"
are built around a huge holiow square.
Filing cabinets in this building hold
the documents which pertain to the
record of every man who ever enlisted
in the army. From these the pensions
of the veterans are computed,
Inset—Col, Earl D., Church, United
States commissioner cf pensions at
his desk,
years but
of
favor
Idiers of the Revo-
1556 there 1etment
t
i% In
hose who
Iy
Iles
inter 1
all widows, Hoss
marriage. Hus these pensions,
gimilar ones for widows
of later
the pension
practice for yor won
aged rans in order to
ut pension
husbands
of veterans
of
became a
marry
benefit hy a
the
wars, grew many abuses
system, for It
Ing en to
vele
LOvernme
after death
ir peak when
became engaged In
» War of 1812-—to add
list of veterans and dependents
drawing And the same
thing later at intervals
of two decades with the Mexican war
The first law pen-
the Civil war was
of July 14,
the disabled
orphan
members of
ause of wounds
pension a,
was repeated
and the Civil war,
sioning soldiers of
a disability
+
pension act
ita, r
pro Vi led fo
for the
children and dependent
died bet
received or disease contracted whi
the service of 1 the United States
in line of duty. Rates for total
ablity ranged from £8 to £0 a month,
according to rank, and game
rates were applied to the widows
the soldiers, laws, begin-
ning July 4, 1864, and culminating in
the recent act which Increased the
pensions of Civil war widows more
than seventy-five years old, have in.
creased the rates, setting fixed rates
for various kinds of disability,
The passage of the arrears act In
1870 added greatly to the burden of
which
survivors, widows,
those who
le in
and
dis-
these
Successive
of the wars in which he has engaged.
This act provided that all pensions
which had been granted or might
the time of disability,
cation were made before Janu
1880, The effect of that law is shown
by the fact that the total sum paid
for pensions jumped from $32,000,000
in 1870 to $56,000,000 in 1880, the
greatest Increase In any one year in
the history of our pension system.
A bill to establish service pensions
for persons in dependent elreum.
stances was vetoed by President Cleve.
land in 1886. A similar bill was
passed June 27, 1800, providing that
all persons who had served 90 days
in the war and who were suffering
from any mental or physical disability
of a permanent character which in-
capacitated them from performing
manu#l labor might receive pensions
ranging from $06 to $12 a month, ne
cording to the degree of disability.
Widows of soldiers who served 90
days who are dependent upon thelr
daily labor for support could receive
$8 a month,
In addition to the pensions granted
under the generals laws, many claims
for pensions, some of them rejected
by the pension bureau, have been
passed by act of congress. In fact the
consideration of pension bills forms a
large part of the activity of congress,
as will be seen by an Inspection of
almost any issue of the Congressional
Record. As this article is being writ-
ten many such bills are being intro.
duced In the present session of con.
gress, all of which will add to the
staggering total which Old Man Mars
has collected from Uncle Sam for
wars long since past.
=r
4
i
|
- 1
Country Highways Not
Adapted to Speeding |
An analysis of highway accidents by |
the department of motor vehicles of
Connecticut appears to show that those |
in country are latively |
costly In of life and limb |
than are those In large cities. It was |
found that
pected in
country
sections
nore logs
death could be
forty-one acc
The rat
streets
one
every
on a
deaths to accidents in city
X to 75.
There ig little mystery about
of
highway.
considerable proportion
in towns is due collisl
neither
speed,
urally
sections
to
car may be
Persons driving
expect
and perha
than
high
8 Leen
Go those bowling
way.
city Is
arrest
lookout
fan
policed
risk of
rural highway,
Driv from a city
through the
York Sun,
however, that drivin
and dange
klessly |
dangerous,
open Speeding in
attended by
than Is the
ers
country,
will do
highwi
on the gt
ing unharmed from
less there
Virginia Planning Tree
Planting Along Road ds
Plans for beau
of Virginian were dis
called
gid
(sov,
arious
§ decided that
appoint a cor
with ar
ntod is
would
other
{
two
aa: trees
hirubs nat
Their Own Will
Energetic Citizen
In the city
is said
of a neighborin
one man has by himself =
ceeded In 16 different
with na I
annually. Is there
it in this item
10.
induas-
locating
his town ay roll up
the millions
not food for thoug!
often hear the remark made
could and should have more
dustrial plants in but
can't get all the people to unite
a plan by which
them.” A
industries is
Cullman
into
when
you so .
ine
Just
upon
be able to
and captain
worth while any
(Ore) Tribune.
Unsightly Billboards
attempt promote
“we
our town.
we can
secure leader
of
where,
he to
ment ideals ig a monumental task.
The billboard people naturally
to carry on their business and
game time they want to soften
growing animosity sgainst their
terests, In short, they do not want
to see any curtaliment of their bill
board privileges, while a very
part of the public would like to sce
billboards entirely eliminated from the
landscape. ~Providence Journal.
Movies Teach Beauty
To eliminate “the careless ugliness”
of the nation's cities, the American
Institute of Architects has started a
eampaign of public education In “good
architecture and good environment.”
Moving pictures are being employed
to illustrate how Washington Is being
developed as the city beautiful in high
schools and colleges and before civie
bodies,
Individuality
A well-designed building should ex-
press on its exterior the general
scheme of its plan. That Is the larg.
er units ghonld be Indicated in the de
glgn. In this way each building has
fts own Individuality and the eleva.
tions show the particular reasons for
its being.
A
A ery in the night ‘may be the
aby has colic.
m if Castoria is
This pure vegetable prep-
rep ee
a ty Per
taste of Castoria, and its mildness
makes it suitable for the
infant, and for frec use,
And a more liberal dose of
Castoria’ is better for
growin ren than some need-
lessly strong medicine meant only
for adult use. Genuine Castoria
is bad. always has Chas. H. Fletcher's
on the wrapper, Pre-
signature
scribed by doctors!
rhtest harm,
keep a bottle in the house.
the safe and sensible thing
hen children are ailing. Whether
the stomach, or the little
tiniest
Iways quent
al iways
1g chile
When tiny i a are
or the breat
tion, Children love the
All
Camera Farn You
tet: 1 A
Try Hanford's Let Your
dealors are authorized to relend your money
for the first bottle if not sulted. : ALE
FOR
d
£
First
sontls
ANTE}
ose soothes in.
Re icf Chan
1 i Agents, 5 refit t Thre
ck HIGH GRADE BABY CHICKS
Boschee's | iii ime oie
and Hatchery, Smithsburg., Md
Syrup For Sate
$3
Farm
ruggists
Bla
me Wireless Waves
for Deaths of Pigeons
RUG RAGS
BETTER. A I=
SPECIAL OFFER
i
eelor 5 PRES a 1 wanted
W. CUSHING & CO. Dover-Foxcersft, Maine,
RHEUMATISM
Lumbago or Gout?
fexe BHEUMACIDE to remove thecause
and drive the poison from the sysiem
REFUBACTDR OX THE INSIDE
FUTS BEEUNATIERE OF THE OUTHIDR
At All Draggists
Jas. Baily & Son, Wholesale Distributors
Baltimore, Md.
Needless
Pain]
lo are often 100 patient with pat),
Bech ing when there is no need to suf
fer. Shopping with a head that throbs,
Working though they ache all over.
And Aspirin would b ime
The best time to take
Aspirin is the trade mark of Bayer
Manufacture of Monoaceticacidoster of Salicylicacid