PENSIONS.
To THE Enrrott OF THE SPECTATOR.
Stu—Your tabular statement of pensions and salaries in last week's SPECTATOR (p. 989) may possibly be correct ; but the imperfect analysis by which it is followed, is calculated (no doubt unintentionally) to de- ceive, and may possibly do much harm. Pensions and salaries must be paid by every government—for the labour of the mind is superior to that of the body. The only question to be ascertained is this—are these remunerations given with justice and with equity ? Let some one of your able correspondents, versed in these records, take up the subject, analyze it completely, and rive the nation, through your paper, the benefit of the result. Me will then discover, that the "Pension" miimansed "Half; Pay," given, for instance, to an Assistant Commissary-General, after spending the flower of his life on foreign service—after being intrusted with tens and even hundreds of thousands of the public money--after keeping himself uncontaminated by those temptations always ready to be held out by army-contractors, loan-advancers, and jobbers--after having saved to the Government (if he be vigilant and honourable) many thousands—after receiving pay and allowances equal to 7001. a year— after having lived in that circle of society wherein he was born, and in which he was educated—after all this, an inspection of official dock,. meats will show that his enormous pension (which your table would make appear at about 2,000/. a year) is,in fact,no more than 1331. Twill venture to say, hundreds of such Pensioners" and " Plac,emen" are to be found—not, indeed, enjoying their odium cum dignitate, but living in obscurity, if not in poverty. They are scattered in the cottages of Wales, the remote fishing-towns of Cornwall, and the fauxbourgS of Paris: If they have families, what language can express the daily struggles and the wounded spirit of such men ? or what poverty is so acute as their's? A REDUCED A. C. GENERAL.
[We copied the table alluded to, ready-made. The analysis, if nuch it may be called, is no doubt very imperfect. Even from it, however, it is to be inferred, that while many receive a great deal too much, others, on this very aecount, must be defrauded of their fair claims. The whole system of public remuneration, whether by pay or by pension, calls aloud for "equitable adjustment."—En.]
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