The Times of Tuesday gives an interesting account of the
present state of the pension problem in America, drawn from the report of the Secretary of the Interior. The annual de- mand for Army and Navy pensions has n'ow reached the portentous figure of 233,000,000, for that is the estimate for next year. In other words, the American people are spending more money on their Army and Navy than any of the effete Monarchies of the Continent, and without having anything to show for their expenditure. The worst part of the gigantic pension list is, however, that it tends to rivet Protection on the people of the United States. The pension policy was, indeed, devised with this cynical intent. Only get a deficit, said the men who grow fat on Protection, and it will be impossible to do away with the tariff in a country incurably impatient of direct taxation. This was the policy adopted in 1890. Since then, the money required for pension appropriations has risen by 215,000,000, and a deficit of some 22,000,000 has actually been achieved. Most assuredly the victory of Mr. Cleveland and common-sense was justified.
Previous page
