Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 November 1899 — INDIANA'S PENSIONERS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA'S PENSIONERS.

Creditable Reaaoa Why the State Takea the Lead. Indian* takea the lead aa a pension State. The annual statement of the Pension Department has recently been issued. In round numbers the States drawing the highest pensions are Ohio, with fl 5,000,000; Pennsylvania, with $12,700,000; New York, $12,000,000; Indiana, $10,000,000, and Illinois, '59,000,000. Indiana has 65,000 pensioners, who draw an average pension of a fraction over SIOO per annum. In the list Indiana has 225 veterans of the civil war who are drawing the limit of-$72 a month, and seventy veterans of the civil and sf the Mexican war who are drawing SSO a month. In number of pensioners and number of bigh pensioners in the average for all in the State, Indiana leads all other States in the Union by a broad margin. Indiana, with a population of 40,000 less than that of Massachusetts, by the census of 1809, receives In pensions $10,443,000 annually, while Massachusetts beta bat $5,420,000. Similar comparisons will show that Indiana is the greatets pension State according to her population. *’ Commissioner Evans has analyzed the pension apportionment by congressional districts, and that makes a very fair basis for comparison. On this basis Indiana shows a clear lead, while Kansas comes in a good second. The Indiana pensions run $803,000 per district; Kansas $775,000. Among the States at the front are Missouri, with $448,000; New Jersey, with $312,000, and New York, with $352,000 per district. Massachusetts averages $417,000 per district The average pensions in the five leading States are $l5O in Ohio, $126 in Pennsylvania, $142 in New York, $l6O in Indiana and $146 in. Illinois. Though there is a difference of sl4 average between Indiana and Illinois, there are over 3.000 more pensioners in that State. The difference in average, however, gives In> liana pensioners SOO,OOO more per annum. Though Ohio ranks first as a pension State, stall, Hke Illinois, on a basis of population and pensioners, it ranks below Indiana. Indiana was one of the States puttin; the largest number of men into the field. Among the States of the Union it stood fifth, with New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois leading, with Massachusetts and Missouri following. It put 206,000 men into the field, and in partial explanation of the great number of heavy pensioners it can be said that no other State in the Union spilled so much blood and participated in as many bloody engagements. Indiana’s war history is written in letters of crimson on the soil of seventeen States.