The Charlotte Democrat

Fourteen years ago Mr. Garfield then Senator, afterwards President, in discussing the Pension question, estimated $38,000,000 as the possible maximum, and predicted a speedy decrease from this. If Mr. Garfield were alive now, he would realize what a poor prophet he was on this line. The appropriations for the next fiscal year amount to $135,000,000 and this will be several millions short of meeting the requirements. It is estimated by those who have given the subject study and have access to the records for investigation, that it will require $160,000,000 to meet the demands for pensions next year at the rate at which claims are being allowed now, and as the Republican convention at Minneapolis declared in favor of "liberal pensions" there is no probability that any backward step will be taken or that they will be less liberal than they have been. About the only thing that will modify this "liberality" will be the capacity of the Government to raise money. This is a matter in which the people of the whole country are interested, but especially the people of the South for fully nine tenths of the money paid out for pensions is paid out on the other side of the line, and goes into circulation there, while the South, which pays its full proportion of the aggregate amount does not see a decimal part of it in return.—Wilmington Star.