Connecticut western news., 1882-12-20
THE SOLDIERS PENSION LIST,
Important Recommendations by COmmis-
 siOner Dudley-Radical Changes Proposed.

l The report Of the Commissioner of l Pensions for the fiscal year ended June l 30, 1882, contains many features of inter- ] est, both to pensioners and to the gen. | eral public. The recommendations em- bodied in it are especially noticeable. In regard to the Bounty Land laws Con- missioner Dudley says:
 They should be generally remodeled and sim | plifed. The mistakes made in the qualification of the laws as found in the Revised Statutes | should be corrected, and changes should be made to equalize the benefits to all the classes | of persons to whom title is already given under | the law Sections 2,418 and 2, ,419 should be amended so as to separate the provision relat- 1 ing to the Mexican War (under act of February H. 1847 and it's amendment of May 27, 1848) | from the provisions of the Equaizing act of | September 28 1850. Almost the only change | this would make would be to give warrant for | 16O acres to 8 few fathers mothers, brothers and sisters (on 8 service of fourteen days of l battle service) who are now entitled to warrants 1 of varying amounts, from 40 acres to 160, ac- cording as the service of soldier was one month, six months or twelve months
 l Section 2,429 should be so modified as to give | the succession to the minors upon the re-mar- riage as well as upon the death of the widow in | case there are minors provided that there are no minor children, the widows title may return | to her on her again becoming widow.
 l Section 1893 of the Revised Statutes, which | pertains to irregular enlistments (non-enlisted | persons), and which grants pensions to certain ] classes, should be amended so as to extend the benefits conferred by it to wounds and injuries | received, or disease contracted by non-enlisted | men serving as scouts by virtue of the author ity of any general officer, and to certain classes l of employees of the Quartermaster Generals | Department, who were subjected to unusual | hardships and dangers and would also recom- mend the repeal of the last clause of said third l paragraph, as it imposes, ill my opinion, an un- l just limitation upon frequently worthy class ! of applicants. Section 4695, which fixes the various grades | of pension might well be amended so assto pro- l vide more equitable distribution and to com- | port with the actual disabilities of pensioners | in fact, the time has come, in my opinion, when | Congress should give thoughtful considers | tion to the entire regarding of pensions, mak- l ing disability, rather than rank, the measure l of the pension. There can exist no good reason l in pensioning volunteer force when for the 1 same disability ieutenant-colonels shall receive | $50 per month and 8 private soldier but $S, | both having been drawn from and returned to l the same walks of civil life.
 GRADES OF PENSIONS.
 | Commissioner Dudley then calls atten- tion to the fact that there are now-117 | different grades of pensioners, and says this state of affairs would be remedied by the amendment above suggested. He l also proposes another amendment to give an officer the benefit of his actual rank, | notwithstanding the fact that there was no technical vacancy at the time. This amendment, he thinks, is demanded by simple justice. He also recommends that the section relating to widows and minors pensions be amended so as to | entitle minor children to pension from the date of the soldiers death, where the widow has re-married prior to July 1, 1 1880, without having received any pen sion on account of such soldiers death. He says:
 Great injustice has been done 8 worthy class | of pensioners by the narrow construction neces- sarily placed upon the statute governing the issue of pensions to dependent relatives, and | there is necessity for an amendment Of the sec l tion.
 In order to carry out the full and evident in- | tention of Congress- as exhibited by the whole course of pension legislation, and especially by | the more recent acts, and to place old wal claims more nearly upon the same footing as
 those of the late war, the limitation contained | in section 4,713 should be removed, so that cases barred by the three year limitation shal | have their date of commencement at the time of filing application rather than at that of tht | filing of the last piece of evidence. Thii amendment will affect large class of cases
 but the present law is so manifestly just thai
 he does not hesitate to suggest the change.
 The commissioner calls attention t,
 the abuses of section 4, 745, relating t,
 the pledge, mortgage, sale, etc., of
 pension certificate, and recommends tha
 the section be so amended as to read:
 And any person who shall retain the certfi
 cate of pensioner and refuses to surrende
 the same upon the demand of the Commis
 sioner of Pensions or United States Pension
 Agent, or any other person authorized by tn Commissioner of Pensions or the pensioner t.
 receive the same, shall be guilty of a misde
 meanor, and upon conviction thereof may b
 fined in sum not exceeding $100 and the cost
 of the prosecution.
 He then makes the following recon
 mendations:
 Sanction of law should be given to the prac
 tice of withholding unaccrued pensions in case
 Of over-payment until the over-payment shal
 have been covered.
 | The benefits of the act which removes tn
 disabilities of those who, having participate
 in the rebellion, have since it's termination en
 listed in the army of the United States an
 have become disabled, should be extended tt
 those who served in the navy Widows and in
 valid soldiers of the regular army and navy
 whose rights have accrued since June 30, 1880
 should be allowed reasonable time, say tw
 to five years in which to file their applications
 and pension should date from the commence
 ment of the accruing of the right instead of, a
 now, from the date of the filing of the applica | tion.
 1 Tn the prOV1SlOnS or the acG or June ID, looU | an unjust discrimination has been made, ant
 such legislation should be had will adm
 those who are utterly helpless to the benefits o
 the provisions of this, to date from the tim
 when they became utterly helpless, and it l benefits should also extend to those who Wer l entitled by reason of their helplessness to tn rate of $50 at date later than the passage o
 the act, or who, for some other cause, were no actually upon the rolls at that grade on tha
 exact day, but afterward showed themselves t. | ha theFat0-
 Much space is given to review of tn
 workings of the new system of specia examinations, and it is asserted that it
 superiority over the old or co oorte sys tenn has been abundantly demonstrated
 ment of @ clause which will make tn
 false personation of 8 pension examine
 felony, to be punished by fine and i'm the enactment of 8 clause which vii
 make it high misdemeanor for any per son to interfere with special examine in the discharge of his duties by violence
 threat or otherwise, the same to be pun
 ishable by fine or imprisonment upol
 conviction. The report continues:
 The question of desertion, in connection witt , that of title to pension, should be definitel
 settled by law. A pension is in no sense re l, ward for faithful and meritorious service, but
 payment for loss of physical. ability to earn
 livelihood. Therefore desertion subsequent t.
 the incurrence of disability and refusal of tn
 War Department to change the record, shoul
 not carry with it forfeiture of right of pension The law should provide that pension, in an
 case in which charge of desertion stands un removed, shall commence from the date o1 , which the contract for services in which disa
 bled legally terminated, to be ascertained iron the date to which last paid for service, pro l vided, however, that the date of discharge iron