The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-03-22
TIE NEW PENsTOg LAW.


New York Sun: As the leg and arm
pension act Of the late congress takes
effect at once, il will soon be known,
approximately, how much this law has |
increased the annual burdens OF the |
treasury.
The measure was compromise, fol-
lowing another much more sweeping
and costly bill, which had passed the
house during the first session, but had
failed to receive the sanction Of the SEN
ate. This former proposition raised to
the large sum of $40 a month the exist
ing pensions Of all who had lost an arm
or a leg, and even applied this increase
to those who had only lost the use Of
one of these members, by disability
that could be construed as equivalent TO
the actual amputation. This single act
of gratuity, in giving incomes of $3.50
each to its beneficiaries, would have
added, it was roughly estimated, about
| 90, 000, 900 to the. pension budget. The
substitute, which has become q law,
will, il is thought, cost only $4,000, 600:
but while the number OF pensioners,
who have lost leg or an arm is well
known, the actual additional drain up
on the national resources produced by
the new law can for time only be con-
jectural, since some cunning phrase
may, as usual with suck statutes, invite
q new swarm of applicants.
The act approved March 3, 1888, in
creases the present leg and arm pensions
of $24 month to $50, and those Of S16
q month TO $24. AS is well known, the
larger pensions are given TO those who
have lost leg at or above the knee, or
an arm at or above the elbow; while the
other class comprises the Losses Of the
limb below the knee or the elbow, or
foot and hand pensions. Nobody can
deny that these pensioners are treated
literally by the people; at the same time
It is clear that the $50 given to the SOL
dier who lost his leg in battle is more
worthily bestowed than many pension
OF 50 paid to some man who rests his
claim on some development of a consti-
tutional weakness or disease which
would in all probability have attacked
him whether he had enlisted or not.
The regulations of the pension office
announce that the increase of existing
pensions from $24 to $50 applies to
"those who have been so disabled as 10
be incapacitated for performing any
manual labor, but not so much so as tc
require regular personal aid and attend.
ance;" while the increase from SIS
to $24 applies to those $50 disabled a
to render their incapacity to perform
manual labor equivalent to the loss of 8
hand or a foot" Thus many pensioners
who have not lost even finger or toe
may still haYe received injuries en-
titllng them to the increased pensions
A striking provision of this act is il
ignoring OF pension agents. Some pre-
ceding laws have been so framed as Il
make an attorneys Intervention need
less, though permitted, and by most ap.
plicants resoFted to. Under the present
act his services are positively pro-
hibited. "The Intervention of an agent
OF an attorney" say the regulations, "Ir
such admitted cases as are affected by
this act, being unnecessary, will not b
recognized" The reason Of this rule il
obvious. Since this law is designed
simply for the increase of pensions
already examined and allowed, all tina
a pensioner eeds to do is to send hi
old certificate to the commi ssioner anC
in return he will get new one at thu
| increased rate