The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-26
A Number Of investigations Likely to Grow
Out Of the Premature Publication of
StarR0ute Documents.
Indications that the Alaska Civil Gov
ernInent Bill VIII Pass.
Minister Vests Letter to Congressman Hew-
lit Regarding the 0DOnnell ResOlu-
tions Made Public.
PENSIONS.


abied Needy soldiers.
Special to the indianapolis journal
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.--The bill which Sena-
tor Harrison introduced to-day will say pension
experts, meet a demand which the government
under the existing laws cannot meet and yet
which should, in the name of justice, be met 1t
simply gives the soldier pension whenever he
becomes disabled from any cause whether the
disability was contracted in the service or not
It also continues the pension to his widow. Off
GERS at the Pension Office say there are many
men who served their country faithfully and
well, who have recently lost their health from
various causes, in no way traceable to the army
service, who are helpless and have no means Of
support and who can not be pensoned under
the existing laws. Nor can special act be
passed by Congress to pension them. because
Congress fears to set a precedent at this time.
1t is to meet that class. and to provide for dis
abed and destitute soldiers and their widows,
that this bill is intended It is step in the di-
rection of pensioning all Union soldiers of the
late war This bill, however discriminates in
that it will help no who is not in need of
help. 1t is believed that the bill will pass
The highest rate of pension granted is $24,
which is made divisible according to the degree
of actual disability. The bill increases the rate
to $12 of all widows of pensioners who
contracted disability in the war Of the
IS, and fixes the rate yf such claimants
at $l2 per month for future pensions. It also
provides a pension for the widows of
such soldiers as may be pen.
stoned under the first section of said
bill, and also that widows of those who served in
the war of the rebellion shall oh
tain a pension under the existing laws
for disability without the widow
being required TO provo that the cause was due
to services. This does not grant pension to all
widows, but to widows of soldiers
who are to become pensioners. 1t grants relief
to many woVthy claimants whose husbands were
disabled by reason of service and were
destined to die from some specific disease from
which they were lingering, but an acut disease
intervening and causing death, the claimants
were barred, owing to the immediate
cause of death not being due to
the service. This bill is the result
of the demands which the gov
ernment is unable to meet un-
der the existing laws soldier. for
example, VINO was IN every habue OF
the Potomac from 1861 to 1865,
but who was neither wounded nor in
the hospital nor becomes disabled
by reason of disease contracted in
the service. Under the existing laws the govern
ment cannot help such soldier, but this bill
proposes not only to pension him but also to
pension his widow.
In an interview to-day Senator Harrison said
that while his was a radical change in the pen
sion laws he had carefully considered the whole
matter and did not hesitate to say that in his
opinion every true friend of the Union soldiers
could afford to sustain such measure. 1t was
needed and ought to become a law at once All
pensions under this act begin at the date of fl
ing the application therefor
Representative Cannon also introduced bill
to simplify the procedure in pension claims and
to extend the benefits Of pension laws to worthy
claimants for neutrality-suspicious. and widows and
minor children and dependent relatives of sol
ders and sailors of the late war who are unable
by the existing laws to furnish the necessary
evidence required to connect their disability
with such service and for other purposes.