The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-21
BILLS THAT MEAN MONEY.
PASSAGE BY THE SENATE OF THE
BLAIR PENSION BILL.

A Pretty Com prehe nsive Measure-How
the Naval Estimates Are Cut Down
Charges Against Higgins-The Butler
Rosecrans Difbeuit,--The Mail Sub
sidy Done For.
WASHINGTON CITY, May The senate
Wednesday passed the general service pen
sion bill The following Is the full text of
the measure:
"Be it enacted etc, That every person
specified in the several classes enumerated
in section 1896 of the revised statutes of the
United States and the amendments thereto,
who served in tine military or naval servi g,
as mentioned in said section, for the period
of three months during the war of the re-
bellion and has an honorable discharge
theIefrom, and who is or hall become dis
abled from any cause not the result of his
own fault, and shall also be dependent upon
bis own excrtions foE support or upon the
contributions of others not legally
bound thereto, shall, upon making
due proof of the facts, under such
regulation as may be prescribed by
the proper authority, be placed upon
the list OF pensioners OF the United States
and be entitled to receive pension during
The continuance OF such disability and de-
pendence at a rate propartionate to the de-
gree OF such disability, and such pension
shall commence at TIE date of filing an ap
plication therefor. he highest rate OF
pension granted under this section, which
shall be for total incapacity TO perform any
manual labor shall be 81 per month, which
Is hereby made Invisible upon that basis for
any less degree Of disability; provided,
that no person entitled to or receiving an
invalid pension under existing laws, or such.
rs may he hereafter enacted, granting
pensions for disabilities contracted in
the military or naval service
OF the United States, and in line of duty,
greater than that provided for herein, shall
receive the benefits of this act, but any ap-
plcant therefor pending, or who shall here
after tile his application for such pension,
may, by declaration over his signature,
at any time elect to prosecute his said
claim under this act or under the general
laws, and his pension, when allowed, if pro-
secuted under this act, shall commence
from the date Of such election, provided
further, that no pension paid under any
law hereafter shall Ls rated at less than 81
per month
Sec That in considering the claims
of dependent parents, the fact and cause OF
death and the fact that the soldier left no
widow or minor children, having been
shown as required by law, it shall be neces-
sary only to show by competent and sutfi-
cient eAidence that such dependent parent is
without other present means of comfortable
support than his or her own manual labor
OF the contributions of others hot legally
bound for his or her support; and such as
may be found to he entitled to IS q month
under existing laws as modified by this sec
ton shall receive in lieu thereof si2 q
month from and after the approval OF this
act
Sec T. That in all applications under
the general pension laws, including this act
where it appears by record evidence that
the applicant was regularly enlisted and
mustered into the service, that fact shall be
conclusive evidence oil soundness at the time
of bis enlistment, except in case of fraud.
"Sec. i That no person shall be entitled
to more than one pension at the same time
under any or all laws Of the United States,
whether such pensions shall have been al
ready obtained or shall be hereafter OBJ
tanned unless the act under which such
pension IS claimed stall specially SO de-
clare"
The bill now goes to the house of repre-
sentatives for concurrence
Following is the vote on the bill in detail.
Yeas Aldrich, Allison, Blair, Bowen,
Brown, COuger, Cnllom, Frye George, Glib
son, Hale, Hampton, Harrison, hawley,
HoaT, Ingalls,, Logan, Mcmillan, Malone,
Henderson, Miller. Mitchell of oregon,
Morrill,, Payne, Plumb, Riddleberger, Saw
yer, Sewel Sherman, Spooner, Van Wyck,
Voorhees,, Wathali ami Wilson OF Mary
land-3l.
Nays-Beck, Berry, Blackburn, Call,
Cockrell, Eustis, German, Gray, Jones of
Arkansas, Mcpherson, Morgan, Sauls-
bury, Vest and Whittborne-I4
The senate Thursday spent the day in
discussion OF the Staten island bridge bill
laying aside the regular orter-the bank
ruptry bill-for the purpose
A bin was passed authorizing the Chey-
enne IL and Northern Railroad company to
build its road across the Fort Russell and
Fort Laramie military reservations The
bill provides that the road shall be bull
within three years under forfeiture OF pri-
ileges.