The National tribune., 1886-04-08
TIE 49TB CONGRESS-
The Mexican Pension Bill Passed by
the House.
MEXICAN PENSION BILL.


war pension bi!l-ayes, 157; noes, 60; not vot-
ing, 81. The following is the text of the bill
BE it enacted, etc, That the Secretary of the In.
terror be- and he is hereby, authorized and directed
TO place the names of all the surviving officers. sol
diers and sailors who enlisted and served in the
war with Mexico for any period during the years
charged, and their surviving widows on the PEN
sion roll at the rate of So month from and after
the passage of this act, during their lives:
SEC. =. That the Secretary of the Interior Is alI-
thorized and directed to make such rules and reg
ulaons necessary to carry this act into effect
"Propided That where it shall appear that dis
charge is lost, secondary evidence NAV be permit
ted. and where it shall appear an applicant has
received land warrant that shall he sufficient
evidence of an honorable discharge, unless the
evidence shows that he procured it by fraud: And
prorided further, That this act shall not apply to
persons under political disabilities"
PENSION MATTERS.
Mr.. Harmer (Pa.) introduced a bill (H. r.
1899 to increase the pensions of minor chill
dren Also bill (H f. 74O0) to increase the
pensions of those who have lost limbs, are
totally helpless, or are deaf and for other pur-
poses, both of which were referred to the Pen
sion Committee.
The House Committee on Invalid Pensions
decided to report favorably bill to increase
pensions for loss of limb below the elbow or
knee to $50 per month, above the elbow or
| knee to S36, and at the shoulder Or hip.joint to
$45 per month.
| PENSIONS FOR PRISONERS OF WAR.
The House Committee on Invalid Pensions
has decided to report favorably a bill to pension
prisoners of war. The bill provides that all
persons in the service of the United States
during the war of the rebellion, who were
prisoners cf war for 60 days or more, and
who are now suffering from any disability
which can reasonably be presumed to be the
result of exposure and hardships endured
while in confinement rs prisoners of war, and
not the result Of their own misconduct or
vicious habits, shall be entitled to pension at
the rates now provided by law for similar dis
abilities This act, however, shall not allow
any person to receive more than one pension.
The bill further provides that all persons in
the military or naval service of the United
States who were prisoners of war for more than
SO days shall be entitled to 81 per day for every
day they were SO held in confinement.
PENSIONS FOR DEPENDENT PARENTS.
The bill relating to claims for pensions by
dependent parents. which has just been re-
ported to the House with favorable recon-
| mendation, extends the benefits of the pension
laws to certain parents now excluded from their
provisions 1t simply removes the limitation
which bars those not actually dependent at the
time of the soldiers death, making present de-
pendeuce legal basis for claim, and in no
other way changes, amends, modiiieS the
| pension laws. The Committee Oil Invalid Pen
sions says in regard to this bill: The class to
Il
| there are no data that we are aware OF upon
! which to base an estimate of the number it
cannot make large addition to the pension roll
| The great mass OF parents who under any rule
as to period of dependence could go upon the
pension roll are already there. This bill brings
| to it thai small number who, independent at
| the time of the soldiers death, have become
dependent in their old age. It gives them the
| benefit of the natural assumption that the sol
| der son who gave his life to the country would
| have recognized his filal obligations had he
! lived, and been their staff in old age and their
shield against poverty"
HOW DOES THIS BILL SUIT YOU?
| In the House last week Mr. Wolford (ky.)
introduced the following bill, which was ro-
| ferred to the Committee Oh Invalid Pensions:
Be it enacted. etc, That the Secretary OF the In
terror be- and he is hereby authorized and directed
| to place the pension roll the names OF all the
officers, soldiers sailors marines privates, enlisted
men, and scouts who mustered received
into the service of the United States in the army or
navy of the United States in the war of 1861 and
served 60 days, and We're honorably discharged, at
the rate of IS per month during their lives.
SEC .. That the Secretary of the Interior shall
place on a roll TO be made for that purpose the
names of all the officers soldiers sailors, marines,
privates enlisted men, or scouts who, i'll The army
or navy of the late Confederate States lost
or leg; and that artificial arm or leg. the
| equivalent in money, Shall be furnished them, at
| the expense of the Government.
TO REMOVE CHARGES OF DEsERTIoN.
The Senate Committee on Military Affairs re-
| ported favorably the following bill, :" to remove
| the charge Of deSertion from the rolls and rec
ords in the Office of the Adjutant- General Of
the Army against certain soldiers:
Bet enacted, etc. That the charge of fdesertion
standing the rolls and records in the Office of the
Adjutant- General of the Army against any soldier
who served in the late of the rebellion, by
son of his having enlisted in any regiment, troop
company without having first received n dis
charge from the regiment, troop, or company in
which he had previously served, shall be removed
in all cases wherein 1T shall be made to appear to
the satisfaction of the Secretary of War, from such
rolls and records or from other satisfactory testi-
mony that such en- nstinent was not made for The
purpose Of securing bounty other gratuity that
he would not have been entitled 90 had he remained
under his original term of enlistment: ProUided
That soldier shall be relieved under this act
who, not being sick wounded, left his command
without proper authority while the same in
the presence of the enemy, or who, at the time of
leaving his command, was III arrest or under
charges, in whose case the period of absence
from the service exceeded three months.
SEC. .. That in all cases where the charge of de-
sertion shall be removed under the provisions of
this act the Adiutant- General of the Army shall
issue to such soldier Or in case OF his death TO his
heirs legal representatives, certificate of dis
charge from the regiment, troop or company in
which he first served.
SEC g. That all applications for relief under thisact
shall be made 10 and filed with the Secretary of
War within period of five years from and after its
passage and all applications not SO made and filed
within such period of five years shall be forever
barred and shall not be received considered;
and all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the
provisions of this act are hereby repealed.
Adjutant- General Drum having been re-
quested to make report explanatory of the
purposes of the bill, submitted communica-
tion in which he sad
BY the express terms of Senate bill l47l relief is
limited to the class of men who, although having
rendered good service, have charge of deserion
entered on the rolls against them, ndcr the 50th
Article of War, which reads as follows:
NO commissioned officer soldier shall
enlist himself in any other regiment, troop
pany without regular discharge from the regiment,
troop, company in which he last served on a
penalty OF being reputed deserter and suffering
accordingly
This article reproduces of the earliest of the
rules and regulations adopted for the Government
OF the British army and was no doubt the outgrowth
of feuda customs. IT is not now and much doubt
whether it has ever been, applicable to service
in the sense in which it intended to apply
The leaving one organization and immediate en-
Iisment III another constitutes technical deSertion
but in sense is it descrtiOn from the service or
what is understood in military parlance, as ieser-
tion of the flag. The relief proposed TO be afforded
by this bill applies only to of technical deser-
ton, or, in other words to those men who having
left organization, enlisted in another and
served to the end of the war. Proper safeguards
are provided by the requirements that such suhse-
qucnt enlistment was not made for the purpose of
securing increased bounty, etc. and that relief shall
not be extended to men, not sick wounded, whose
absence from the service exceeded three months
In view of facilities of travel the presence of mill
tary officers in many cities it is impossible to con-
ceive contingency could have arisen to prevent
man, not intending to desert the service from re-
porting himself to the military authorities or re-
joining his command within that period.