Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-05-21
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Tho President Returns Unsigned Two pri.
vats Pension Illls-Hiss Rsasons for HIS

The President Returns Unstgnod Two EF1s
vnts Pension Dills-HlsS ReSsons for Hi
Actlon. rs,
WARRINGTON, Mayg10.-Ths following ID
the sutstance Of thestwo messages sent to
Congress Saturday byy the President, veto.
Ing two private pension bills. The first
message is as follows:
etc TrHE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: /
return withoutfmy approval House bill No.
IA, entitled angact increasing the pension
OF Andrew ]. Hill. The bill doubles the PEN
sion which the person named therein has
been receiving for number Of years It ap-
pears from the report Of the committee to
which the bill was referred that the claim
made by him for increased pension has
on the ground that b e,clailnAnt il nowr re-
ceiving q pension commensurate with
the degree of disability found to exist.
The policy of frequently reversing by
special enactment the decisions Of the
bureau invested by law with the x
equipped for such examination, and which
ought not to be suspected of any lack of
liberality to ,our veteran soldiers, Is exceed
ingly questionable. 1t may well be doubted
if q committee of Congress has . better OPP
e p%Grt tna mer shsn 81 sg Lis sIEainey f &. 5 bdWe
ever, there is any lack OF power in
the Pension Bureau for a. full in.
v~estigation it should be supplied If the
system adopted is Inadequate to do full
Justice to claimants, it should be corrected,
and e there is e want Of sympathy a,ndcon-
ment. the bureau should be reorganixed.
The disposition to concede most generous
treatment to the disabled, aged and needy
among our veterans should not be res
strained, and it must be admitted that in
attained without the charitable tendencies
Of the Government in favor Of worthy OBJ
jects OF; It's care The conditions I'M
times justify resort to special legislation,
bnt ! am convinced that the interpretation
by special. enactment in the granting Of
pensions should be rare and exceptional.
There has lately been rresentedto me ON
the same day for approval nearly two kun-
dred and forty special bills, granting and
increasing pensions IA restoring. to the
pension List the names Of parties
To aid executive duty they were rs
ferledS tothe Pension Bureau for exam
ination and report. After 4 delay abso-
lutely necessary they have been returned
to me within q few hours Of the limit con-
s : Eig provided ! led for = the .s. sseoq sa,,s
cover cases IN which favorable action. by
the Pension Bureau was denied by rea-
sOn.of the insufficiency Of the testimony
fled ia. prove the facts alleged.
These. bills have approved on the
assumption that the claims were
meritOriOus and that, on the passage Of
the bills. the Government has waived full
proof Of the facts.
II estimate the expenditure involved in
these bills at more than $35, 600 annually.
Though myconceptionof public duty leads
me to the conclusion upon the slightiexam..
tnation which / have been able to give to
such OF these bills as are not en-
braced in the first class above men
TONED. that many Of them should be
di~sapproved,. / am utterly unable co
submit within the time allowed me tor
b a purpose any objections to the same.
therefore become operative with
out my. approval. Asuflleient reason for
the returnsof the particular bill now unda
considerations fouhdin the fact that it
provides that the naise Of Andrew y. Hill
be placed on the pension roll, while the rec
0rds OF the Pension Bureau, asswells as the
medical certificate made part of the re-
port, discloses the fact thatthe name OF the
is Alfred u. HILL,
h President vetoed on Saturday also
the House, bill increasing the pension OF
Abigail Smith on the ground that the BEN
Gifts of the bill were conferred on the PEN
siOner on March5 8 by statute.