New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-23
GRADED PENSIONS.
BEROAN's SEVEN BILLS.
A CHANCE FOR SOLDIERS WAC HAVE no HOS
PITAL RECURDs--A COMPROMISE GROUND
~ TELEGRAPH THE TRiBUsE-I

,Br TELEGRAPH THE TRiBUsE.I
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.-The pension question has
been q general subject of discussion while the
Pension Committee of the Grand Army has been
here this last week. The memorial presented TO
Congress Dy General BeIdan submitting seven
bills setting out his ideas for classifying the
veterans as yet unprovided for, and allowing
each class TO take its chances before Congress III
dependent Of the others, VIII probably come up
for discussion before the committees OF both houses
this week These bills set out in full in me
TaIBUNn last autumn, are designed to reach those
now disabled, but who struggled along with their
disabilities in the field instead OF giving UP and
goInl To the hospital. As the law Is now inter
preted by the tension Once, only those who nave
hospital records can get pensions. Instead o., OF
or fail together, General Berdan submits bill f0r
each OF SIX classes into which he divides them,
beginning with the most mcrtorlous who served
for three years without bountles and are now
disabled, and ending with small retiring pension
for volunteer officers who are over slAty-tnree
years Of age.
old soldiers for their pensions, ana provides that
no widow minor child shall receive the nus
bands or fathers pension II the marriage was
contracted after The Application Tor such pension
The bills have many strong supporters N Congress-
and the Administrations, who look upon them as u
solution of the present deadlock between q
who says No more pehsGns iOr
posed by the generous advocates oil the disabled
vettlaDs.
My leading object said the General in speak
ing to a correspondent of ms lRIBUN' to-day,
I" has always been to provide in some way, by
hook or by crook, and If necessary before others
come in, for the poor fellows who did the fight
ing and are now III sickness and want, while
their less enduring comrades went into the hos
pitfalls and have hospital records which they
can get pensions. The central idea on which L
have asked has been graded pension, depending
on length of service, the maximum for three
years and corresponding proportion for any
fraction of three years. No one has denied the
justice of the claim, but the argument everywhere
has been, We can't give any more pensions.
begin to add, where is this thing going to stop?
Now propose to knock that plea out completely
by adding another bill TO the set.
1T it is just that the disabled man with the
fighting record for whom | am working should
have his pension rated according to time of ser
vice-and that's al I'm asking for him
with wi the hospital record should have his
PRESENT service disability pension scaled accord
ingly. So I'm gong 10 add the following bill TO
my list: All tensions heretofore granted for dis
abilities resulting from diseases contracted in the
service shall after the passage OF this act, he rated
in proportion to the time OF service OF the PEN
soners in their respective regiments. three years
being the maximum time from which such service
is to he rated
This will put tho nchting man on an even
pane with the hospital inmate and provide for
them both without anv additional drain upon the
taxpG.-pr. In fact ! think there will be posi-
tive saving. A re-eXam nation of all the present
disability pensions will be necessary. In simple
words these bills if passed. will compel the man
who went into the hospital after months scr
bice with his regiment TO share his pension with
his comradc who is now equally helnlcss but who
fought his wev through scores ~ battles and
would not let himself he nut on tho hospital list
The pensions OF those who were wounded are, OF
course, TO be untouched"