Montgomery County sentinel., 1888-03-16
I III I. S + N TIN T. l..
ROCK WILLIE. MD
Friday Morning........ March l6, 1888.
THE DEPENDENT PENSION BILL

Friday Morning...."... March 16, 1888.
THE DEPENDENT PENSION BILL
The principal difference between the De-
pendent Bill passed by the Senate on Friday
last and the one vetoed by the President last
year is that the former requires "total dis.
ability" on the part of the pensioner, while
the vetoed bill set no definite limit on the
amount Of disability that would entitle TO a
pension. 1t was this point on which the
President based his veto more than any
other, and the bill was 30 loosely and care
lessy drawn that it was impossible to tell
exactly what it meant. Indeed, the Chair
man of the Pension Committee of the House,
and the Chairman of the Pension Commit
tee in the Senate, each of whom reported
the bill and had charge Of it during the de-
bate that ensued, differed radically on this
point. That fact was specified by the Presi-
dent as evidence of the radical and incura-
BILE obscurity pervading the measure. In
the bill just passed by the Senate there is no
room for this particular objection. Not only
is the word totally" included in the bill, but
an attempt to strike it out was defeated, in
spite of agood deal of vaporing on the part
of the advocates of the amendment as to al
legged coercion" by threats of veto.
The essential section of the bill is as fol-
lows: "All persons who served three months
or more in the military or naval service of
United States during the war of the rebel
lion and who have been honorably dis
charged therefrom and who are now or who
may hereafter be suffering from mental or
physical disability, not the result of their
own vicious habits, which totally incapa-
citates them tor the performance of manual
labor, and who are without other adequate
means of self-support shall, upon making
due proof of that fact, according TO such
rules and regulations as the Secretary of the
Interior may provide, be placed upon the
list of invalid pensioners of the United
States, and be entitled to receive $12 per
month, and such pension shall commence
from the date Of the filing of the applica-
ton in the Pension Office, after the passage
of this act, upon proof that the disability
then existed, and shall continue during the
existence of the same"
This is, as was very naively admitted, and
indeed, claimed by the Chairman of the
Committee on Pensions, the bill practically as
drafted by the Committee on Legislation OF
the Grand Army Of the Republic. There is
very little reason to suppose that the bill
will not pass the House. What will be the
course of the President regarding it, it is
impossible to predict, though it has been
announced that the Grand Army Commit
tee after an interview with Mr.. Cleveland,
believed that they had succeeded in franz
ing bill to which he would not object.
But it is highly improbable that he gave
any promise in advance to approve of any
measure whatever.
The bill, though 1t removes the doubt as
to the requirement OF total incapacity for
manual labor to be caused by the disability
OF the pensioner, is still not clear as TO the
degree of dependence required. The PEN
sioner must be totally incapacitated for the
performance Of manual labor" and must be
without other adequate means of self-sup.
port" Exactly what constitutes adequate
means is not defined, nor is any clear dis
cretion left with any one to determine it.
The amount of" service" required is "three
months" military or naval Under this bill,
as under the one vetoed year ago. there is no
requirement that this shall have been active
service or that the pensiener shall have been
exposed to any Of the real hardships or dan
gers Of war, or that he shall have left the
place in which he was enlisted. It is quite i'm
possible TO form any approximate estimate
OF the amount of money that will be re.
quired by this bill. Senator Manderson de-
clared that there were $4,000 soldiers in
almshouses or in soldiers homes who would
be entitled TO pensions. This would be but
small percentage of those who would make
claim under the bill, to say nothing of those
whose pensions would be advanced from
what they are now receiving, The bill was
passed by vote of A to IA, with five pairs,
showing total of 40 to ia full vote, and
considerable more than two. thirds