Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-29
THE SERVICE PENSION BILL.
Commissioner Raum's Estimate of the
Expense to be Incurred IL 1t Passes.

Commissioner of Pensions Raum, in reply to
q request from Representative Morrill,, chair
man Of the House committee on invalid PEN
sions, has prepared an estimate of the probable
expense to be incurred in case the House bill
pending for a service pension becomes law.
Gen Raum says.
This measure provides for the ultimate PEN
sioDing at SS per month of every officer and
soldier who served ninety days or more in the
army, navy or marine corps of the United
States during the war of the rebellion and who
shall have received an honorable discharge
therefrom. The provision which pensions
those who are now or may hereafter be suffer-
ing from mental or physical disability equIva-
lent to the grade now established in the PEN
sion Office for the rate of IS per month is both
humane and just. and will give relief to thous-
ands of disabled soldiers who are not able to
secure a pension under existing laws because of
their inability to establish by proof the fact
that their present disabilities were incurred in
the service. Your bill also makes just pro-
vision OF % per month for the widows and
minor children of honorably discharged
soldiers, where such widow is without other
means OF support than her daily labor. The
first section of your bill grants a service pen
sion of % per month to the officers and en-
listed men Of the army and navy or the marine
corps who served ninety days or more and were
honorably discharged who are now slxty-two
years Of age or over or who shall hereafter
reach that age"
THE CoMA1ssIoNERs ESTIMATE
OF the cost Of the service pension is as follows:
&c, 493 survivors, 81 years Of age at s96 per an
num- 81, 727, 1913; %, GAP pensioners, 62 years of
age who who would be entitled to an increase
OF s3. 81 per month, 81, ,273; probable num-
Der of widows who will be entitled under the
law, being 81 per cent Of the log, 1876, or 49, 263
50, 769, PAS making the total cost of proposed
service pension for fiscal year 1891 $l2 625. SAG
Gen. Raum also furnishes the following
estimate Of claims which would probably be
allowed under sections and of the bill:
l07, 234 pending invalid claims, 81, $50 pending
widows claims 43, 937 rejected invalid claims,
64,i22 probable number of new applica-
tions, making total OF 1885 at $50
per annum, S24, 1884, SS; 62,579 pensioners
under 81 years of age now on rolls
at less than IS per month. who will probably be
increased 1857 per month, 81, 755, 779. These
amounts added to the cost of the service PEN
sion will make the total sum S39, 761. SIG.
The total number of survivors up to July I,
1880, is placed at 1,246, 089.
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.
In conclusion Gen. Raum says: "a very i'm
portant question to consider in connection with
the cost Of your bill is the fact OF the greatly
increased death rate of one-third of the sur
vivors of the army. / estimate that during the
next six years at least 200, 900 of the survivors
of the war will die; that during the next twelve
years at least $50, 600 will have died. and that
during the next eighteen years at least TO-
600 will have died. A great merit of this
measure il that, if it becomes a law. it will
simply be engrafted upon the present system
of pension legislation; and, while it proposes
to place upon the pension rolls at 50 per month
the S72, 987 soldiers who were not on the rolls
January /, 1890, it leaves their rights unmpaIred
to apply for and to receive higher rate Of PEN
sion under existing laws. Every provision of
your bill commends itself to my Judgment as
wise and Just, and it seems to me that il will
not impose a burden upon the country of which
the people will complain"