The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-05-22
THE TWO BILLS.
Adverse Report Of the Senate Committee on Pen
siens to the Morrill, Bill.

panied this. The following are its main feat
ures:
The Senate bill is disability bill and by its
provisions the beneficiary must also be depend
ent upon his daily labor, or upon the cOutribu
tions Of others not legally bonnd thereto. for
his support. The House amendment is also a
disability bill. but it omits the requirement of
dependence, and makes pensionable all persons
who can bring themselves within its require
ments irrespective of their pecuniary means.
Stated more in detail, the Senate bill provides
in substance that all persons who served three
months or more in the military or naval service
of the United States during the late war of
the rebellion, and have been honorably dis
charged thcrefrOm, and who are now or who
may hereafter be suffering from mental or
physical disability not the result of their own
vicious habits, which incapactates them from
the performance of labor in such a degree as
to render them unable to earn support, and
who are dependent upon their daily labor or
upon the contributions of others not legally
bound thereto for their support, shall be
placed upon the list of invalid pensioners at
the rate of Sl2 month.
The House amendment provides that
All persons who'served % days or more in the mil
iiaTy naval service of the United States during
the late war of the rebellion. and who have been
honoraby discharged therefrou. and whoaTe now,
may hereafter be suffering from mental or phys
ical disability, equivalent To the grade estab-
lishcd in the Pension Office for the rating Of - per
month upon due proof % the fact according. such
rules aud regulations the Secretary a ne Interior
may provide shall he placed upon a5o.sof invalid
pensioners of the United States the Of per
month.
As to the rate of pension tho difference be-
tween the measures is this: The Senate bill
provides for a disabled, dependent soldier the
rate of SO per month, while By the terms Of
the House amendment all soldiers within its
provisions receive but s. per month.
The measures also d fer rrgupCtin1 their rro-
visions for widows and minor children. It is
provided by the Senate bill that the widow Of
every officer or enlisted man who served three
months in the Army Navy of the United
States during the rebellion, and who was hon
orably discharged, and the children under lG
years OF age, shall be placed upon the pension
rolls at the rate OF SI2 per month as 20 the
widow and 81 per month as to each minor
child under l6 years of age, and in case such
minor child IS insane, idiOtc, or otherwise help
less the pension shall continue during the life
Of said child or the continuance of such dis
ability. The House amendment contains two
provisions upon the subject. First, that
If any officer or enlisted man who served 90 days
ia the Army or Navy Of the United States during
the late war Of the rebellion and who was honor
ably discharged has died, shall hereafter die
leaving "A widoyy over the age of 60 years such
widow shall upon due proof Of her husbands
death, be placed upon the peBsiOn-roil from date
OF her application, at the rate OF IS per month, to
And second, that
II any officer or enlisted man who served three
months or more in the Army or Navy Of the United
States during the late Of the rebellion and who
was honorAbly discharged has died, or shall here
after die. leaving a widow without other means OF
support than her daily labor or minor children
under the age o! Is years. such widow minor
children shall. upon due proof OF her husbands
DEATH without proving his death To be the result Of
his army service. be placed the pension roll
from the date Of the application therefor. at the
rYfsa Of kEVsa.H 4. H..
ia case of death remaTriage Of the widow, Ieav-
child or children OF thc soldier sailor under the
age of l6 years, such pension shall be paid such
child or children untIl the ago Of 10.
The Senate bill makes provision for depend
cnt parents at the rate of SIP per month, while
the House amendment contains no provision
whatever upon the subject.
The Senate bill provides that the disability
shall not be the result of vicious habits The
House amendment 0mits this provision. . . .
The Senate bill contains no provision for n
service pension. The House amendment pro
vides that
the Secretary of tie Interior be- and be il hereby
authorized and directed TO place on the pension
roll Of line United States the Of any officer or
enlisted nlup of 60 years Of age or over, or who
shall hereafter reach that age no served 60 DAYS
or more IN The Army, Navy. or Marine Corps Of the
United States during the Of ile rebellion. and
shall have received honorable discharge the re-
from, said pension to commence from tie date Of
the application therefor ard to continue during the
N. AZ
the rate OF - a month.
Your committee have not been able to agree
/ To the House amendmt Mt and in their opinion
/ the two measures are entirely irTecOncilable.
/ IS a measure OF relief 10 the most needy and
/ the dependent the amendment OF the House of
/ Representatives falls far short of what its
/ benefciaries have a right to expect. and in
/ the Judgment of your committee il is wholly
| inadequate in general aud detail. II makes
| no provision for dependent parents, which
| omission, considering the fact chat these de-
| Pendents must be provided for, and were IN
/ dOubtediy intended TO he provided for By House
/ bill 70, which passed the House of Represent
| atives Jan %. 1880, should also be borne in
| mind, because the amount Tequ red to provide
for these dependents must be added to the esti-
mates which have been made OF the cost Of the
/ House amendments.
! 1t appears from the report of the managers
Of the National Homes for Disabled Volunteer
| Soldiers, for the fiscal year 1889. that there
| were ii, "a soldiers who were inmates Of the
National Homes. Similar Homes have been
| provided in Is States. and in these there were
| 3.65S soldiers making total of Il, $50 inmates
/ of these institutions To these mist be added
1 those who are inmates OF poorhouses and aims
houses, yariousiy estimated at frou 10000 10
/ $4,000; so that il may safely he considered that
| at the present time at least 900 disabled aud
| utpenuCht Union sOIulerS are recipients OF
| public charity.
| As to the disabled soldiers, the Senate bill,
| requiring disability and dependence, grants a
| pension of sig a month. while the House
| amendment in providing for the disabled aud
making no requirement of dependence, allows
| s. a month, no matter whether the pensioner
is dependent or in receipt of an income or in
possession OF property which places him entirely
| beyond the need of any provision whatever.
| The rate OF $l2 . month, fixed by the Senate
bill, approaches nearly the minimum of the cost
| OF subsistence, while the rate of s. a month,
| provided by the House amendment undoubt-
eddy falls far below it. If it is deemed expedi-
! ent 10 allow a pension of IS month TO a person
| of ample means from the mere fact that he is
disabled the same being an increase 10 his pri-
| waite accumulatIons already ample, that Is no
| reason why 81 a month should be taken frOm
| the disabled aud dependent soldier, thus re-
dueing what he will receive to an amount upon
| which he cannot possibly subSist. This reduc-
| ton, in substance, benefits those who do not
need pension, ut the expense Of those whose
need for it is most pressing by reason of their
disability and dependence.
/ The Senate bill pensions a widow ut Sl2 q
month, as before stated, irrespective of the
cause of death of the husband; it increases the
pensions of minor children from s. TO "a a
| month, etc. the pension to take effect from the
date of death OF the husband, but not back OF
| the passage of the act. The House amendment,
in case the widow is over 90 years of age. pen
sions her from the date of her application,
whether before or since the passage of the act,
at the rate of IS per month"; Widows under