The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1890-05-15
NO PENSIONS FOR SOLDIERS.
THE egNATe COMMITTEE RECON-
MEND A DISAGREEMENT

The Two Measures Arc Entirely ifreeon-
eiIable and the House niii wholly In
adequate--At Least $4,000 Disabled
and Dependent union soldiers heeipi'
eats Of rublIo ohaFity--naty Of tho
Government 10 Provide for These
Firt-Rellef to the seeessitous'
WASHINGTON May il,-'lhe senate
pension committee yesterday presented
to tho atnata repGlt Recommending a
disagreement 10 the house amendment
substituting service pension bill forihe
dependent pension bill, Tho report says
that tho senate bill provides that the
beneficiary must be dependent upon his
daily labor, upon the contributions OF
Others not legally bound for his support,
while the house amendment makes pan-
sionable all persons who can bring then-
selves within ita requirements, iiTespec'
tive Of thelr peeuniary means, The sem
ate bill also fixes the rate of pension at
Sl9 and tho house bill At 81 q month
The senate bill also mal,es provision ior
dependent parents, which 10 omitted IN
the house amendment, The R0nate bill
provides that the disability shall not DO
the result Of ylcious habilsi this 10 omit
tod Ia the house amendment, The house
also provides for u service pension,
which the senate does NOT In
The Opinion ~ tho senate
committee the twomeaAureH are entirely
irrecOnoilable, aud IN the committees
Judgment the house bin N wholly in
adequate, The report anya that count
ing the number Of disabled soldiers In
the Soldiers home and elemoaynary in
atltutiona, there are NJ least 10000 dis
abled and dependent Union soldiers no,
oipients Of public charity The rate OF
Sip u month approaches nearly the mini.
mum OF subsistence, while IS u month
undoubtedly falls far below II, II II be
deemed cxpedicnt 10 allow q pension OF
SS per month, simply because q person
Ia disabled, that N no reason why - q
month should be taken from the depend
ent soldier, The house provision bene-
fits those who do not need u pension ~
the expense Of those who are IN ahaO'
lutte need II h the opinion Of the som
ate committee that u IL the duty OF the
government, before entering upon any
other pension legislation, 70 provide for
the needs OF tho disabled and depend
ent soldiers IN the
Most Liberal Manner Possible.
MI. a....t. I'm ..ras lsus..aI asH.s. NIla
theory. lta object IA relief TO the noces-
mtioua and not those who do not need.
The committee think service pension q
matter which should not be involved
with disability bill. A service pension
is matter requiring the most careful
consideration In order that Justice may
be done both 10 tho soldier and 10 the
country, Estnatoa prepared by Capt
AlnBwOrth show thut tho approximate
aggregate cost OF service ponhon upon
q basis OF 0e years aa the ago limit will
bo 81 ,iS2, ,006, ,625. Upon II basis Of 90
years the cost would be- 81 1888, lOD, 500.
OF this amount 8l,0lO, ,0l7O9i must be
paid before the end Of the year 1918 and
the average annual payment will be
81 1928, ,789, 10 should be stated, how
ever, that these estimates are subject 70
an annual reduction or 81 ,l7i ,0B6 due 10
22 ,605 Of the pensioners already being
on the rolls NJ AN average OF @,B3 u
month. These estimates are materially
greater than those Of the house COM
mittee, but the senate committee adopt
them because they seem 10 be hased on
valid reasons and because all experience
has shown that pension estimates have
heretofore invariably fallen below the
actual cost. The committee do not be-
lieyo the service pension would give
Satisfaction 10 tho Soldiers,
II Ia preferential and invidious II Is
q tontine measure. II places the man
who served ninety days upon the same
footing with him who served four years,
IL oompels the youth who enlisted at 49,,
losing his opportunity for education,
and who was discharged veteran at 90,
20 wait twelve years before his claim for
recognition will bo entertained II IL
the committees opinion that whenever
70 is deemed wise toinaugurate n system
Of service pensions II should be done for
the benefit of all living soldiers who are
honorably discharged, The estimates
submitted 10 the committee respecting
the average term of service vary from
eighteen TO twenty-six months, On this
basis the annual charge would be $685.
Cos, ,595, The whole subject, however,
being largely coniectural With regard
TO the proposed repeal Of the arrears act
the committee state that the secretary Of
the interior estimates that II would re-
Quire S2l6, ,220, 200 10 pay the claims al
lowed between the date the arrears limi-
tation went into effect and JAM /, 1886;