The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1890-05-15
PENSION LEGISLATION.

sioning OF Veterans of the War OF tho
Rebellion, which arc at Present Hanging
Fire, Contrasted - Estimates of the
Amounts Necessary to Meet the Pro-
posed Pensions.
WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE Senate
pension committee yesterday presented
to the Senate report recommending u
disagreement to the House amendments
substituting service pension bill for
the Dependent Pension bill. The re-
port says that the Senate bill provides
that the beneficiary must be de-
pendent upon his daily labor or upon
the contributions of others not le-
gally bound for his support, while tho
House amendments makes pensionablo
all persons who can bring themselves
within its requirements irrespective OF
ecuniary means.
The Senate bill also fixes the ratio of
pension at twelve dollars and the House
| bill at eight dollars o month. The Sem
ate bill also makes provision for do
| pendent parents which is omitted in
! the House amendment. Tho Senate
/ bill provides that the disability shall
not be the result of vicious habits. This
is omitted in the House amendments.
The House also provides for a service
pension which the Senate docs not. In
the opinion of the Senate committee
the two measures arc entirely irrecon-
cilable and in the committees iudg-
mcnt the House bill is wholly in
adequate. The report says that, count
ing the number of disabled soldiers in
the soldiers homes and cleemosynary
institutions there are at least twenty
five thousand disabled and dependent
| Union soldiers recipi cnts Of public
| charity. The rate of twelve dollars n
month approaches nearly the minimum
of subsistence, while eight dollars u
month undoubtedly falls far below it.
If it be deemed cXpcdicnt to allow IL
| pension of eight dollars per month
simply because person is dis
abled that is no reason why
| four dollars month should DO
taken from the dependent soldier.
The House provision benefits those who
do not need pension at the expense of
| those who arc in absolute need. 1t is
| the opinion of the Senate committee
that it is the duty of the Government,
before entering upon any other pension
| legislation, to provide for tho needs of
the disabled and dependent soldiers in
| the most liberal manner possible. The
! Senate bill was framed upon this
| theory. Its object is relief to the neces-
sitous and not to those who do not need.
The committee think tho service PEN
sion a matter which should not be in
volved with disability bill. A scrv-
| ice pension is matter requiring
the most careful consideration
in order that justice may be done
both to the soldier and to the country.
Estimates prepared by Captain Aims
worth shows that the approximate ag-
| gregate cost of service pension upon u
basis of siXty-two years as 5hc age limit
will be 81, 1S2, O95, 525. Upon basis of
| sixty years the cost would be 81, 333,-
l09 $50. OF this amount Sl,079, T,O24
must be paid before the end of the year
1915, and the average annual payment
will be SIl, ,523 1872. 1t should be stated,
| however, that these estimates are sub
ject to an annual reduction of ST..
III, 03G, due to 81. 59j of the pensioners
already being on the rolls at an average
of Si.33 a month These estimates
are materially greater than those of the
I House committee, but the Senate COM
mittee adopt them because they seemed
/ to be based on valid reasons and because
all experience has shown that pension
estimates have heretofore invariably
fallen below the actual cost The COM
mittce do not believe the service
pension would give satisfaction to the
soldiers. 1t is preferential and invidi-
GUS. 1t is tontine measure. 1t places
/ the man who served twenty days upon
| the same footing with him who served
/ four years, 1t compels tho youth
who enlisted at sixteen, los
ing his opportunity for education, and
/ who was discharged n veteran at tweL-
/ ty-thrce to wait twelve years before his
| claim for recognition will be enter
| tanned. 1t is the committees opinion
| that whenever it is deemed wise to in
augurate a system of service pensions it
! should be done for the benefit of all
I living soldiers who are honorably dis
charged. The estimates submitted to
the committee respecting the average
term of service vary from eighteen to
twcnty-six months On this basis tho
annual charge would be SOS, G2S 595 the
whole subject, however, being largely
conjecture
With regard to the proposed repeai
! of the Arrears act the committee learns
that the Secretary of the Interior csti-
/ mates that it would require S21,220,e00
to pay the claims allowed between the
| date the arrears Limitation went into
effect and January |, 1886; and S255,-
145, 200 to pay arrears on all claims still
pending. These estimates do not apply
to claims filed since the beginning of
1880