The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-31
A WRONG CONSTRUCTION OF THE
Law.

pension act ought not to be enacted by
congress; the act is a good law; but it
needs to be strictly and fairly, not loosely
construed as ar present. In order to be
entitled toe pension under it, the claim
ant must be disabled to such degree that
he is unable to earn his support by man
ual labor; yet the practice of the pension
bureau under the Raum regime is based
upon rulings which have governed the
execution of other laws Of which this
one is absolutely independent. Under
these rulings claimants who have lost the
sight of one eye, or q thumb and
index finger. or who are partly deaf,
receive the maximum pension of
SO a month without any inquiry
being made as to their degree of
disability to earn their support by manual
labor, their mere statement being taken
as final. The object of the law was to
reach cases of extreme need not touched
by the other laws. and by strict con-
struction of the dependent pension law,
affirmative and positive proof of the help
| less condition of the claimant would be
| required. The practice, however, has
| been for claimant to apply first under
the NEW law" as it is called, because he
could get his money quicker and easier
under that than under any of the old
| laws, and meanwhile to prosecute claim
| under one of the old laws, covering his
| specific form of disability.
The really deserving pensioners con-
| denim this loose construction of the law,
| veteran writes the Washington City
| Post that: "No soldier who served at the
| front three long years and is now receiv-
| ing pension for the loss of one eye,
| caused by shot from the enemy's guns,
| feels that his service was very highly ap-
| preciated by the government when he
| knows that the fellow who served ninety
| days in some Northern camp a thousand
miles away from the enemy, is paid the
same pension for q similar disability,
| caused from kick by mule received
| twenty years after the war"
A veteran writes the New York Sun
| from Warwick, n. Y:
| Please allow to tell what know about
| James IL. Bonvill OF invalid pension claim No
/ 527,9Oi, late OF Company II, Thirteenth Michigan
| infantry. He prisoner In Libby Prison
when our troops took Richmond. You know
| how few lived 10 get home that had been con-
| fined i'll that pen The strain on his nerves was
such that ii caused slow paralysis and now he
| is helpless. lie can't dress or undress himself
| can't feed himself, can't brush fly from his
! face
| fought two years 10 get him n pension of 81
month. II has been increased to sI6 II month
| The examining board live in the same place
/ and know full well his condition
a month.
! We remember the case OF a so-caled
veteran" who broke down on every
march, shirked out of every engagement,
and finally getting into hospital was dis
| charged about fifteen months after enlist
ment He never applied for any pension
untii-the arrears of pension act was passed
and then he put in his claim. He de-
scribed an injury to one Of his legs, due to
an accident IN childhood, as the result of
! an injury received by him "at the battle
| OF Savage Station. June so. lS62, when his
| regiment supported 3 battery. that the bat
! terry became stampede3 by the fire OF the
| enemy and rCshed through the ranks OF his
/ company: that he was knocked down and
| permanent injury 10 his leg" The pen-
| SION department proved that the battle of
| Savage Station vas not fought on the 30th.
| but on the 29;h of June; that his regiment
| did not support y battery at all on that
! day or on any other day during the cam
| paign; that the claimant was reported alb
/ sent without leave from his company dur
! ing all the fighting OF the campaign, and
/ that, therefore, ii he received any injury II
| was while lodging. not dischagging his
| duty. The pension department also
| proved by the testimony Of his
| comrades and p.aymates tina, the claimant
always had this game leg" before enlist.
| ment. and that he was never present with
F! his company s.. any action during his
VIII e term of service Aud vet in suite
/ OF this overwhelming proof that the claim
/ ant y as a shlrk, fraud and liar. seyera,
congressman, including a very eminent
! United States senator, persisted year after
year n trying 10 pass special bill fog this
fellow relief. Wben anou-commi>sioned
officer. who had been sworn. in denial OF
I the jastlce of this claim, hy the pension de-
/ partme0t, wrote this United States senator
/ that Of has own personal knowledge ne
! had taken his osth tha, his regiment did
/ not support q battery aud his company
] vas not run down by any caisson. tile as
tute lawyer replied that the official re-
ports vi Tie war department. showed sAss