The Coconino weekly sun., 1893-12-14
PENSION LEGISLATION.
Protest ot the c. A. R. Against Demo
 cratic Enactments.

crAtiC EuhCtheutSs
 At it's twenty-seventh national en- campment, held in Indianapolis early in September last, the Grand Army of the Republic approved the report of its committee on pensions, the substance of which, together with the resolutions appended to same, has been issued in circular form and is now given to the public:
 ITO bind up the nations wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for hls widow and orphan" Thus spoke Lincoln the great Lincoln the just, standing reverent ly. with uncovered head in the immediate pres ence of a cruel and devastating war, that had already lasted four years, the end of which, all though so near, his prophetic vision was not able to see; speaking to, for and by the author ity of the American people, concerning one of the supreme duties of the hour and the future when entering for the second time upon the discharge of trust committed to him by that people
 Within few short weeks that end so long hoped for had come but his dying eyes were not privileged to see the full fruition of his la bors, and the work so well begun and carried on by him fell into other hands, charged with all the trusts that the conditions implied and required; and those who had "borne the battle"
 
 toward their long deserted homes"
 A grateful nation met and received them, and gladly showered upon them the plaudits and the honors they had so well and hardly earned.
 These bearers of the battle" " were then, In the main. in the prime and vigor of young manhood, with all the honors and possi- bilities of life before them, with all the hopes born of lofty courage and patriotic and successful achievement beating N4..l. A.. Al. and still less cared for material aid from the country they had preserved and made free, save where loss of life or limb or impaired health and broken constitutions were presently vtsibe and for such, in the main, ample and prompt provision was made by that country.
 But, as the years passe ed by, middle life too frequently ydeveoped.into premature old age and youth passed into rper years with. galloping feet; and alas! too soon the exultant and hearty soldier found that in the race of life there were weights upon his feet and burdens upon his shoulders, as the result of premature and overheavy draughts upon his vitality, that sadly interfered with successful competi- tion in the crowd and jostle of the fierce struggle for advancement And still the nation sought to keep abreast of the necessities of her heroes, and by additional enactments to meas. urably make provision for the necessities of those who "had borne the battle.''
 quarter of a century had elapsed. The young had become old, the'middle aged had be- come feeble. and the old had crossed the river. Time, with its ruthless fingers. had joined hands with the ravages of war, and the two combined had proved a burden upon the aging soldier greater than he could bear; ard the cry went abroad that in too many instances for the credit, honor or good name ct the na Iion many who had followed the flag and faced the fiery furnace of battle had in want fallen by the wayside, and in the poorhouses were looking longingly for the relief and comfort of the grave
 Their sympathizing comrades and patriotic people, with one accord, voiced the sentiment that such was not humane administering of the sacred trust recognized and announced by Lincoln. As to what the remedy should be, mems minds differed Many, possibly major. ity, Of the survivors of the war believed that the time had fully come when the name of every honorably discharged survivor should be placed upon the pension roll Others, denying the right that they should receive aught from their country through the pension roll, stoutly re. sisted the demand
 It was under such circumstances and deal ing with these conflicting opinions that con gress enacted the disability pension law of June, 1890 This act was accepted by the sur viving soldiers and by the people in general as Q settlement of the question Under the ad- ministru ton Of that law the poorhouse gave up
 
 cared for; and thus the sacred trust accepted and left as a legacy to the nation was faith fully administered
 Within q few months we hear with profound sorrow and regret that all this must be changed; that the construction Of the law has been changed, and the regulations and rules in regard to proof and ratings, under which more than 300 900 claims have been allowed and paid have been revoked, and another construction of the law has hpen established and new re0ula. tions for proof and ratings, less favorable to claimants have been adopted. that board of revision has been organized in the pension ofice, charged with the duty Of revising all these ad- indicated claims in accordance with this new construction, and such changed regulations as to proof and ratings: that under these changes thousands of pensions have been suspended without notice and thousands Of pensioners have been dropped from the rolls. IL is claimed that an adiudicatio of a pension settles nothing; that the secretary Of the interior and the commissioner of pen. sions are invested by law with absolute power over the pension roll, and that it is within their legal authority to reopen and revise pensions allowed by their predecessors under regula- tions adopted by them whenever they see fl [ to change the rules of evidence and the scale or ratings under which the allowance was made: and this in a country of law, where from the very infancy Of the government the United states, Dy us organic law, is in terms denied the right to deprive any person of property without due process of law, notice and an oppor- tunity to be heard. and where in every other re- lation and condition in life fraud is never pre-. sumed, but must be clearly proved. and every person shall have the right to face his accuser. To emphasize the viclousness of the situation and accusation. we learn thatit is sad as though by authority, that ''it is expected that many of the pensioners so summarily suspended or dropped will be able to prove that they are still entitled to the pension of which they have been deprived;" thus saying fin no uncertain voice that the burden is not upon the party alleging the fraud but that the government which they have preserved shall first brand with Infamy by the charge, their sentence, and after the stigma has been effective then con cede to them, whose barriers and support of character have been thus undermined the pitful privilege Of moving for new trial upon the ground of newly discovered evidence: and this not upon strangers, aliens or foes, but upon our own flesh and blood, our comrades, the saviors Of the nation-those who, in the Ian guage of Lincoln, the immortal, have 'borne the battle"
 We deny that the secretary of the interior and the commissioner of pensions have any such power. We insist that adjudicating di. visions of the pension ofice, acting under the direction and supervision of the commissioner of pensions and secretary of the interior, are tribunals established by authority of law for the settlement of pension claims, and that