St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-11-16

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON PEN
SONS.

Army Of the Republic at indianapolis
The committee on pensions presented the
following report;
"To bind up the nations wounds; to
care for him who shall have borne the
hattie, and for his widow and orphan"
thus spoke Lincoln the Great, Lincoln
he lust, standing reverently, with UNI
covered head, in the immediate presence
of a cruel and devastating war, that had
already lasted four years, the end of
which. although so near, his prophetic
vision was not able to see; speaking to,
-or and by the authority of the Ameri-
can people, concerning one of the SD
irene duties of the hour and the future,
when entering for the second time upon
he discharge OF a trust committed to
nm by that people.
Within a lew short weeks that end so
!ong hoped for had come; but his dying
eyes were not privileged to see the full
,ruition of his labors, and the work so
we'll begun and carried on by him fell
INTO other hands, charged with all the
trusts that the condition implied and re-
CURED; and those who had borne the
battle" after so many days turned their
aappy feet towards their long-deserted
ZONES"
A grateful nation met and received
hem, and gladly showered upon them
rLe piaudits and the honors they had so
we'll and hardly earned.
These bearers OF titles" were then, in
the main, in the prime and vigor of
Young manhood, with all the honors and
possibilities of life before them, with all
the hopes born oflofty courage and pa
triotic and successful achievement beat
ng high in their bosoms and they little
needed and still less cared for material
id from the country they had preserved
and made free, save where loss of life
or limb or impaired health and broken
constitutions were presently visible /;
and for such in the main, ample and
prompt provision was made by that
country.
But as the years passed by, middle
lie too frequently developed into prema-
.ure old age, and youth passed into ripper
Years with gallopine feet; and alas too
soon the exultant and hearty soldier
-ouud that in the race OF life there were
weights upon his feet and burdens upon
his shoulders, as the result of premature
and over-heavy draughts upon his vital
ity, that sadly interfered with successful
competition 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 necessi
les of those who have borne the
battle"
quarter of century had elapsed
The young had become old, the middle
lged had become feeble, and the old had
crossed the river. Time with it's ruth
ess fingers had joined hands with the
ravages of war, and the two combined
had proved burden upon the aging
.oldier greater than he could bear; and
he cry went abroad that in too many
Instances for the credit. honor or good
name of the nation, many who had fol
owed the flag and faced the fiery fur
race of battle. had in want fallen by the
wayside, and i'll the poor-houses were
looking longiugly for the comfort OF the
grave.
Their sympathizing comrades and a
patriotic people. with one accord, voiced
the sentiment that such was not hui.
name 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 sur
yivor should be placed upon the pension
roll. Others denying the right that the,
should receive aught from their country
through the pension roll, stoutly resist
ed the demand
1t was under such circumstances anc
dealing with such conflicting opinions
that congress enacted the disability pen
sion law OF June, 1890. This act wa.
accepted by the surviving soldiers ant
by the people in general as a settlement
OF the question. Under the administra
lion of that law the poor-house gave NJ
is veteran-he who had borne the bat
lie was cared for and thus the sacred
rust accepted and left as legacy to thu
nation was faithfully administered.
Within a few months we hear will
profound sorrow and regret that all THU
must be changed; that the construction
OF the law has been changed, and tn
equations and rules in regard to proc
and ratings, under which more thar
three thousand claims have been allow
ed and paid, have been revoked, an,
another construction of the law ha
been established, and new regulation
Tor proofs and ratings, less favorable t.
claimants, have been adopted; that
board of revision has been organized i,
the pension Office, charged with tn
duty Of revising all these adjudicate'
claims in accordance with this new cor
struction, and such changed regulation
as to proofs and ratings; that unde
these changes, thousands of pensions c
have been suspended without notice an
thousands of pensioners have bee
dropped from the rolls. 1t is elaine
that adjudication of a pension settle
nothing; that the secretary OF the inte1
Tor and commission of pensions are IL
vested by law with absolute power owe
the pension roll, and that it is With
heir legal authority to reopen and n
wise pensions allowed by their predece
sors under regulations adopted by then
whenever they see fit to change the rule
OF evidence and the scale of rating
under which the allowance was made
and this in country of law, where frol
the very infancy of the government tt