People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-11-03
ENCAMPMENT, G. A. r.

/ hEIOhl OF OOMMlI ZEE ON TENSIONS
TO TwENTY-sEvENTH NATIONAL
ENCAMPMENT, G. AR.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Sept Z, 1893.
Your Committee on Pensions begs TO SUBJ
NIT the following report and resolutions on
the subject Of Pensions:
ITO bind up the nations wounds:
to care for him who shall have borne
the battle, and for his widow and Or
phan." Thus spoke Lincoln the
Great. Lincoln the Just, standing rev.
erently, with uncovered 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, for
and by the American people, concern
ing one of the supreme duties of the
hour and future, when entering for
the second time upon the discharge
of trust committed to him By the
people.
Within a 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 labOrs. and
the work so well begun and carried
on by him fell into other hands.
charged with all the trusts that the
condition implied and required; and
those who had "borne the battle"
after so many days turned their
happy feet toward their lOng-deSerted
homes"
A grateful nation met and received
them, and gladly shOwered upon
them the plaudits and 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 possibilities of life before
them, with all the hopes born of
lofty courage and patriotic and sue
cesSful achievement beating high in
their bOsOms: and they little needed
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 visible:
and for such, in the main, ample and
prompt provision was made by that
country.
But as the years passed by, middle
life too frequently developed into
premature old age, and youth passed
into ripper 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 over.
heavy draughtS upon his vitality. that
sadly interfered with successful com.
petition in the crowd and iOStle of
the fierce struggle for advancement
And still the nation sought to keeI
abreast of the necessities of her he
rOes, and by additional enactments
to meaSurably make provision for the
necessities of those who had "bOrnC
the battle"
A quarter of century had ELAPSED
The young had become old, the mid
dle-aged had become feeble, and the
old had crossed the river. Time
with its ruthless fingers, had joineC
hands with the ravages of war, anC
: the two combined had proved bur
den upon the aging soldier greater
than he could bear: and the cry went
abroad that in too many instances fol
the credit, honor or good name of thu
nation, many who had followed til,
flag and faced the fiery furnace O
battle, had in want fallen by the way
side; and in pOOr-hOuses were lOokins
longingly for the relief and comfort
Of thegra
Their Sympathizing comrades and ;
patriotic people, with one accord
voiced the sentiment that such wa.
not human administering of the sa
cred trust recognized ant
announced by Lincoln. As {,
what the remedy should be. men
minds differed. Many, possibly,
majority of the survivors of the war
believed that the time had fully com
when the name of every honorable
: discharged survivor should be placed
= upon the pension roll. Others. deny
ing the right that they should receiv
aught from their country through tn
pension roll, StOutly resisted the dc
: mand.
1t was under such circumstance
, and dealing with these conflictin
opinions, that congress enacted tn
disability pension law Of June, 1896
This act was accepted by the survivin
soldiers and by the people in genera
as a settlement of the question. Tn
der the administration of that Law
r the poOr-hOuse gave up its veteran
he who had borne the battle was care
: for; and thus the sacred trust accept
y ed and left as legacy to the natio
e was faithfully administered.
( Within a few months we hear wit
profound sorrow and regret that a
. this must be changed; the construC
+ tiOn Of the law has been changed
+ and the regulations and rules 10 re
e gard to proof and ratings, unde
which more than three hundre
!. thousand claims have been Above
i and paid, have been revoked. and al
O other construction OF the law ha
= been established, and new regulation
for proofs and ratings, less fayorabl
Y to claimants, have been adopted
!? that board OF revision has been d
}? ganized in the pension Office, charge
with the duty Of revising all these at
e Indicated claims in accordance wit
q this new construction, aud sue
:, changed regulations as to proof an
u Ttings; that under these change
I thousands Of pensions have been So