The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-11-15
, s SOLDIERS BUDGET.
ability Pension Law.
tended. The s--=

twenty seventh National Eucampmenl,
G. A. r., submitted the following re
port and resolutions On the subject OF
pensions:
"To bind up the nations wounds; to
care for him who shall have borne the
battle, and for his widow and orphan
Thus spoke Lincoln the great, Lincoln
the Just, s anding revereutly, with I'M
covered head, in the immediate prt s.
ence of a cruel and devastating war,
that had air, ady lasted four Yeas, The
end Of which, although so near, his
prophetic vision WIS not able to see;
speaking to, Tor aid by tie authority
of the American people, concerning
one of tie supreme duties OF the hour
and the future, when entering Tor The
second tin e upon the discharge of a
trust commit, d TO him by that peop'e.
Within tpw 81 ort weeks that end 50
long ht)ur or had CT me; but his dying
eNtsW pers privileged 10 see the luIl
fiui ioJ sprii laboIs, and the work so
well b.. b. Al | carried on by him fell
into chool de, charged wi all the
tlu,is oney ! Z cohdi ION implied al d
ron r, " Tue those who had "borne
the bala WI, ,er so many days" turned
their bf the 1T toward their long-de-
serted NJ, =, =" A grateful ration met
and received them, and gladly showere d
upon them the plaudils and the donors
they had so well and hardly earned.
These bearers OF the battle" were
then, in the m in, in The prime and
vigor of Young II anhot d, with all the
hOnors and pos,itihties of lie before
them, with all he hopes born OF lofty
courage and patriotic aud successful
achievement b. atIng high in their
bosoms; aud they little needed and still
less cai,d for material aid from the
country they had preserved and made
free, save where loss of life or limb or
impaired leAlth and broken cons u
lions 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 in prema'
ture old age, and youth passed into
liper years with ga Looping feet; and
alasl too soon the eXutant and hearty
soldier found H. at III the race of lie
there were w,i!hls upon his feet and
burdens upon bis shoulders, as the re
sult of remature and over be avy
draughts NJ on his vitality, that sadly
interiercd with successful competition
in the crowd and jostle of the fierce
struggle Tor advance ment. And still
the nation sought to keep abre. st OF
the necessities Of her heroes, and by
additional enacLments to measurably
make provision for the NJ cesslties OF
those who "had borne the battle"
nG
The young had become old, the mid
die aged had become feeble, and the
old bad crossed the river. Time, with
lis ruthless fingers, had joined hands
with the ravayes of war, and the two
mbined had proved burden upor
the aging soldier greater than he could
bear; and the cry went abroad that il
too many instances for the credit, honor
or good name of the nat on, many vino
had followed the flag and faced the
fiery furn zee of battle, had in want
fallen by the wayside, and in the poor
houses were looking longingly for the
relief and comfort of the grave. TEeil
svmpaihizing comrades and patriotic
people, with one accord, voiced the
sentiment that such was not human
administering of the sacred trust rec
ogniz.d and announced by Lincoln
AS 10 what the remedy should be
mems minds differed. Many, possibly
Am tjority of the survivors of the war
b, Ii, we'd that The time had fully com,
when the name of every honorably s.
charged survivor should be placed upOI
the pension roll. Others, denying The
Ri hit that they should receive au III
from their country through the pension
roll, stoutly resisted the demand.
was under such circumstances anC
dealing with these conflicting opinions
that congress eracted the disabilit,
pension law of June, 1890 THIS &C
was accepted 10y the surviving soldier
and by the people in general as sci
tlement of the question. Under lhI
admin lstration of that law, the poor
house gave up is veteran-he who ha,
borne The ballle was cared for; and thu
the sacred trust accepted and left as
legacy to the nation was faithfully ad
mlnlstered.
Within few months we hear will
profound sorrow and regret that all thi
must be changed; that the construction
of the law has b. en- changed, and tn
and ratings, under which more thai
three hundred thousand claims hav
been allowed and paid, have been re
voked, aud another construction of thu
law has been established, ami neV
regulations for proof and ratings
less favorable TO claimants, have
been adopted; that board of re
vision has bt en- organized in the pen
sion Office, charged with the duty OF re
vIsing all these adjudlcated claims il
accordance with this new construction
and such char gsd regulations as t,
proof and ratings; that under thes
changes, thousands of pensions hav
been usperded without notice and thou
sands of pensioners have been droppe
from the rolls. 1t is Gained that al
adjudicali' of pension settles moth
ing; that The secretary of the interio
aud commissioner of pensions are in
vested by law with absolute power owe
the pension roll, and that it is within
their legal authority to reopen and re
wise pensions allowed by their prede
cessors under regulations adopted b.
them, whenever they see fit 10 chang
the rules of evidence and the scale q