River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-11-02
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE
ON PENSIONS.
To the Twenty-Seventh National
Encampment, G. A. r.

SNOHtu Hc JOttOUtHS ittpOft uH0
Resolutions on the subject of Pen>
SiOas:
ITO 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. standing
reverently, with uncovered head, in
the immediate presence of 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 authority 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 "A trust com
mitted to him by that people.
Within "A few short weeks tina. end
so long hoped for had come; but his
dying eyes were not privileged To see
the full fTuitiOn 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 asserted 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 possibilities of life before
Ill ha hnr of IaFfu
courage and patriotic and successful
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 lie 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 sholders, as
the result of premature and over.heavy
draughts upon his vitality, that sadly
interiered 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 measurably
make provision for the necessities of
| those who chad borne the battle.
| A quarter of century had elapsed,
| The young had become old, the middle
aged had become feeble, and the old
had crossed the river. Time, with its
ruthless fingers, had joined hands with
| the ravages of war, and the two com
bined had proved burden upon the
aging soldier greater than he could
| bear: and the cry went abroad that In
too many instances for the credit,
| honor or good name of the nation,
| many who had followed the flag and
| faced the fiery furnace of battle, had
| i'm want fallen by The wayside, and in
the poor houses 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
/ flOt VI N''
sacred trust recognized and announced
by Lincoln. As to what the remedy
should be, mems minds diff red.
Many, possibly a majority of the sur
vivOrs of the war, believed that the
time had fully come when the name of
every honorabIy 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 resisted the demand.
Ii was under such circumstances
and dealing with these conflicting
opinions, that Congress enacted the
disability pension law of June, 1920.
| This act was accepted by the surviving
soldiers and by the people in general
as a settlement of the question. Under
| the administration of that law, the
poor house gave up its veteran-he
who had borne the battle was cared
| for; and thus the sacred trust accepted
| and left as a legacy to the nation was
| faithfully administered.
Within few months we hear with
profound sorrow and regret that all
this must be changed; that the con-
struction of the law has been changed,
and the regulations and rules in regard
TO proof and ratings, under which
more than three hundred thousand
/ claims have been allowed and paid.
have been revoked, and another con-
| struction of the law has been estab-
| lished, and new regulations for proof
and ratings, less favorable to claim
ants, have been adopted; that board
of revision has been organized In the
Pension Office. charged with the duty
of revising all these abjudicated
claims in accordance with this new
| construction, and such changed regu-
lations as to proof and ratings; that
under these changes. thousands of
pensions have been suspended with
out notice and thousands of pensioners
have been dropped from the rolls. 1t
is claimed that an adjudication OF a
pension settles nothing; that the Secre-
| tary of the Interior and Commissioned
of Pensions 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
regulations adopted by them, whenever
| they see fit to change the rules OF
evidence and the scale of 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, by its 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 relation and condition in life
fraud is never presumed, but must be
clearly proved, and every person shall
have right to face his accuser. To
emphasize the viciousness of the sitna
tion and accusation. we learn that 1t Is
said, as though by authority, that lit
is expected that many of the pension
ers 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 in
no uncertain voice that the burden
is not upon the party alleging
the fraud, but that the government
which they had preserved shall first
brand with infamy by the charge,
then sentence. and after the stigma
has been effective, then concede to
them. whose barrier and support of
character have been tt as undermined,
the pitiful privilege of moving for a
new trial upon the ground of newly