The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-18
TO CODIFY THE LAWS
All Pension Legislation to be
Classified
By a Bill Presented in the
House.
A TICKLISH MATTER.
Committees in Charge Were Shy
of Taking Hold.
A TICKLISH MATTER.


There is a chance for some lively discus
sion over the Pearson bill for codifying the
pension laws which has been favOrably
reported by the committee on the revision
Of the laws. The bill is itself the code
that is to say it is a condensation of all
the pension laws ever passed by congress
and is a very interesting document 1t
consists of 154 pages in the ordinary print
Of house documents and contains % chap
tiers and 100 sections. In fact, it looks very
much like a copy of the statutes at large,
and yet it is admirably arranged, with all
the subjects brought under their appropri-
ate heads and marginal references to all
the preceding laws, which are condensed in
It. and finally is very completely indexed-
With this bill in his hands any applicant
for a pension can in one minute find the
answer to any question he may be inter
ested in whether as to required proof, mode
of proceeding, amount of pension or the
penalties and safeguards The committee
declares in the closing section that this
net has not changed the substantive law
of any previous act, but has merely put all
existing pension laws in an orderly ar
rangcment- This, however, be it ever so
true will probably not prevent a pretty
sharp contest, for there are many MEM
bers on both sides of the house to whom
any kind Of a pension act is like red rag
to bull and there is so much suspicion
that every part of the bill will be very care
fully scrutinized and it's meaning ques-
toned
A TickIish Matter.
The history of the bill as shown in the
committees records is somewhat inter
esting On the last day of the first session
of the F'ifty-second congress the house
adopted a resolution presented by Hon.
A. J. Pearson of Ohio for the appointment
of q committee to codify the pension laws.
arr1fff too ad0 nj Ian
and left the work to Messrs. Fletcher Den
mis- and D. s. Porter, who drafted the bill
1t was approved by the department. of the
interior and the pension bureau and at the
beginning of this congress was laid before
the committee. In committee it has
ceived the most thorough examination, as
all the members looked upon it as rath-
er tickIish matter.
While it was in committee, however, the
storm about stopping pensions was raised,
and the SO called vested right amend
ment was adopted. This, it will be re
membered, declared that pension once
granted became a vested right and could
not be suspended except upon notice and
by regular process. This was incorporated
in the codificatiOn, and the whole will
soon be laid before the house for action
OF course no analysis of the bill is here
necessary, as the most important features
as found in existing laws have been popu-
larly discussed hundreds of times, but
when one looks through the completed act
he viii find very many provisions which
seem new because not often spoken Of
The chief feature to attract attention is the
immense number of pension acts which
have been passed and are here mentioned
in the marginal notes, and next to that
the great number of kinds of service for
which pensions have been may be grant
ed.
Border 1IiIitias.
Everybody knows that there are pensions
for services in the Revolutionary, Barbary
and Mexican wars, and second war with
Great Britain, and all our Indian wars
we'll as the war for the Union. But there
is a long list of services not so generally
known in which pensions were gained. 1t
is for instance, specifically provided that
the provisions of enc general law are ex-
tended to all whC served in the Missouri
state militia, the provisional Missouri mi
litia and several like bodies; also to the
relatives of discharged soldiers who were
murdered by guerrillas at Centralia, Mo,
to the relatives of those who persisted in
the Jeanette exploring expedition and
of those lost ia the wreck of the United
States vessels. Still the bill does not go
far enough to suit many, and we ara told
that amendments will be offered in the
house for the benefit of border state mill
tia or home guards who took part in any
of the fights foot races resulting from
guerrilla invasons. Taking all these
things into consideration, the debate will
certainly be entertaining, and the only
pity is that the bill is not quite sure of be-
ing taken up this session
Another measure which has been scru-
tinted with unusual care and is making
very slow progress through committee is
the called - bill to establish a bureau
of public health in the treasury depart
ment.' This bill is sort of legislative
growth by accretion. 1t may be said to
have begun several years ago in the strug-
gle to keep out the yellow fever and to
have been modified in various ways since
by the precautions against cholera and the
disagreements between national and state
authorities 1t is admitted that majority
of the house committee on commerce,
which has the bill in charge, is in favor of
national board of health, and that large
majorities of both houses are, but the mat
ter of methods and details bothers every
body. This is the bill which was intro
duced in the house on Dec. Is by General
Tracey and in the senate a few days be-
fore, and the various arguments made in
its favor make quite a little library. With
in a few days past several eminent physi-
clans have been arguing earnestly in favor
OF the measure, and yet members of the
committee are not quite certain that they
can agree upon = bill.
Lo> al Matters.
The District of Columbia. which is al
ways urgent for something, has within the
last fortnight become clamorous indeed
declaring that the local sewerage is wretch
edly inadequate, that the most important
The public health is in serious danger. and
that great many other evils are present
or impending for want of congressional
action The opposing street railroad COM
panies have also Joined in what they be
heve to be the death struggle, and the citf-