The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-07-26
A NEW PENSION BILL.

| M tue Icqucst VI uany o'h'As' Au0A
of Pennsylvania, Comrade Hicks ha
prepared and introduced in the Hous'
of Representatives the following bill
which has been read twice and referred
to the Committee on Invalid Pensions
which is understood to regard it favor
ably:
That All T. Ems who served so days OF
more in the military or naval service of the
United States during the late war of the re.
bellion at any time from March f. 1861, to
July l, 1865, and who have been honorably
discharged therefrom shall, upon making
due proof of the fact according to such rules
and regulations as the Secretary of the In
terror may provide, be placed upon the list
of invalid pensioners Of the United States,
and be entitled to receive pension not ex-
ceeding $12 per month and not less than Sd
per month, as follows All such persons who
so served, and who are so years of age or less,
S4 per month between the ages of so and
So years, Sc per month; between the ages of
55 and go, So per month; between the ages
of 60 and 90 years, SO per month, and all
DCfScHs UNCA tuO dye VI w yCdio, Tt% pei
month. The Commissioner of Pensions is
hereby authorized to advance such pension
ers to the next higher rate from time to
time as they shall severally arrive at
the ages herein prescribed; and such pen
sion shall commence from the date of the
filing of the application in the Pension
Office, after the passage of this act; except
in all invalid widows and minors cases filed
under the act of June 81, 1890, and not
allowed; such cases shall be considered I'M
der the provisions of this act, and without
formal application, and such pension shall
commence from the date of the filing of the
application under the act of June 81, 1890,
and the rate of pension to be in accordance
with the provision of this act, and nothing
herein contained shall be so construed as to
prevent any pensioner or applicant for pen
sion from prosecuting his or her claim and
receiving his or her pension under any other
general or special act: Provided, hoWeUer,
That no person shall receive more than one
pension for the same period: Provided fur
tier That rank in the service shall not be
considered In applications filed under this
act.
SEC 2. That if an officer or enlisted man
who served 80 days or more in the Army or
Navy of the United States during the late
war of the rebellion from March 4, 1861, to
July 1, 1865, and who was honorably dis
charged, has died, or who died in the service,
or who shall hereafter die, leaving widow
or minor child or children under the age of
Is years, such widow shall, upon due proof
of her husbands death, without proving
his death to be the result of his service, be
placed upon the pension-rOll from the date
of the application therefor under this act, at
1ar 50 IF -, 1,.r L.
hood, and shall also be paid So per month
for each child of such officer or enlisted
man under 16 years of age; and in case of
the death OF remarriage of the widow, leav-
ing a child or children of such officer or
enlisted man under the age of is years,
snch pension shall be paid such child or
children until the age of 16: Propided, That
in case minor child is insane idiotic, or
otherwise permanently helpless, the pension
shall continue during the life Of said child,
or during the period of such disability; and
this proviso shall apply to all pensions here
tofore granted or hereafter to be granted
under this or any former statute, and such
pensions shall commence from date of appli-
cation therefor after the passage of this act
And proUided further That said widow shall
have married said soldier prior to June 81,
1890. That in case of widows filed under
this or any other act granting pensions to
widows, death shall be presumed upon proof
of an absence of seven years unheard Of
l,ut shall be subject to rebuttal That in
considering claims for pensions under any
act of Congress, where the word minor is
used and where there is no age stated in
such act or acts the Commissioner of Pen
sions is authorized to construe said act TO
mean the said minor to be under the age of
q years. That Section 9 and Section Of
the act of June 81, 1890, entitled "An act
granting pensions to soldiers and sailors
who are incapacitated for the performance
of manual labor, and providing pensions for
widows, minor children, and dependent pa
rents" are hereby repealed.
SEC 3. That no agent, attorney, or other
person engaged in preparing, presenting, or
prosecuting any claim under the provisions
of this act shall, directly or indirectly, con-
tract for, demand, receive, or retain for such
service in preparing, presenting or prose
cutting such claims sum greater than SO,
which sum shall be payable only upon the
order of the Commissioner of Pensions, by
the pension agent making payment of the
pension allowed; and any person who shall
violate any of the provisions of this section,
or who shall wrongfully withhold from
pensioner OF a claimant the whole or any
part Of a pension or claim allowed or due
such pensioner or claimant under this act,
shall be deemed guilty Of misdemeanor,
and upon conviction thereof shall, for each
and every such offense, be fined not exceed
ing $500, or be imprisoned at hard labor not
exceeding two years, or both, in the dis
erection of the court.
1t will be at once perceived that this
retains in full the principle of the act
of June 81, 1890, but extends and
liberalizes its provisions, and makes
pensions progressive with age. It is
very meritorious measure.