The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-10


rigid physical examination and then ac-
cepted him in the service. and that soldier
endured the hardships of war IN camp
life and battle that government should be
estopped from claiming that the soldier
was not sound at the time of enlistment
TO exact of him proof of his soundness
would be unfair, If not unjust. We do not
try to keep informed of the times when we
are Well and sound. 1t is not customary
for US to call attention of others to the
TACT that We are in strong health. 1t Is
when we are out of health that we COM
plain. One nearly always can prove by
members of his family and by friends MS
complaint, but he can rarely prove that he
was well, especially after many years have
elapsed. 1 therefore consider it wise pro-
vision that it is the soldiers due that this
presumption of soundness at the time of
enlistment should be conceded.
"A third provision that interested me
was the question of a title to a pension.
For many years It was accepted without
dispute that, when a soldier had gone to
the trouble cxacted of him by the govern
ment to- establish his right to a pension
that there was no question of the continu-
ance OF that right. But in 1893 the de-
partnent handed down ruling that the
government had the right at any time to
suspend the payment OF a pension until the
| pensioner should prove again the right to
ing, with all the danger that it implied,
/ felt and still feel that there is greater
$4,000 pensions now being drawn than to
further extend the right of claimants and
under the circumstances / felt that we
could well afford to, for the moment, post
pone action and defer our energy toward
the further extension of pension privileges
until we could first definitely and certain
ly establish the titles to the pensions al
ready granted
The last printed report of the Commits
year ending June 80 1895 there were
dropped from the pension rolls 42411 pen
s some of these were dropped on
account of the death of the pensioner, some
because of the remarriage of widows. some
because minors had reached the age limit.
heading of other causes there were
dropped from the rolls in that year $3.50
pensioners During the six months ending
June 30 1896. there were dropped for the
same reason 1926 pensioners. making a to-
tai suspension in eighteen months of 14,506
something was wrong. When you stop to
consider the difficulties through which q
allowance, you VIII not wonder that con-
sternation should prevail when SO many
planned reasons during so short period.
PENSION EVIDENCE.
There are six boards to which a pension
claim usually goes before an allowance is
granted. 1t must pass through the adjudi-
eating division the board of examining
surgeons, the board of review, the board
of re-review, and, where medical questions
are involved, the medical board. If at any
of these stages the claim does not meet the
requirements of the department it may be
sent into the field for special examination.
After so careful and critical a scrutiny, it
seems the government should be estopped
from questioning the validity of the al
lowance. But. more than that when the
comrade has exhausted all of his efforts to
OBTAIN evidence, and has at last met all
requirements and received his allowance. it
is more than probable that his comrades
nave become scattered, and that some of
them nave died, and it would be impossible
Tor MIN to again collect the same or diff
ferent evidence. Such being the fact he
would lose his pension even after. he had
proved his case and had obtained the judg-
ment.
In the first instance the burden rests
with the claimant 10 prove the case. ] be-
lleVe that then the burden shifts. and be-
fore a pension should be disturbed the
government should be compelled to show
that that pension had been obtained by
fraud. To remedy this condition introduce
ed a bill in Congress fixing the title to a
pension and providing that it should not be
disturbed When once allowed, except upon
proof of fraud, for L never eXtenuate fraud
ana ginh oe1eve that the he government has the
from any of it's obligations when it can es-
tabllsh that fraud was used in obtaining
the allowance; but before the government
should stgmatize the good name and honor
Of a soldier who had given his time to the
defense of the Union, that government
should be compelled to have the charge of
fraud first submitted to writing, bearing
the signature of the individual who dare
make such a charge and before a judgment
should be rendered against such pensiOner
he should have the privilege of facing his
accusers ana submitting proof in his
defense, well as subjecting his accusers
to cross-examination. This bill intro
QucoU Dy me contains THESE PROVISIONS. 1t
passed the House and is now pending in
the Senate.
SPECIAL PENSION BILLS
There were introduced during the last
session of Congress 1880 private pension
bills in the House and 216 in the Senate.
There were introduced in the House 151
general pension bills and in the Senate
five, making a total of 2,763 pension bills
that passed through the committee on in
Der only III were reported There were in
troduced in the House 900 bills that went
through the committee on military affairs.
only 142 of which We're reported upon. This
shows the difficulty that meets in his
endeavor to obtain special pension legis-
lation, all these bills that are reported
by the committee are subjected to the
most severe inspection, only meritorious
Among these bills were several that
granted pension of considerable amounts
TO the widows of deceased officers. | was
somewhat impressed with the feeling that
the wife of an officer was surrounded by
peculiar associations and her habits Of life
so influenced that it was difficult for her to
accustom herself to the loWly living that
a meager pension would allow. But l have
felt that the system of granting such pen
sions was wrong and l therefore withheld
my support from them. When during the
session there came up for consideration the
bill granting 10 the widow of General
Gresham a pension of 500 month l was
somewhat embarrassed lest my opposition
to the measure would be thought TO be
Gresham. But having adopted that course,
/ could not afford for mere policy sake to
change my course and l therefore voted
against the BILL
Mr. Overstreet here took UP the history
of pension legislation, showing that it had
all been carried through by the Republican
party, and that inasmuch there We're in
the neighborhood of 100000 claims now
pending it was far better to trust the adj
judication of these claims to that party
which had always been the true friend of
the soldier He also show ed by quotations
from records that, even during the time
when the Democrats were in control, the
pension legislation which was passed was
passed by Republican work and Republican
votes.
Passing from the discussion of pension
matters he took up the question of the at
tack on the courts by the Popocratic plat
form and showed that it was the duty of
the soldier to register his opposition to
that Platform and that he, OF all men. fully
comprehended the Importance OF the in
tegrity of the Nations judiciary and the
honesty of her commercial life. He closed
with an appeal TO the soldiers on the duty
of the hour, picturing the living flag that
was so handsomely displayed at the Grand
Army Encampment at St. Paul He said
the composition of the flag, made up il |
was of living children coStumed in coiorS,
was strong object lesson in patriotism.
ANOTHER QUICK TRIP.
st. Louis Cuts Her Eastern |
Passage Record Forty-TvO Minutes.