The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-22
Cleveland After thePension Bills
Once MOres
One Of Them He Characterizes
as d Claim
ON THE GOVERNMENT,
With No Other Foundation Than
That the Claimant
Needs the Money" Like Bill
Nye's Rural Hotel Keeper.

Washington, April 22-The president
today sent to the senate vetoes of two
senate pension bills. The first
was in the case of Charles
E. Jones. photographer
which attracted considerable att
tention in the house. 1t is as follows:
ITO the Senate-I return herewith
without my approval senate bill No
249, entitled An act granting a pension
to Charles z. Jones' The beneficiary
named in this bill was a photographer
who accompanied one of the regiments
of the Union army in the war of the re-
bellion. He was injured apparently
not very seriously while taking photo
graphs and where no battle was in ac-
tual progress. He was not enlisted and
was in no manner in the military SER
vice of the United States.
ASIDE from the question as to wheth-
er his present sad condition is attri-
butable to the injury sustained, it
seems to me the extension of pension
relief to such cases would open the door
to legislation hard to justify and inn
possible to restrain from abuse.
LSigned-l GROVER CLEVELAND
Executive Mansion, April 21. 1896.
The other veto was i'm the case OF
the bill for a pension to Nancy @. ALA
bach. 1t provides for q pension for
Mrs. Auabach who is the widow OF
Peter Fl. AlIabach, who served i'm both
the Mexican war and the war of the re-
belliOn. The president calls attention
to the fact that Mr. Allabach made no
application for pension on account of
disabilities during his life. 1T is not
he says, NOW claimed that he was in
the least disabled as an incident of his
military service, nor is it alleged that
his death which occurred nearly "a
/ years after he was discharged from the
a
I such service
He says the widow was pensioned
/ after her husbands death as the widow
/ of a Mexican soldier and that her case
1 falls under the general act of 1880. eft
/ is proposed, however. he continues,
/ by the special act under cOnsidera-
I ton to give this widow pension of $50
! a month. without the least suggestion
/ of the death or disability Of her hus-
band having been caused by his mill
/ tary service and solely so far as dis
/ cOverable upon the ground that she is
poor and needs the money The con-
/ ditiOn is precisely covered by existing
/ laws; and If precedent is to be estao-
I Iished by the special legislation prOpOs-
/ ed. I do not see how the same relief as
/ is contained in this bill can be denied
/ to the many thousands of widows who
/ are in similar situation and are not
on the pension rolls under general
laws
DISCUSSED IN THE SENATE
The presidents veto of the pension
bills to the widow of Peter TT Ala
/ bach and Charles =. Jones were laid
/ before the senate at the opening of
I the session today
Mr.. Gallinger (Rep., N H-) chairman
] of the pension committee regretted
! that the president had seen lit to veto
! these bills. Alabach's military SER
! vices were such that he might have
! applied for q pension but did not do 50,
I owing to personal disinclination- While
4 Jones was q phOt0gra apher, he received
/ q gunshot wound, resulting in total
/ blindness during the attack on Long
! streets lines. THE president refers
to "A trivial wound said Mr. Calling
/ er. II viii not discuss and suggest
] what is in my mind-that the mes
/ sage was written without a knowledge
/ of the facts.
/ The pension committee had not" he
/ said, proceeded careIeSsly and reclS-
/ lessly in favOring pensions"
/ A1r. Palmer CDen-, Ills) spoke of the
! embarrassments attending cases i'm
/ which the applicant for a pension mad
/ not been formally enlisted "I hold,
/ said Mr. Palmer, that when a citizen
| voluntarily associates himself with the
4 military forces, he becomes de factO in
/ the military service and if wounded. ne
/ has the same moral right to a pension
/ as one formally enlisted"
] The vetOes were referred to the PEN
/ sion committee