The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-10
THEIR PENSION RIGHTS
REPRESENTATIVE OyERsTREET
TALKS TO OLD SOLDIERS.
Effect of the MeritoriOus Bill, the
Passage of Which He Secured
burden of Proof.

Representative Jesse Overstreet last night
addressed a meeting of old soldiers, held in
the Criminal Court room. under the au-
spices of the Union Soldiers Mutual
League. Every seat which the available
space would permit being placed in the
room was taken and a number of people
stood up about the room. There We're few
present who not soldiers in the late
war, and many Of them were pensioners
and were directly interested in the subject
of pensions. which Mr. Overstreet
talked. Several faces were seen in the au-
dience which are familiar at the meetings
OF Camp Gray, the Democratic organization
of the old soldiers. Mr.. Overstreet's re-
marks were full of interest and were heard
with close attention. He was frequently
applauded and after he had concluded the
Old veterans crowded around him and per-
sonally pledged to him the support which
trey had already in their minds given him.
Key. D. r. Lucas followed Mr.. Overstreet
with an exhortation to the veterans to
stand firm. Mr.. Overstreet said, in part:
The work of the Union Soldiers Mu
tual League attracted my attention to GER
tain measures Of pension reform. Through
ye ur organization and others of similar ma
ture / discovered that certain classes of
pensioners, on account of associations and
habits. had been unable to keep from losing
their pensions on the day of pension pay
ment. did not stop to question the char
acter of these pensioners nor did l. at any
time, in thought or speech, criticise or con-
denim their course l had in mind only
their welfare and the profit and benefit
that their pensions were expected to bring
to those dependent upon them. / had dis
covered that through the efforts of this
league a committee had been appointed to
watch after those pensioners who We're sub
iected to unusual temptations at the time
they received the pension payment. l OBJ
served that the course pursued by your
committee was not to upbraid, abuse or
even criticise those men, but that you en-
deavored to throw about them the cloak Of
q arity and fraternal love.
Prompted by that same spirit and acting
Upon the suggestion made by this league
and the Grand Army posts of my home, 1
prepared and introduced in Congress a bill
providing that all pensions should be paid
by check alone and thereby wholly abol-
ish the system of personal payment. 1t
is said to the credit of the soldiers a
class that this bill was universally approved.
1t passed the House and Senate without a
dissenting vote and became a law by the
signature of the President 1 have discov-
cred by careful investigation that only
about sixty thousand pensioners had taken
advantage of the privilege to visit the
agency in person and receive their checks
across the counter and that the other $40. 900
or more pensioners were already receiving
Guently a comparatively small number of
pensioners were affected in any way by the
new law. While it is true that but a small
per cent. of these pensioners yielded to the
through their associations and incorporate
upon the theory that If it would be profit
able to even these few and of benefit to
their families, then the law should be
changed. / was curious to observe, after
the law went into effect, what criticism
might be made against its provisions and
upon inquiry I learned that only three let
tiers had been received by the various de-
was addressed to the President, one TO the
Commissioner of Pensions and the other
was received by me- The letter ADDRESSED
Commissioner of Pensions and when the
Commissioners and ] compared the three
written by the same man and his objection
to the law was that it deprived him and his
Wife ,he of fraveng from their home
some eighty miles from Philadelphla, 70 the
sgeney and ia afssr w is him that
the law in no wise interfered with ms rlshts
to take his wife to phlladepndia as a 1it th
money that he desired. These three letlers
from this one man constitute all the cfili-
cism that came by letter
EXECUTING VOUCHERS.
grinder the old law a pensioner who went
to the agency in person had the privilege
of obtaining the execution OF his voucher
without charge and at first it seemed harsh
to deprive those pensioners who reside at
the agency from enjoying this privilege.
but when it was DISCOVERED that over nine
hundred thousand pensioners had for years
been defraying their own expense Tor
vouchers it would have been favoritism to
to obtain this privilege free of charge and
still exact payment of all the pensioners
who do not reside at the agency and in |
consequence of this the law simply re
manned it was. that each pensioner fur |
nish his own voucher. / am of the opinion |
that if the government can clothe some |
authority to administer oaths, that it viii |
be advisable to permit all pensioners to
have their vouchers executed free of |
charge. but in the absence of such author |
ity on the part of government officials no |
provision could be made. Furthermore | |
have hoped that State authorities would |
provide that county clerks might admins |
ter oaths to pensioners free of charge, as |
is now the law in the State of Ohio.
I'm order to ascertain with what system |
the law was being operated prior to the |
payment in last August | addressed letters |
TO twelve different towns about equi-dis- |
tance from Indianapolis to notaries public |
who were accustomed to administering |
pare statements showing the names of the |
pensioners whose vouchers they prepared |
ana the oates Wneli the were mailed
to the agency and that when the check |
was returned that the date of. its return |
be also marked. | received full reports
from these twelve inquiries and in each |
instance ii was shown that the checks were |
promptly received at the postoffices of the |
pensioners and in no instance was I'M
necessary delay reported. / have been in
formed that some checks have been> de-
layed in the city of indianapolis, but / |
am not informed of the facts in the case
and presume that sometimes in
the postofiice address VIII occasion some
delay. However, my reports concerning |
the last payment of pension proved to me |
that whatever delays might be occasioned |
II would not be the fault of the law. / |
have been gratifed to know that this law
has given universal satisfaction.
NO PROOF OF SOUNDNESS.
"A second measure in which / took an
interest was this That the law should
provide that a soldier should be presumed