Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-12-23

the pension once. after the passage OF
this act. upon proof that the disability
then existed. and shall continue during
the existence of the same: Provided,
That persons who are now receiving
pensions under existing laws, or whose
claims are pending in the pension Of
fee, may, by application to the Com
| missioner OF Pensions, in such form
as he may prescribe, showing them
selves entitled thereto. receive the
benefits OF this act; and nothing herein
contained shall be so construed as To
prevent any pensioner hereunder from
prosecuting his claim and receiving his
pension under any other general or
special act.
If any officer or enlisted rem who
| served ninety days or more in the
army or navy OF the United States
during the late war OF the rebellion,
and who was honorably discharged,
has died, or who shall hereafter die,
| leaving a widow without other means
OF support than her daily labor. OF
minor children under the age of I6
years, such widow shall upon due proof
Of her husband's death, without prov.
ing his death TO be the result of his
| army service, be placed on the pension
roll from the date of the application
therefor under this act at the rate Of s.
! per month during her widowhood, and
shall also be paid 81 per month for
| each child Of such officer or enlisted
| man under is years of age.
NO ESCAPE FROM A PENSION.
Under this act disabilities have been
divided up into eishteeaths and TWEEN
tieths and fftieths and hundFedths. A
| slight impairment OF the sight of one
| eye is SO many hundredths OF disabil-
ity; slight deafness in one ear is so
! many hundredths IL the heart puts in
four extra beats a minute or four fewer
than 1t ought to, that is so many fif-
tieths or SO many hundredths of disa-
bility. In truth, the only way a man
can escape getting pension under the
act is TO be absolutely perfect physi-
cally, and the only way a widow can
| escape it is by having an income sufii-
Gent to maintain herself and all her
children without work. That is no ex-
aggeration.
FRAUDS THAT ARE KNOWN.
We have now considered the pension
roiqs themselves aud the laws under
which the number Of pensioners have
grown to the enormous total OF 976; Ola.
Let us take up next some of the abuses
that have grown and some ct the fraud
| that it is known exists under the sys-
| tenn. Although it would not be fair
to say that abuses and frauds hive
been concealed, it is not too much to
say that the efforts to make them public
nave been weak indeed. For years the
| attacks on the pension system have
been few and far between. In building
up the system. in opening wide the
gates, in helping the horde Of unworthy
ones, the perjurers, thieves and bounty
Jumpers, TO share with the worthy the
nations bounty, enc political party has
been no worse than the other. 1t has
been largely game for votes. Few
men dared attack the pension list. Few
men dared oppose proposal to increase
pension appropriations in the Congress
Of the United States for fear of the
effect it would have On the vote in their
own districts and the effect ii would
have upon that party at large.
Hands off the pension list has been
the fashion. Men have Wed with one
another in currying favor with the old
soldier. At least they have imagined
they were currying favor with the old
soldier What they did actually was
to bow to the blatant shriekings Of
thieving pension attorneys who had
bounty jumpers, paid substitutes, de-
serters, and cattle OF that kind as cli-
ents It is not the old soldier who
bawls out his demand for bounty.
The soldier, as rule, Goes not want
bounty. He did not fight for bounty.
He fought for the sake Of patriotism.
He is patriotic to-day. 1t is the other
class who 60 around wide mounted,
savage for plumber, seeking bounty
with the effrontery OF Park Row beg
CARS.
(Continued)