Evening star., 1897-06-04
UNJUST TO MANY VETERANS.

Project to Secure an Amendment to
the Civil Service Law.
An effort Is to be made In the regular
session Of Congress, If not sooner, to secure
legislation for the purpose Of correcting
what Is believed to be an injustice to many
soldiers. As 1t now stands, the civil serv-
ice law permits tie reinstatement only Of
such soldiers as were honorably discharged
from the military or naval service by rea-
son of disability resulting from wounds or
sickness incurred in the line Of duty, etc
The provision relating to such soldiers is
embodied in section 1854 Of the Revised
Statutes, which reads as follows:
Persons honorably discharged from the
military or naval service by reason Of dis
ability resulting from wounds sickness
incurred IN the Hne of duty shall be pre-
vided they are found to possess the busi-
ness capacity necessary to q proper dis
charge Of the duties Of such office"
This provision prevents the reinstatement
of a soldier who might have been wounded
numbers of times. but who possessed suf-
ficient grit to return to the ranks as soon
as he was able to- do SO. Such a soldier
might have secured his honorable dis
charge because of his wounds or other sick
ness, but the fact that he did not do so
and was finally honorably DISCHARGED from
the service at the close of the war when he
was no longer needed disbars him from
that privilege of Reinstatement -.
There are many cases of this kind, and
they have been pressed upon the attention
o. members Of Congress and the civil serv-
introduced in the House of Representatives
to allow any -honorably discharged soldier
the privilege accorded those whose retire.
ment from the army. was brought about
purely by wounds or other sickness
Speaking Of this provision of the civil
service law to a Star reporter today, Com
missioner Harlow said:
1T wss do lbtless intended by this law
to extead a preference to those who have
mest mertted preferment, but any one who
has had to deal with tae execution of its
provisions has been forced to admit that
IN It's present shape this statute is too
often ineQuitable. It grants a preferences
to those soldiers who were discharged from
the service by reason of disability con-
tracted IN The service and in line of duty
thus making reinstatement depend upon
discharge for disability and not for dis
ability per Sc. The provision has resulted
IN many instances of causing a man who
was discharged because of some slight all
ment to be reinsfAted: while the man who
in spite of wounds and sickness is not ac-
corded that privilege Many instances
have come within afy knowledse of ex-
soldiers connecteH With the civil service
equity of this feailis Of the law ara re- son- On,
spicuous. d:tT
"One Of the ofscets of the commission
recalls two cases within his own com.
pai1y. One was that1f man who played
rheumatism unfit he, succeeded in getting
discharge 1T was discovered soon after
that he was not affected. He, however.
held the discharge q certificate, showing
that his disabi1it sori Hnated in the service,
and ne was thereSora entitled to the bene-
hts OF the atatpte-f In the same company
was another soldier who received a severe
wound In one OF sthei hotly contested bat
urged to taEse fiis latga.s BE declined
saying that he, fhadnentered' the service with
the boys and,wanted to,stayswith them and
fight it out to- the end He was permitted
to remain: and after hts recovery proved q
good soldier, and served faithfully to the
end Of the war.,r He Is not entitled to pref
erence Tor instatement according to the
terms OF the statute. 10 make the statute
uniformly just and equitable to both the
soldier and the government It should be
amended so as to give preference to the
soldier who rendered faithful and Ions
| service and received an honorable dis
charge at the close of the war, with the
provisicn always that he is qualified to
| fll the position sought"