The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-07-31

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been much less than at present. VIVA
the old soldiers object to most seriously
the charge of fraud in the pension roll.
is not fraud, but the law, they say. Tn
law was passed for the politicians and no
for the soldiers, but it was passed, an,
the men, women and children DRAWN;
pensions under it are doing so legally, an,
so long as the act remains on the statut
books cannot legally be refused In tn
words Of prominent Grand Army man
Everybody in any way connected with
soldier can get pension, except his mother
in-law, and it seems an oversight that the,
left the old lady out.
The records of the Commissioner o
Pensions show that since the passage d
the dependent pension bill the roll has beer
more than doubled. The report for the
year ending June 30, 1896, shows thai
at that time there were 344, 500 invalid
army pensioners and 81, III army widow.
and minor children under the general law,
while under the dependent pension law
there were $40, 487 invalid army pension
ers and 101 ,639 army widows and minor
children. Navy invalid pensioners under
the general law numbered 1921 and navy
widows, ETC., 23S9 The navy invalid
pensioners under the dependent law num-
bered Is, 331 and widows, etc., 5464.
NEVER UNDER FIRE, BUT PENsIONED.
Not only do the pensioners under the
law of 1890 far outnmber those under the
general law, but under the dependent pen
sion law thousands of 90-day men who
never had shot fired at them are drawing
larger pensions than men who were seri-
ously wounded and served throughout the
war That is where the real soldiers kick
The dependent pension law provides first
for pension for dependent parents of dis
eased soldiers, without other means than
their own manual labor or the contributions
of Others
DEPENDENT PENSIONERS.
Then all men who served 80 days or
more, ''who are now or may be hereafter
suffering from mental or physical disability
of a permanent character, not the result of
their own vicious habits, and which dis
qualities them from performing manual
labor, are to receive pension ranging
from Sc to Sl2 per month, in proportion
to the degree of inability to earn sup
port
The third class OF benefciaries under
the dependent law are the widows and
minor children under 10 years of age of
honorably discharged soldiers or sailors
Such widow, left without support other
than her daily labor, shall upon due proof
Of her husband death, without proving
his death to be the result of his army ser
vice, be placed upon the pension roll
from the date of application at the rate of
SIS per month during her widowhood, and
50 for each child under l6 years of age
until it breaches that age. An insane minor
child or one permanently helpless shall re-
ceive its pension during life or while the
continues. The only restric-
ton on the widow is that she must have
been married before the passage of the
act.
AN ELASTIC PENSION HAW
The result of this act was that thou
sands of 90-day men who were never shot
at were placed on the list at rates ranging
from SO to S12, the majority at the greater
amount. As an instance of this class of
pensioners is quoted the dozen or more
regiments Of 90-day men which went out
from here at the time Of the battle of Get
tysburg. One regiment saw some service,
but the others never came within gunshot
of the enemy. 1t was pleasant outing
for the men, who came back benefited in
health, if anything, by their trip. Yet if
thirty or forty years later any Of those
men met with an accident which disabled
them for performing manual labor they
could get on the pension rolls at So
month, more than many soldiers who had
been shot full of wounds were receiving.
a SOLDIER VS.. A DEPENDENT.
Several prominent samples of the oper-
atoms of this Objectionable law are quoted
in this city Lieutenant H. Tyrrell, who
now lives at No. 2815 Mervine street,
carried the colors of his regiment in the
charge at Mary Heights in the battle of
Fredericksburg When within about ten
feet of the stone wall he was shot and fell;
but, rising in spite of his wounds, he waved
the colors and urged his comrades on.
Five bullets had plowed through his body
before he finally gave up.
For his bravery he was made lieuten-
mt and ordered to Washington on provost
guard duty. There, in arresting an Off
GER, he was again shot through the neck,
making his sixth bullet wound. When
ne applied for a pension he was allowed
s6 month, or dollar shot Some
years later this was increased to IS a
month";
PREFERRED THE ROLL OF HONOR.
He recently applied for further in
,rease, but it was not allowed by the de-
,artments In the communication refus-
NO the request it was suggested that if he
would apply under the dependent pension
aw he could probably get So month
The hero of Mary Heights refused, how
,ver, to go on that roll. He preferred to
emain on the roll of honor.
Another illustration is that of Major
Scott, who is employed in the Custom
House He is medal of honor man,
lrawing IS month pension for wounds
eceived in battle. He also applied for
IN increase on the ground of his wounds,
tut was refused He also preferred to
emain on the roll of horror and declined
o go on the dependent roll
Many other similar cases might be cited.
IN the general roll the injuries for which
he pensions are granted are all such as
we're obtained in actual service, such as
,unskot wounds, loss of limbs, etc. On
he roll of pensioners under the dependent
pension law gunshot and other service
Wounds are few and far between. Instead
ppear such forms of disability as indiges-
ion, rheumatism, rupture, senility and
diseases of the various organs of the body.
t is also a noticeable fact that of those
,ensioned under the general law the largest
eparate class is the Sc month class, the
lumber being 76, 958. OF those pen
ionad undar tho danandant law tho larpaSt