Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1897-07-30
RESTORE THEM Il.
Con4rcs, man Mesick TO Rec lily "a
Gr-at Wrong.

Cr-at Wrong.
\ Washington dispatch of July 9th
saws: No membcrof the Michigan dele
cation i'm congress has accomplished a
move of moro national importance than
will Congressman w. s Mesick, of
Mancelona if he shall succeed in carry
ing out the project he now has on hand.
The project involves the eXenditure Of
many millions of dOllors, but he thinks
the money will be we'll spent and the
expenditure meet the early approval of
the public because il will go 70 rectlfy
one of the most tlagraut acts ot injustice
perpetrated by the last administration
ON the army of the countryS defenders
and pensioners. What he proposes to
do. if possible, is 70 restore service
pensions 70 the status of being ves'ed
rights, as they always We're practically
until Hoke Smith made his notorious
ruling, 10y which thousands of pensioners
were suddenly and in most cases even
without notice, stricken off the rolls and
heavily reduced Judge Long, of Detroit
being shining example that every one
Will remember. Mr. Mesick has in his
own district several worthy veterans
whose small pensions We're cut down or
taken away altogether by the last adj
miuistraton and he has tn" papers and
arguments nearly completed on which
ne viii shortly submit these cases to
Commissioner Evans, with the request
that each pension be restored to the
ii IRE at which it was originally granted
and the penSioner given in lump as
blck pay all he would have drawn had
he not been reduced. As part of his
argument he viii submit the contention
that pension once granted Is practically
"a vested right in both law and justice,
and that unless material additional
evidence or evidence Of fraud subse-
uucutlv comes TO light, the department
has no authority TO open or readjudicatc
any case once settled any more than Il
la,v ca,e can be tried twice on the same
evidence This will bring out ruling
from Mr. Evans, and the importance of
the decision Will be seen by a glance at
the pension statistics, which show that
Hoke smiths ruling cut down the pen
SION budget $50 100000 per year, at the
expense mostly of the poor fellows who
were drawing *l2 per month. If Conn
missioner Evans should rule against Mr..
Il
TO introduce Immediately ON the opening
of the regular session 20 amend the
service pension law of June -, 1890 III
such manner as 10 eliminate all doubt
FIJI phraseology that has made Hoke
Smiths numerous hostile rulings posi-
bic and leave the law lain, straight
forward measure which no administra
ton could construe to deprive any
soldier OF his Just reward and rights
Another point Mr. Mcsck will make is
that SIP per month should be the lowest
pension allowed or 90 days or upwards
of service 1t is very easy TO construe
the law that way, although both the
Harrison and Cleveland administrations
ruled that "A veteran able TO work no Z
more than half the time should bc given
propDrtionatelv less than Sl2, down to a
minimum of So Mr. Mesick believes
that a man so infirm as TO be able t.
work only half time can barely exc ont
living these days with the full $l2
pension, and he will ask Commissioner
Evans to rule on that point, too. 1t is
possible that because Of the large
amount of money involved the depart
ment may rule adversely so as to throw
the matter into congress and secure such
revision Of the law as shall leave nc
question.