The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-20

wound or injury received IN the discharge OF his
duty. 10 procure q subsistence by manual labor.
No person shall be entitled 70 q pension By reason
of wounds or injury received or disease contracted
In the service OF the United States subseousnt to the
twentyscventh day OF July, eighteen hundred and
II any person has died since the fourth
day OF March. eighteen hundred and sixty-ons, or
shall hereafter die, by reason of any wound. injury,
casualty. OF disease. which, under the conditions snd
Limitations Of such sections, would have entitled him
to an invalid pension, and has not left or shall not
leave . widow or legitimate child. but has ieft or
shall leave other relative or relatives who were Dc.
pendent upon him for support In whole or in part ~
the date OF his death. such reiativS or relatives shall
be entitled, in the following order Of precedence. 10
receive the same pension a. such pcrvon would have
been entitled to had he been totally disabled. 10
commence from the death of such person. namely
First. the mother, secondly. the father, thirdly.
orphan brothers and sisters under 10 yenrs OF age.
who shall be pensioned Jointly.
In addition to getting q pension under these
general laws, every soldier or sailor who lost .
leg or an arm or a foot 10 entitled to an artificial
limb OF the kind he lost every I'VE years. or II ho
prefers cash he gets Il at the rate Of Q75 for q
log, $50 for an arm, and $50 for o foot. Also tho
cost Of transportation from his homo to the
nearest place where artificial arms or logs or
feet arc made. Any soldier who 10 ruptured
gets Q truss. Under these general laws IL will
be seen that pensions are granted only TO soldiers
who were injured In tho line Of their duty. Under
the general laws Sal .o97 soldiers and sailors
are drawing pensions and s8.998 widows and
dependents OF soldiers. That Is to say. OF the
73o, 900 surviving soldiers 41,00o. or nearly
oue.half. are suffering from wounds received in
the service. or disabilities traceable to the ser
vice. Tho proportion, 1t will DO noticed, IL
tremendous. Nearly one. half the soldiers living
thirty.two years after the war are suffering
from wounds or disabilities Of thirty-two Year,
standing.
TIE PENSION AoT.
The dependent pension act was passed June
OF. 1890. To get a pension under that act there
are the following simple requirements In case
of q soldier:
% Ar honorable discharge.
(e) That he served at least ninety days.
() A permanent physical or mental inability 70
earn n support. but not due to vicious hsbtts- IN
need not have originated In the service.)
In case OF a widow:
~ That the soldier served ct least ninety days-
C) That he was honorably discharged.
ts) Proof OF death. but 10 need not have been the
result Of his army service.
t4) That the widow is without other means Of
support than her daily labor"
(5) That she married soldier prior to June ~. 1890.
date OF the act.
In dependent parents case:
~ That the soldier died of n wound. injury, or
disease. which. under prior laws, would have given
him q pension.
(2) That he left no wife or minor child.
C8) That mother or father 10 at. present dependent
on her or on his own manual labor. being "without
other present means OF support than their own man.
ual labor or the contributions Of others not legally
bound for their support" The benefits OF the nr.t
ns ,nnn
the parents of those who served In the war of the
| rebellion. but are extended to all parents where pen.
siorable dependence has arisen on account OF the
death of q son who served. since said war. in behalf
of the United States.
az That In case q minor child Is insane, idiotic. OF
otherwise permanently helpless. the pension shall
continue during the life of said child. or during the
period Of such disability. and this proviso shall apply
to all pensions heretofore granted or hereafter to he
granted under this or any former statute. aid such
pensions shall commence from the date OF application
therefor after the passage OF this act.
Under the dependent pension law 37s,6Oa
soldiers are drawing pensions and 11O,59a
widows and dependents Of soldiers. Note the
third requirement: "a permanent physical oil
mental inability to earn n support. but not due
to vicious habits" Think Of It, 341. 900 out Of
! 1871 900 survivors of the war are incapacitated
by reason of wounds or disabilities dating back
thirty-two years. and all the rest OF the survi
vors, every man OF them. suffering from per
manent physical or mental disability to carr
support! Every man OF them and 5000 more
besides. II the pension rolls should be taken a,
u criterion. Not one sound man out of a tota
of q 1000!
THE RAN ARMY OF DISABLED.
How about President Mckinley How abou'
Gen. Russell 4. Algerl How about III. Cha,
the hundred thousand and more men in ever!
walk OF life. from the highest to the lowest. VIII
ere known not to he disabled3 They are no
drawing pensions from tho Government. We
every man Of them and more Is accounted TO
on the pension rolls ms suffering from perma
nent physical or mental disability to earn
support The dependent pension bill of Jun
81. 1890. considerably more than doubled tn
pension rolls of the nation. 1t added to then
500. 100. 1t threatens to add to them three hun
dred thousand more.
Now, II the pension rolls are samples OF arith
metical progression. the book OF pension laws 4
like unto them. From 1873, when the Genera
Pension law was passed. to the present day. no
n law providing for pensions has been repealed
Scarcely a session has passed when new law
appropriatinR more money have not been put 1
the book. THE Q has not the space TO CIV
oven a synopsis of these laws. The Pensio
ONCE prints a synopsis of them. and It require
abook of 192 pages to accommodate them. 1t
possible. however. to print tho titles of some c
them, and here they arc. No act is mentione
twice. Note the similarity Of titles:
SOME OF THE PENSION LAWS.
An act to equalIze pensions In certain cases.
An act to Increase the pension of soldiers and sal
os who have been totally disabled.
An act to increase pensions in certain cases.