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

| to earn support Every man OF them
and 5000 more besides, Il the pension
rolls should be taken as a criterion
| Not one sound man out OF total OF
| 727. GOO.
THE GRAND ARMY OF DISABLED
How about President Mckinley? How
about Gen. Russell A. Alger? How
about H. Clay Evans, Commissioner OF
Pensions? How about the hundred
| thousand and more men in every walk
Of life, from the highest to the lowest,
who are known not to be disabled?
| They are not drawing pensions from
the government, yet every man of them
and more is accounted for on the pen
sion rolls as suffering from permanent
physical or mental disability to earn a
support The dependent pension bill
Of June 81, 1890, considerably more
than doubled the pension rolls of the
| nation. 1t added to them 50s,799- It
threatens to add to them three hundred
thousand more.
Now, if the pension rolls are samples
Of arithmeticsl progression, the book
of pension laws is like unto them.
From 1873, when the general pension
law was passed, to the present Cay, not
law providing for pensions has been
repealed. Scarcely session has pass
ed when new laws appropriating more
money have not been put in the book.
The Sun has not the space to give even
a synopsis of these laws. The pen
sion Office prints synopsis Of them,
and it requires a book OF 1872 pages to
accommodate them. It is possible,
however, 10 print the titles of some Of
them, and here they are. No act is
mentioned twice. Note the similarity
Of titles:
SOME OF THE PENSION LAWS.
An act to equalize pensions in GER
tain cases.
An act to increase the pensions of
soldiers and sailors who have been to-
tally disabled.
An act 10 increase pensions in GER
tain cases.
An act granting pensions to the wild
ows, children, dependent mothers and
fathers or orphan brothers and sisters
OF soldiers.
An act to provide artificial limbs to
disabled soldiers.
An act TO allow S56 month to SOL
| diers who have lost both an arm and
leg.
An act amending the pension laws
SO as to remove the disability Of those
who, having participated in the rebel
lion, have since its termination enlisted
in he army OF the United States.
An act to increase the pension Of
| certain soldiers and sailors.
An act to provide that all pensions
on account Of death Or wounds re-
ceived or disease contracted during
the late war OF the rebellion, which
have been granted CIR which shall here
after be granted, shall date from the
death or discharge from the service Of
the United States; for the payment of
arrears Of pensions and other pur-
| poses.
Al act for the relief Of certain PEN
| sioners.
An act to restore pensions in certain
cases.
| An act to increase the pensions Of
certain pensioned soldiers.
| An act providing for the payment of
| 81 day to each volunteer in the State
of Montana VINO served in the war
| against the NeZ PerceS Indians. Pay
ment to begin from the time he left his
home to the time he returned; also
providing for the relief OF the heirs OF
such as were killed and for the pay
rnert fer all horses and arms lost ia.
The service.
An act to relieve certain soldiers
| Of the late war from the charge of de-
sertion.
| An act to amend the pension laws by
| increasing the pensions OF soldiers and
! sailors.
An act TO increase the pensions of
| widows and dependent relatives of de-
ceased soldiers and sailors.
An act to amend the pension laws by
increasing the pensions of soldiers and
sailors.
An act increasing pensions in case Of
deafness.
An act to increase pensions in GER
tain cases.
An act to increase the pensions Of
certain soldiers and sailors who are to-
tally helpless.
An act granting pensions to army
nurses.
An act granting increase Of pensions
to soldiers
An act 10 provide for the payment
of accrued pensions in Certain eases.
4 CONSTANT CRY OF INCREASE. :"
These are samples Of them all From
first TO last the burden is increase. in
| crease. increase, increase. Increase for
this, increa7e for thst. Always an in
crease. Is il any wonder that The nation
has paid out in the last thirty years
Tor pensions alone s2,17S,755, 269.5S?
SMOOTHING THE PATH TO A PEN
SION.
But besides these laws providing for
increases in the pension bounty there
has been a steady increase in another
class Of laws more vicious by Far than
those providing for increased pensions.
These are laws relating to the character
and the fitness of the testimony requir-
ed Of persons who want to get pensions.
Year by year the safeguards have been
removed. Year by year the path to a
pension has been smoOthed Year by
year the number Of witnesses required
has been reGuced, the necessity for this
bit Of evidence and that bit OF evidence
has been done away with The degree
Of disability has been made less and
less. and wider and wider the gates have
opened to let in the hcrdes that clam
ored for bounty. Take the act CT June
n, 1890, 20 a sample. Here gre the es-
sential features OF it:
All persons who served ninety days
or more in the military or naval ser
VIA 81