Evening journal., 1897-02-23

In the senate--NTorean and GalIinzer
criticise the Chief Executive - House
Passes the General Deficiency Bill.
WASHINGTON. Feb s3-Tho president
returned to the house without approval
bills pensioning Mrs. Mary A. Nicl and
Mrs. Mary A. Freeman. In the case OF
Mrs. Nicl the veto message says that the
widow Of Major w. d. Sanger. having re.
married. she long ago by her own deliber
ate act surrendered o right 60 draw pen.
sion as the widow of Major Sanger
A further objection Is that it is not
shown that the death of tho first husband
was due 60 injuries received IN his army
service. Neither he nor his widow while she
remained such presented any claim Ion
pension.
Mrs Freeman was pensioned as tho
widow OF Andrew " Fritchartl, who
served in the war with Mexico and died
from disease contracted in the service She
continued 70 receive this pcnsion until she
married John Freeman. 10 Is now pro.
posed to restore her to tho pension roll as
the widow of her first husband.
~ am not willing, says the president,
"evcn by inaction 20 be charged with nc
quicscence in what appears to be such an
entire departure from the principle as well
as sentiment connected with reasonable
pension legislation.
In yetoing the bill granting pension
TO Maria SOmerlat the president sums an
his general objections TO the kind of pen.
sion legislation which has been ennctcd by
the present congress. Mrs Sonorlat was
ponsionod in 1867 as aNyidow. In 1881 she
married again, when her pension was
stopped; but being divorced from her sec
ond husband, it is proposed to pension her
again. The president says
The rule governing the operation OF
general pension laws which f0rfcits % wild
owls pension on her remarriago seems Sc
reasonable and just and its relaxation
must necessarily lead to such a departure
from just principles and to such vexatious
pension administration that L am con.
WINGED it ought to be strictly maintained
Increase OF Special Pensions.
II hope l may be permitted to call the
attention of the senate 70 the increasing
latitude clearly discerniblo in special pen.
sion legislation. IL has seemed 10 me SO
useless to attempt TO stem tho tide of this
legislation hy executive interference that
/ have contented myself With nonncquics.
cence in numerous cases whore / could not
approve.
There have been already presented Co.
me for executive action during the present
session Of the congress POO special pension
bills, Of which / have actually examined
ll5. The entire number of such bills that
have hecomc laws during the four sessions
OF the congress since March 4, 1893, Is 301.
Some Of these presented at the present
session arc not basod upon the least pre-.
text that the death OF disability involved
is relatcsl 10 army service, while I'm numo.
ous cases il is extremely difficult TO satis-
factorily discover such relationship
There is ono feature of this legislation
which ! am sure deserves attention res
fer to the great number of special bills
passed for the purpose of increasing the
pensions Of those already on the rolls. OF
ll5 special pension bills which / have ex.
amined since the beginning of the present
session OF the congress, 90 granted or rc-
stored pensions and 81 increased those al
ready existing, while the appropriation OF
money necessary 90 meet these Increase.
alone exceeds considerably the amount re-
quired to pay the original pensions grant.
ed OF restored by the remaining 5S bills
cannot discover that these increases
are regulated by any rule or principle, and
when we remember that there are nearly
l,O00,0 900 pensioners on our rolls and con-
slider the Importantly for such increase
that must follow the precedents already
made the relation of the subject 20 q iusti-
fable increase Of our national revenues
cannot escape attention.