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

and sailors who arc totally 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 PEN
nions in certain cases.
A CONSTANT CRY OF INCREASE"
These arc samples Of them all. From first TO
last the burden Is j increase. increase, increase.
Increase for this, increase for that. Always an
increase. Ii Il any wonder that the nation has
paid out In the last thirty years for pensions
alone es,17s,7Bb ,aeo.5s7
sMooruNe THE PATH TO A PENSION.
But besides these laws providing for increases
In tho pension bounty there has been q steady
increase In another class Of law moro vicious
by far than those providing for increased pen
sions. These are laws relating to the character
and the fulnoss OF the testimony required of per
sons who want TO get pousions. Year by year
tho safeguards have been removed. Year by
year tho path TO q pension has been smoothed.
Year by year the number of witnesses required
has been reduced, 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 hordes that
clamored for bounty. Fab the act Of JUNE 27,
1890. as a sample. Here are the essential
features OF 1t:
All persons who served ninety days or more in the
military or naval service of the United States during
the iate wal Of the rebellion and who have been hon.
orabiy discharged therefrom. and who are now or who
may hereafter be suffering from mental or phyaical
disability of a permanent character, not the result OF
their own vicious habits, which incapacitates them
from the performance OF manual labor in such q de-
gree as to render them unable TO earn . support.
shall. upon making due proof Of the fact according
to such rules and regulations az tho Secretary of
the Interior may provide, be placed upon the list
OF invalid pensioners Of the United States. and DO
entitled to receive a pension not exceeding Sl2 per
month. and not less than 90 per month, proportioned
to the degree of inability to earn q support; and such
pension shall from tho date OF the nling
OF the application in the Pension ONCE. after
the passage Of this act. upon proof thar the dis.
ability then existed. and shall continue during the
existence OF the same: Provided, That persons who
are now receiving pensions under existing laws,
or whose claims arc pending In the Pension ONCE,
may, by application TO the Commissioner OF Pen
sions. in such form rs he may prescribe. showing
themselves entitled thereto, receive the dement's of
this act, and nothing herein contained shall be 80
construed as to prevent any pensioner hereunder
from prosecuting his claim and receiving his pension
under any other general or special cot.
II any onncsr or enlisted man who served ninety
DAYS or more In the army or navy OF the United
States during the late war OF the rebellion. and WHIT
was honorabiy discharged. has died or shall hereafter
die, leaving q widow without other means of support
than her daily labor. or minor children under the age
of 10 years. such widow shall upon due proof OF
her husbands death. without proving his death to be
the result OF his army service. be placed on the pen,
sion roll from the date of the application therefor
under this act at the rate OF % per month during
her ~widowhood. and shall also be paid e2 per month
for each child OF such officer or enlisted man undel
10 years of age.
NO ESCAPE FROM A PENSION.
Under this act disabilities have been divided
up into eighteenths and twentieths and tftiethi
and hundredths. A slight impairment of the
sight Of one eye is so many hundredths of disa
bility; a slight deafness In one ear is 30 MANI
hundredths. II the heart puts in four extra
beats a minute or four fewer than 1t ought to
that IN 30 many fftieths or 90 many hundredthl
of disability. In truth. the only way a man car
escape getting a pension under that act ia to b,
absolutely perfect physically, and the only VIZ!
= widow can escape 1t is by having an incom,
sufficient TO maintain herself and all her chill
dren without work. That is no exaggeration.
FRAUDS THAT ARE KNOWN.
We have now considered the pension roll
themselves and the laws under which the mum
Der of pensioners have grow to the enormous
total of 976.Ol4. Let US take up next some o
the abuses that have grown and some of tn
AtHee sHeb ~ 80 Afo SNtoto AuS NV o1b q
Although it would not be fair to say that abuse
and frauds have been concealed, 1t is not to-
much to say that the efforts to make then
public have been weak indeed. For years tn
attacks on the pension system have been fcv
and far between. In building up the system
In opening wide the gates. In helpinI
the horde of unworthy ones, the perjul
ers, thieves. and bounty jumpers. to shar
with the worthy the nations bounty
one political party has been no worse than tn
other. 1t has been largely a game for vote.
Few men dared attack tho pension list. Fe,
men dared oppose n proposal to increase per
sion appropriations in the Congress of tn
United States for fear of the effect 1t woul
have on the vote in their own districts and tn
effect it would have upon their party at larg'
Hands off the pension list" has been tn
fashion. Men have We'd with one another |
c~urrying favor with tho old soldier. At leas
they have imagined they were currying favo
with tho old soldie;. What they di
actually was to bow to the blatar
shriekings Of thieving pension attorneys VIII
had bounty jumpers. paid substitutes. deserter
and cattle Of that kind as clients. It IL not tn
old soldier who bawls out his demand for bount!
Tho soldier. as a rule. does not want bounty. II
did not fight for bounty. He fought for the sab
Of patriotism. He is patriotic to-day. 1t 10 tn
/ other class who go around wide mouthed. sa'
age for plumber. seeking bounty with the Q
~frontery Of Park row beggars.
SHINING EXAMPLES OF PROTEST.
There have been some shining exceptions
this rule of "give all that's asked and get Il
votes" In the Fifty-fourth Congress the Hol
Franklin Bartlett spoke earnestly against pr
posed measures that would open the gat,
wider. In the Fifty.third Congress Congressma
Mutchler of Pennsylvania said in a speech
!, opposition to a pension bill:
"MR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN: 1 repcl
. that no more vicious legislation was ev,
enacted by the American Congress, or. I dal
3 say. any other legislative body on the face
Gods earth. than the act of June 27, 1890.
enables applicants for pensions who never sa
a the enemy or heard the roar OF his cannon, wi
. never got beyond the limit OF the State in while
they were enlisted, who went out with 81, OC
. subsidy money In their pockets, or from 81. 2(
. to 81 800 OF bounty, 10 come back upon tho Go
: eminent to ask 1t TO give them pensions