The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-09-10
M'KINLEY is REMINDED
By the Grand Army That the PEN
sion Situation is No Better THAI
Under Cleveland.

l - NA@N ~ "a COAlA1ILLCG Oh pensions
| declares that a generous and patriotic
construction of the law should govern
| the administration of the department
| and says:
Resolved, That in view of the repeat
| ed complaints of the unfair construction
| OF the pension law and of the making
| and enforcement of rules which are in
| violation of the law and inimicaI to
the interest of applicants, this encamp-
| ment IS 1mpelled to call upon Comrade
! VIM. Mckinley, president of the United
| States, to exercise his authority and to
| see that the law is executed in a spirit
OF fairness, justice and liberality,
| Resolved, That all rules which tend
! to hinder and embarrass the allowance
! of honest pension claims should be re-
| peaIed, and we ask the president that
/ he use his authority to cause those
| whose duty it is to execute the laws to
| so perform their duty as to do justice
| to the soldiers and administer the law
| so as not to obstruct the prosecution of
! pension claims by technical require
| ments not within the province of the
| law and which are only calculated to
| hinder and Obstruct in the effort to
| obtain lawful pensions. Your commits
| tee viii call attention to the fact that
| two years ago the country was stirred
| to its depths by complaints of the injus-
| tice of the administration of the pen
! sion bureau. These complaints were so
specific and distinct that they furnished
the basis of political efforts. They were
the subject of emphatic utterances by
InG naLlOndl SncanlDIn6DC. BeNOnQ
doubt the political campaign of 1886 was
largely Influenced by the hope of amel-
iOrating those conditions then obtain
ing in the pension bureau. We submit
that this expected ameIiOratiOn has not
taken place; that in no substantial in
stance has one of those harsh rules
been abrogated, but every one of them
remains in full force and effect, as I'M
der the previous administration.
The best illustration of this is the rule
225, which was substituted for the just
rule 1874 to the infinite injury of tens of
thousands of much deserving men and
women. 1t seems unnecessary to en-
large upon the fact that the veterans
had the right to expect very different
treatment from the present cohnnliS-
siOner of pensions than they received
from his predecessor Another fact
that it seems unnecessary to enlarge
upon is that the time is highly i'm
pOrtant to the veterans. The passing
years have a direful acceleration for
them. Every day brings them nearer
the grave in increasing ratio. Their
needs cry out more VOciferOuSly with
every changing of the moon, yet the
number of weekly allowances steadily
diminishes while the pension commits
siOner officially states that he has $4,000
claims pending in his bureau, of which
he says IS, O00 so far have received
nothing at all. Elsewhere he states
that about 200,0 900 survivors received no
pensions, and yet very recently the
commissioner recommended and carried
through reduction of 100 in his force
of clerks on the graund that he had
more force than he needed-this in the
face of the fact that hardly a day pass
ed but that somewhere or other in this
broad land the pension certificate ar
rives only in time to be laid on the COT
fin of the applicant
Resolved, That the rule of the pen
sion office by which a widow is debar-
red from pension if she has an income
of 800 per year is unjust, and we ask
the president that the order be abro-
gated and the minimum income debar-
ring from pensions be fixed at not less
than $500 a year. In this connection we
desire to inform the president that very
early in his administration it was an
nounced by high official in the pen
sion office that the widows limit would
be raised to $500, but it never material
lied.
Resolved. That we ask for the re-es-
tabiShment of order 1874 which was en-
forced under the Harrison regime. This
order, in simple terms, took cOgniZance
in rating a mans pension of all the
disabilities he suffered under 1t was
abrOgated by the last administration
and it was held that to be entitled to
the lowest rate of six dollars per month
a comrade must have some one disabil-
ity which is rated at that amount. IF
he has three disabilities rated at 81 each
he gets no pension at all This iniquit-
GUS rule is maintained up to this hour.
and we submit it is not such treatment
as we had right to expect from COM
rade Vim. Mckinley.
Resolved. That in constituting the phrase
tina ility to perform manual labor" it be
construed to mean inability to perform un-
professional, unskilled labor-labOr re-
quiring muscular effort alone. Your COM
mittee further respectfully states that it
is willing to receive even the official state
ment of the commissioner of pensions with
States in one Piace that there are 75o0o
comrades who never received a pension.
In another place he fixFA; the figures at
100000. We are aware that from time to
time TIM ne issues glowing statements flt IT'S as TO
rades, in comparison to what was former
" done, but most OF his comparisons are
with the admlnistrations OF president
Grant and President Hayes Prior to the |
service. for disability honorabIy incurred |
even after the war, he compares with the |
pnIV 300 u.s. When 1i owing to the small
force in the adjutant generals office, it |
claimants record. where now it takes only |
five days. He compares work with the |
sion office numbered only 300. while he !
has 1. 600. He discreetly refrains from Civ |
jections. Our comrades living, and the |
widows of the comrades dead, cry aloud |
it to the ear of that cOmrade in chief au- |
thority over all the land, confident that |
The report was adopted without dissent. |
Some time after the adoption of the re-
port fear seemed to have come into the
degree of blame had been attributed to
President Mckinley and Judge Torrance
of Minnesota moved to eXpunge from the
is maintained up to this hour, and We sub
nit it is not such treatment as we had
right to expect from Comrade VIM. Nc
KinleY."
Corporal Tanner Immediately got the
floor and stated that his high regard for
President Mckinley was not exceeded by
any member of the committee preparing
the report, and he begged permission to
have the unanimous consent of the en-
campment to add to the sentence which it
was sought to have expunged. land we
are confident that when he is once relteV-
ed from the mighty matters of national
and worldwide importance which now
command his attention, he Will see that
justice is done"
The encampment unanimously gave per-
u za addifion to The re- |