Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-02

| leRlSiat1On be enacted providing Tor plen-
NAL examination of pensioners.
| Revision of the Laws Urged.
Concerning a re tision OF the pension laws
| the Secretary says:
An early revision and codification of the
| pension laws is, in my Judgment, highly de-
| sirable. and l therefore earnestly commend
| the commissioners recommendation in the
| premises to the favorable consideration of
Congress"
The most important feature of the Secre-
t&rys report as far as pensions are con-
cerned is that portion which refers to the
pCisioning of widows OF soldiers. After
quoting he law In reference thereto he
says:
Literally interpreted the above means
that a widow is not entitled TO the pension
thus provided for, should she have other
means Of support han the product of her
daily labor, the latter, plus the amount of
pension, being presumably sufficient for her
necessities.
The practice of the department has been
to arbitrarily and literally eonstrue the
act to allow the widow an income,
Independent of the product of her daily
labor. equal TO the proposed pension before
refusing the latter. But it is contended
that such liberal construction does not suffi-
GENTLY meet the spirit of the act.
The difficulty In determining this ques
ton is found in the varying conditions
which the case of each claimant develops.
both with respect TO the product of her
daily labor and to means of support, and
it is most desirable that further lcgisa-
ton should BE- had
While the amount of the pension. IN
der conditions stated. is fixed, the product
of her daily labor depends upon many con-
tirgcncies involving health. occupation and
position in life, there being in the various
departments. and no doubt In other lines of
employment, many pensioncd widows whose
ccmpcnsatons vary from 5000 to $500
year. The salary in each case is the pro-
duct Of her daily labor. and while in the
it = times much the
other. was it the intention of Congress to
| place each on the same pension basis?
Again, the widow. solely dependent upon
the product of her daily labor. may, through
i'll health and lack of opportunity. not lie
abic to earn moro than s25 or $40 a month.
while there may bc and are widows wholly
incapa Citated for daily labor through the in
irm'ties of age.
While from til" foregoing it would ap
pear that a proper discrimination is not
mad" with respect to that portion OF the
law which mas reference to the product of
her daily labor ii is claimed, on the other
hand. that the contingencies above men
tened are unavoidable and impossible OF
regulation. | therefore leave this part OF
the law for the further consideration and
action of CONGRESS-.
The words means of support however,
cover wide range. namely. either barely
I he means of existence or support in lux
ury, and III order to more exactly define
the words means OF support | approve
the recommendation Of the commissioner
% pensions. a.. sci 1pFtn IN MS l'ttFT "a
July ~. 1899. that the third section of the
act of June -. 1870. be amended that a
reasonable status be granted to widows
y hose income. independent of the pro-
Cnc}S Of their daily labor, IS not in excess
Of $29" T'r @nnum.
Fees of Pension Attorneys.
Attention is given the subject of pension
attorneys in the report, ana the Secretary,
after quoting the Law concerning their
compensation, says:
Il earnestly recommend that the existing
legislation regulating the compensation of
attorneys and agents for services in pen
Slon matters he amended as to provide
that no compensation whatever Shall be
paid ia them d,rcctly or indirectly for any
service in connection with any claim or
proceeding under the pension laws, except
such may within certain limits fixed by
Congress, be allowed by the commissioner
of pensions and paid from the pension
money now provided with respect to
claims for pensions
Recent application was made to the
Postmaster General to cause TO be deiiv-
cred to the various pension agents in the
United States all Short-paid mail matter adj
dressed to them without collecting the Ge-
ticiency in postage, but he expressed the
opinion that, under existing law, there was
no authority to enable him to comply with
such request. lnasmuch as the several
agents for the payment of pensions are
now REQUIRED to Pa! tsh9rt postage from me
pension agencies. | have the honor to rec
ommend that Congress so amend the
listing laws relating to postal affairs to
extend to thu pension agencies the priv
ilege conferred by the act of July ), 1884,
on the executive departments or bureaus
thereof Of having delivered free any part
paid letter or packet to said pension agen-
cies'
The Secretary calls attention to the fact
that out of 9, 45S appeals from the decision
of the commissioner Of pensions there was
reversal in but 1914 cases.
The Patent Office.
After quoting largely from the report Of
the commissioner of patents, the Secretary
says in discussing this important branch Of
the service
The patent office is more than se.f-sus-
tanning As American inventive genius has
cheapened the cost OF production, to the
advantage of American wages, 1t would
seem as though the legislative branch of
the government should do much to encour-
age the useful arts and the inventors
of the country At the present time
our manufacturers are reaching out for
| foreign markets, and no greater aid can be
given them than by fostering and stmu-
! lating invention to become dominant in the
markets OF the world through labOr-saving
| inventions which will enable it to compete
| with the lower wages paid to the so-caled
working classes in other countries. The
| greatest development in American exports
!
| export of manufactures. The commissioner
| asserts that We mainly owe to our patent
| system such fOOthold we have gained
during the past fifty years in foreign lands
! for our manufactured products; that we
can, by fair and liberal treatment of our
| inventors control for our manufacturers
| not Ony our home markets but the markets
| of the world.
| Most labOr-saving machinery perfected
| within the last scventy-five years is the in
| vention Of our own people The reap
| ing machine, which from 1861 to 1866
| did the work of more than a mil
! Hon men working with hand imple-
| ments, is of American origin The
| same Is true of the modern pillow and
! its added improvements, of the corn
planter and the thrashing and separator
| machines. In the textile industry the Amer
| lean record surpasses that Of al other
countries. WoOl-carding machinery owes
| its chief improvements to the inven-
| ton of John Goulding, whose patent
was issued in 1876 which dispensed
with the splicing billy and produced
| the endless roll of silver. The Crompton
| loom for weaving fancy woolens and the
Bigelow loom for weaving carpets are of