Arizona republican., 1899-03-24
PENSION PROBLEMS
Old Pensioners Who FOudhf
 Spain Dropped
Exerting Every Means 10 Be Rein- stated on RoIIS-EfforfS to Pre- vent Young Widows of Old r1en Drawing Uncle Sans Money.

Washington, March 23.-The pension bureau is investigating the cases Of pensioners who enlisted for the war with Spain. A man must be disabled
 to draw a pension, yet a number of
 those on the pension rolls went into active service. Wheneveg the depart
 ment heard of such men it drummed
 them from the rolls, and in some in stances they voluntarily relinquished their pensions. A bill was introduced
 to restore these men to the pension rolls, but it failed. Now these soldiers are trying to convince the department
 that the, recruiting officer was wrong when he declared them sound.
 Officials Of the pension bureau are also cudgling their brains to construe the pension law passed at the last ses- sion of congress. The object of the bill was to amend the old law so as to give the deserted wives of pensioners half their pensions, and in cases where there is no wife, but minor whom the pension to the child.
 In the report on the bill the house committee pointed out the evil result ing from the lack of restrictions placed on pensioners. who are permitted to desert Their families, enter soldiers homes and draw their pensions, with out contributing anything to the sup port of their families, who often be- come public charges. Nothing was said in the report, however, regarding the provision intended to prevent women marrying pensioners to obtain pensions as their widows. Many cases of this kind have arisen, where women have married pensioners and immediately deserted them, waiting for them to die, when they put in claims for 'wid- Ows' pensions.
 One case recently came to the atten- tiOn of the pension bureau, where d soldier of the Indian wars, who served only from October 26, 1857, to April 12, 1898, less than four months, was pen stoned at the rate of SS per month un- de. the act of July 37, 1892, He had married five wives, the last one being but IT when she married the veteran of seventy-siX. He died a few months later and his wife now draws the pen sion. Should she live as long as ne did, she will be on the pension rolls in 1860.
 The purpose of the pension bureau has been to stop these. marriages, but it has met with little success. The act provides that hereafter DO pension shall be paid tc the widow of a soldier. sailor or marine, etc, unless it is proved the marriage was contracted before the passage of this act, or un- less the wife shall have lived with such pelsOn from the date of the mar riaSe to the date of his death. At first glance this would appear to bar from pension any wife whose marriage was | contracted subsequent to the passage l Of this act, but the last clause may limit such disbarment to those women who desert their husbands, and permit ! those who live with thei~ husbands i from the time of the marriage to the | time of death to draw pension
 Commissioner Evans has not had the l law construed and admits it is badly | worded. He will obtain ruling on it 1 at once. In either case, however, it is | hoped it will operate to prevent the | marriage of helpless old men by de- signing women, or, at least, deprive | these women of the pensions which ! they expect to get.