The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-17

Inc IDEA or being Self-supporting Is kept
constantly before the children, and eff
cheney in all the child does is therefore re-
quirtd. There can be no object of greater
Importance worthier of the best efforts
of the Grand Army of the Republic and
Woman's Relief Corps than the promotion
of the interests of this home and school
for the children of our comrades. Let US
see to IL that its work shall not be crippled
for want of support invite your attention
to the report of Comrade Benjamin Starr,
chairman of the visiting committee Of the
Grand Army of the Republic, who will
make a more detailed report.
Pensions
This important subject is one that inter-
ests every comrade OF the department,
whether he is a pensioner or not; perhaps
no other question has received so much
consideration or been more widely dis
cussed. Ii has been brought prominently
before every national and department en-
campment for years. After the thirty-sec-
ond National Encampment, Commander-in-
Chief James A. Sexton appointed a commit
tee TO make thorough investigation OF the
methods in the pension department and re-
port to the thirty-third National Encamp-
ment. After a careful consideration OF the
methods of the Pension Bureau, and of the
many rulings and constructions placed upon
the laws on that subject by the secretary
OF the interior, this committee made It's
report, and recommended the adoption OF
the following resolutions:
Philadelphia, Pa. Sept. 6. 1899.
=" Commander and Comrades
Your committee on pensions respectfully
present this supplemental report, pursuant
to the instructions of the encampment
1--WE respectfully direct attention 10
Section AL of the Revised Statutes of the
United States, which reads as follows:
THE commissioner of pensions shall per-
form, under the direction of the secretary
of the interior, such duties in the execu-
ton of the various pension and bounty
land laws as may be prescribed by the
President"
sRasoIyad THE enoap,nnaot resnectfuI-
ly represents to the President of the United
States its earnest conviction that rule No.
225, now in practical effect in the adjudi
cation of claims for pensions, under Sec
ton 2 of the act of June q, 1900 In the
Pension Bureau, works grave injustice to
worthy ex-soldiers and sailors, and we ex-
press the hope that you may find 1t consist
ent with your duties, as an administrative
officer, to abrogate this rule and re-estab-
lish the principle as defined In rule No. l6i
Under the operation of rule No. 164 formI-
lated and put into effect soon after the pas
sage of this act, unquestionably responsive
to public sentiment, and based upon sound
legal propositions-in a word, the simple
expression of the letter and spirit of the
law-four hundred thousand names were
added to the pension rolls of the Republic,
and to which no objection was heard for
years after it's PRONUNCIATION.
Resolved, This encampment respect
fully represents that the practice in the
Pension Bureau in barring widow claim
ants who have an income or $50 year
terms of the law, and we warmly indorse
the recommendation of the commissioner of
pensions to successive secretaries OF the
interior that the limitation be increased to
$3.50 per year.
Resolved, That the commander-in- chief
appoint a committee of five comrades to
present to the President certified copy of
the action of this National Encampment.
with an expression of our earnest desire
for justice only TO our disabled comrades
and the widows and orphans of our dead
under the letter and spirit of the law.
:" Resolved, That this committee is here
by authorized and directed, in the event
that Ii is determined that relief may not
be afforded by the administrative officers
of the government to present to the Con-
gress a request for the amendment or the
law in such form will make certain the
true intent of the statute, as we now be-
lieve it should be construed as herein repre-
sented.'
1.-THE report of the committee and reso-
buttons were unanimously adopted. In this
connection. i desire to call your atten-
ton to the effort now being made to dis
continue the board of review, made up
from the heads of the departments, in the
Pension Office, and to establish a new
board, or Court of Appeals. to which all
pensioners can appeal their cases from the
decision of the commissioner. This measure,
IL adopted, would insure the veterans a
speedy disposition of their claims by an
unbiased court.
1.-The effort of the national committee to
have that unjust ruling that has been in
existence for years, barring widows from
a pension whose yearly income was $50 or
more, set aside, and the limit increased to
$3.50, should I'm my judgment, command
our most careful consideration and earnest
support.
There are other practices in existence
that should receive an expression from this
encampment One is the discrimination in
favor of the widows of officers. For one, L
am in favor of and want to go on record as
asking that the widows of private soldiers
be given the same rating that Is given to
the widows of commissioned officers, and
that they receive the same treatment from
magnanimous government.
THE practice of granting private PEN
sionS should also receive your attention.
The records show that many private PEN
sion bills are introduced in both branches
of Congress at every session, and many of
them are passed to the exclusion of worthy
veterans, who patiently waiting for a
ruling upon claims of long standing Com
rades. this. in my judgment. is fraught
with evil. and should not exist. With these
brief suggestions, / leave this subject for
your mature elaboration.
Recommendations
81 desire to call your attention to the re-
port that will be presepted by the assistant
quartermaster general in regard to the
assets. You will observe that this depart
ment is now the owner of two (2) vacant
lots, situated in the city of Indianapolis,
and has been since June 80 1896. They came
into the possession of the department by
fcdSOi VI lJie utdtn Oh the OWNER, VINO
mortagaged them to secure a loan of 1000.
They are nonproductive and / would rec
ommend that the council of administration
take such steps as in their judgment will
speedily convert them into cash. so that
the money may be invested and some rev.
enue derived therefrom. And in this con-
nection / desire to say that. so far as the
finances of the department are concerned,
they are not second to any one i'm the Ma
tional Encampment. Our expenditures are
carefully guarded. and We are keeping
within the revenues of the department.
You are to be congratulated on this good
showing.
State Soldiers Home
bers of my staff, / paid visit to this in
stitution. found everything in good con-
dition. The affairs of the home are care
fully managed and everything is done for
the care, comfort and happiness of the
members. The home is crowded and many
applications are on file awaiting opportun-
tiles for admission. The trustees are great
ly in need of funds with which properly to
equip the home Colonel Stormont. the
new commandment, is now in charge, and
every member seems we'll pleased with
him. / do not think I can give you a bet
ter idea of the home, its condition and
needs, than to quote from a letter received
from General j. r. Carnahan, president
Of the board of trustees, in which he says:
'First-We need TO double the present
capacity of our general hospital. By rea-
SON of the growing infirmities of our old
comrades. we have been compelled to take
the women out of the female ward of the
general hospital and use IL for men alone
and we are now overcrowded in the hos
pital with broken-down. sick and decrepit
men. We have been compelled to make a