The National tribune., 1900-05-24
THE NEW PENSION BILL.

We are still waiting for the interpre
tation which Commissioner Evans will put
on the amended act of June 27, 1890. As
the fiscal year is now within few weeks
of its close, when substantially all the
saving" that can be made for this Ad,
ministration will have to be done, we may
have TO wait few days longer for any
marked change in the direction of liberal
| ity, if such is contemplated.
AS we have said before, the amendments
put no more pressure upon the Commits
sioner to compel him to do his duty than
existed before. He has claimed of late
that he has been grouping disabilities,
and giving the claimants the benefit of
such course. The amendments merely
empower him to do what he at first claimed
that he had no power to do, and subse-
quently that he was doing. Whether he
will do it or not, still rests entirely with
him. Even the widows clause only en-
powers him to do what he had perfect
power to do before. A number of other
equally nagging requirements remain,
and viii remain until he decides TO remove
them.
A matter of much Importance now is
whether, in the event Of more liberal in
depreciation of the.law, which the action
OF Congress favors, new applications will
have to be filed by those whose claims
have been rejected, and also by those whose
claims are pending.
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE pointed this
danger out editorially some months ago,
when the amendments were first intro
duced. But the theory of the GAR.
Pension Committee and many lawyers
was that the amendments being merely
changes in the original law, left that law
TO stand as it otherwise was, and its Ian
guage would refer TO its original passage.
They also pointed out the act of March 6,
1896, which was intended to curb Lochren.
but which he and Evans have wholly
ignored and treated as dead letter. This
reads:
That whenever claim for pension under
n act of June %, 1890, has been, or shall
hereafter be, rejected, suspended, or dis
missed, and new application shall have
been, or shall hereafter he, filed, and PEN
sion has been, or shall hereafter be, al
lowed in such claim, such pension shall
date from the time of fling such first appii-
cation, provided that the evidence in the
case shall show pensionable disability to
have existed, or to exist, at the time of
fling such first application, anything in
any law or ruling Of the Department to the
contrary notwithstanding.
If the amendments are to be regarded as
enacting an entirely new law in place of
the act Of June q, 1890, the act Of March
6, 1885, is, of course, dead letter. Since
Evans has always treated it as such, how
ever, the loss is not so material.
If the act of May shall be construed as
new legislation, superseding the act of
June 27, 1890, and requiring the filing Of
new claims, ard the cutting off of all ar
rears on those pending or rejected, the re-
sponsibility lies with Speaker Henderson
and Chairman Sulloway, who rigor- |
ously shut off all attempts to amend the
bill, and make it cover this danger, as well
as make other desired provisions. Repre- I,
sentatiyes Curtis and Calderhead, of Kan
sas, were particularly strenuous in en-
deavoring to make these, but were cut off
Sulloway.