The Portland daily press., 1900-05-12
Increases Scope of the
Law of 1890.
Includes Mental as Well as
Physical Disabilities.
urxcrAL TO THE PREss.l

Il
Washington, May lion Monday this
Houss.of hsprsssntatisesp passed . psnsiou
bill OF great Importance and Interest," II
10 Senate bill. having already passed
that body; aud has been
signed By the President The house
passed the bill substantially % ~ passed
tho Senate, the only change made relat-
ing to the incomes Of the widows Affect
ed BY the bill. The Senate provided that
any such widows should reosivs . pension
II her resources wsrs not such as to en-.
able an income Of $50 year to be de-
rived therefrom. The House changes thil
90 as to give q pension to the widow who
b ss not an actual net income Of $3.50 q
year. The old law OF 1890 gives to Jne
soldiers widow pension. unless hsi
annual income 10 more tran ninety dol.
lars . year. 1t will shus.bs asen that the
bill Just passed is especially liberal to
widows. Amy soldiers widow, whether
her husbands death may be traced to war
service or not, may have . pension at the
rate Of eight dollars month unless sh .
has an income, aside from her daily
labor. amounting to $3.50 year.
80 far as the old soldier himself is con-
cerned. the bill just passed deals only
with what 10 known as the act Of 1890
That act introduosd new principle, hy
allowing to any old soldier who had
served ninety days . pension In case he
should be unable from physical disabili-
ties to perform manual labor. The new
n. k~N
disabilities, and allows all disabilities
TO bs taken into account and rated.
Tbe bin has bssn called the Grand
Army bill. While 1t is probably not all
that organization might have desired.
yet 1t may fairly receive the name Of ths
Organization. General Daniel L. Siokles,
the old chief Of the Third Corps, was on
the floor whiis the bill was considered.
The text Of the bill IL a. follows:
be IL enacted BY the Senate and House
of Representatives Of the United States OF
America In Congress assembled, that
sections two and three OF an Act entitled
IAN Act granting pensions to soldiers
and sailors who are tncaDacitated Tor the
performance Of manual labor. end pro-
children, and dependent parents" be,
and the same are hereby, amended 30 as
to read as follows;
s'Sec, .. That Ali persons who served
ninety days or more In the military or
naval service Of the United States during
the late war Of the rebellion and who
have been honorably discharged there
from. and who are now or who may here
after bs suffering from any mental or
phy ysioAl disability or disabilities OF per-
manent character, not the result OF their
own vicious habits, which 20 tncspaci-
tatss them from the performance Of mar
ual labor a. 10 render them unable to
earn a support, shall, upon making due
proof of the fact, according to such rules
and regulations as the Secretary Of the
Interior may provide, bs placed upon tn
list OF invalid pensioners OF the United
states, and be entitled to reoeive . pen-
sion not exceeding twelve dollars per
month, proportioned to the degrse Of In
ability to earn . support; and In deter
mining such inability each and every
infirmity shall be duly considered, and
the aggregate Of the disabilities shown
be rated, and snoh pension shall oom-
application In the Bureau OF Psnsions.
alter the passage Of this Act. upon proof
that the Disability or disabilities then
existed, and ahal continue during the
existsnce Of the same: Provided, That
persons who are now receiving psnsions
un der existing laws. or whose claims are
pending In the Bureau OF Pensions. may,
BY application to the Uommissiener Of
Pensions, Ia such form As he may pre-
scribe, showing their selves entitled thsre-
70, receive the benefits Of this Act; and
nething herein oontaiped shall be 50 con-
strued as to prevent Any peneioner there.
under from pros .cuting his claim and re-
eral or special Act: Provided, however,
That no person shall receive more than
one pension for the same periods And
provided further, That rank In the ser.
vice shall not be oonsidersd in applioa-
tions nled under this ACT.
man who served ninety days or more IN
the Army or Navy Of the Unitsd 6tatss
during the late war Of the rebellion, and
who was honorably discharged has died.
or shall hereafter die. leaving widow
without means OF support other than her
not exceeding two hundred and fifty dot
lars psr year, or minor children under
the age Of sixteen years, such widow
shall, upon due proof Of her husbands q
death, without proving his death to he
the result Of his army service, be placed
application therefor under this Act, ~
the rate Of eight dollars per month dur
ing her widowhood, and shall also be
/ paid two dollars per month for each
/ child Of such officer or enlisted man un-
der sixteen years Of age; and In case of
the death or rsmarriags of the widow,
lsaving child or children Of such officeI
or enlisted man under the age Of sixteen
| years, such pension shall be paid such
child or children until the age Of sixteen
Provided, That In case minor child ID
insane. idiotic, or otherwise physically
or mentally helpless, the pension ehaIl
continue during ths life Of said child, !
during the period Of such disability; and
this provito shall apply to all pensions
heretofore granted or hereafter to be
granted undsr this or any former statute
and such pensions shall commence from
the date Of application therefor after the
passage Of this Aoti And provided fur
thsr, That said widow shali have married
said soldier prior 10 the passage Of the
said A OF Of June twenty seventh, sigh.
tssE hundred and ninsty."