The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-05-08
GRAND ARMY
BILL PASSED.
House Approves the PEN
sion Measure Sane
toned by Senate.

Washington, May I-Under suspon-
sion of the rules the House today passed
without division bill called "the Grand
Army Bill' which passed the Senate on
January 8. to amend the dependent PEN
sion act. This is the act passed. In 1890 to
grant pensions to veterans incapacitated
for the performance Of manual labor, md
to tho widows, minor children and depen-
dent parents of veterans whose deaths
were not caused by army service. This
law gives pension to q veteran regard
less of any disability incurred In the SER
vice provided he is incapncitatod In whole
or part from performing manual labor.
Every veteran disabled in the war Is en-
titled TO n pension In accordance with tho
disability. But under ths dependent act
every man gets a pension If he Is incapioit
ated for performance of manual labor, no
matter whether or not he was injured in
any way by service in the war. 1t is that
law which has ndded SO enormously to
the pensions. A. tho end Of the last fiscal
yenr there were 99l, jl5 pensioners on the
roll, and of that number 551, IT'S, or good
deal more than one-half, were drawing
pensions under the dependent act of 1880.
Under the bill passed to-day, which will
be signed by the President, a veterans
widow who may havo an income Of $3.50
year can draw pension uiider this de-
pendent act of 1890. Heretofore If II wild
ow had an income Of 500 year in addition
to what sho could Darn by manual labor
sho was not allowed u pension under that
dependent act. The bill that now goes to
the President will allow her pension
even II she has an independent income of
$3.50. That refers to II widow OF q veteran
who was not in any way iEJused by SER
vice In tho war. Widows OF Veterans who
were injured are entitled to pensions un-
der the disability act.
Another one of the amendments is that
which permits veteran to have his dis.
abilities Jumped SO as to make q rating.
The l0west rate of pension under the law
now 10 81 ler month, Ii n man lost fing-
er without any complications ssthe rating
is S2 n mouth If he lost a too other than
asrent too, the rating Is Sc month, and
ii he had small varcocele tbs rating
would be So u month. AS no one of these
disabilities amounted to moro than 81 q
moath, and tho law provided that tho low
est rate of pension shall be S6 n month
there have been times when pensions were
refused because the disability in 10 case
amounted to s. il month.
Under tho bill passed o.day all of these
disabilities will he Jumped, and asstLo
three mentioned would in the aggregate
mako s. q month, u pension would be L.
sued tor that sum II In addition tho
mnn Ind lost q great toe, tho rating tor
which is So u month, that would bo aided
to tho other 50, and give him the MAXIM
um pension under the net, of Sl2 q month
A man might meet with all these losses
and get his pension Of S13 month and
still not be disabled very much.
The bill passed tC-day will add consider
ably to tho pension roll by compelling all
these various rating to be added together
and lnan given Il pension accordingly.
AS there arc nearly 800 00J applications on
file for increase In pensions considerable
addition may b. made to tho rolls as n re-
suit of the bill passed tu-lay,