The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1900-04-04
NEW PENSION LAW.
SOME DISSATISFACTION WITH ITS
PROVISIONS.
The Law May Deprive Hundreds OF
Veterans Of Their Money-A Green
vile Criticism.

The new pension law was devised
by a csmmittee of veterans and It
was thought to embody the ideas OF
the old soldiers on the question.
But some dissatisfaction has been
expressed about it, as is shown by
the following from the GreenTlile
News:
The old soldiers and their friends
are displeased with the changes the
recent legislature has made in the
pension law. The new law, they
say, works cruel hardship on the
old pensioners by requiring them to
make new applications, because IN
many cases their witnesses are now
dead. 1t is thought that the new
law will result in the dropping from
the list of hundreds of the most
worthy benefciaries under the law.
Gen. S. S. Crittenden, who has
been a member of the Greenville
township and county boards contin-
uously since the State has been
granting the ex Confederates pen
sions, and who was instrumental in
having the resolutions passed at the
last convention of township chair
men here last summer, recommend
ing the changes in the law, recently
submitted to an interview on the
new law. The resolutions OF the
Greenville convention were incorpor-
ated in the Governors message to
the legislature, and he ulged that
body to put them into the new law
but this was not done. General
Crittenden said:
Il read the new pension Law pub
lished recently and I regard it as
impracticable. 1t is very much a
copy of the old law, except in two
respects. One is that they have
abolished the township boards, which
I regard as the most valuable feature
of the old law, and the other is that
the new law apparently requires all
present pensioners to file new appli-
cations. 1t will be almost an i'm
possibility for all old pensioners to
get up new papers and de novo. It
will require vast deal of labor to
get up the necessary witnesses and
furnish the necessary sfidavits. In
fact, in hundreds of cases it will be
impossible for them to do it. 1t is a
hardship and a cruelty to all old pen
sioners.
"The whole matter now will de-
vol7e upon county board Of four
members and one physician, who will
know absolutely nothing of the great
majority of the applicants and their
I pecuniary conditions. The great ad-
vantage of the township boards was
that the members knew the merits
of every applicant as claimant
under the law because they were
neighbors to them.
| "The difficulty has been to get any
good men to serve on the township
boards, as they were paid nothing
for q considerable work.
| "The recommendation of con-
vention of township chairmen held
here last summer was that the mem.
bers of the township boards be sworr
to do their duty under the law
which they are not now doing and
that they be paid 81 day each fol
not exceeding two days services 8
year. There is a great difference
between being paid nothing and haV
ing to ride many miles to do tht
work and being paid 81 day, al
small as that amount is.
Another feature of the new law il
that one delegate is elected in eacl
township at a meeting Of all old sol
diers in January of each year, an<
all the applications 60 through bin
to the county board. He is appar
emily without authority and gets d
pay. Who wants his job? Thes
delegates meet at the court hous
and elect county board OF four wb
elect physician to act with then
and upon whom the whole respons
bility is thrown. Their pay is 81
day for FIVE days. The pay of th
physician is the same. In my judg
ment this new board cannot do th
work intelligently in Thirty day
The legislature makes a great mi
take continually changing the law"