The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-02-26
He Declines To Approve Nc
Intire's Pension Bill.
GIVES HIS REASONS
Doubts Its Constitutionality. - Managers
OF The Soldiers Home Dis
approve Also.

day announced his first veto of the
present session of the Legislature
The governor returned unsigned
house bill No. Is, by Representative
McIntire, which prohibited the man
agement of the state soldiers home
from using any part of the pensions
received by the inmates of the insti.
tuition at Columbia Falls, says the
Helena Herald
Governor Toole, in a message adj
dressed to the speaker of the house
took occasion to give the reasons for
his veto. Under the present rules
| tWO-thlrdS of all pensions received
| by inmates is paid TO the home man
..a.. . nYl cd that in no case
shan the pensiOner be eft with less
than "a month The board of man
ayers of the home opposed the bill,
ami Governor Tooie says that he be-
unfair to the state. In his mes
sage he says:
Il have the honor to return here
with to the house of representatives
house bill No. IS, with my objections
to the same. This bill proposes to re-
peal section 1928 of the political code,
which reads as follows:
That any and all persons admit
ted inmates of the said home shall
assign to the home, for its support
as much of the pension they may re-
ceive from the general government,
as the board may determine; pro
vided, that the amount in no case
shall exceed two-thrds OF their said
pension" Sec. 1928. Act approved
March IS. 1850
III 1t was wise to provide under
the law establishing the soldiers
home, as | think 1t was, for the con
tribution on the parc of those admit
ted, mentioned in section No. 1928,
every consideration that could have
been urged then to justify the same
obtains now with even greater force,
in view of the large number of educa-
tional, penal, reformatory and other
institutions maintained at public ex
pense. Similar provisions exist, as
far as | have been able to ascertain,
in every state of the union where
such homes are maintained at state
expense.
ut is believed by many that owing
to the advanced age of the inmates,
most of whom are survivors of the
war of the rebellion. that number
would rapidly decrease so that few
would be admitted in the future. This
is an erroneous idea, as provision
is now made by law for the admis-
sion of survivors of the Spanish
American war, which will cali for the
indefinite existence of the home, linn
tied only by the ability of the state
to maintain it. Two survivors of the
Spanish-American war have already
been admitted and it does not require
great foresight to see that what now
amounts comparatively small sum
will soon become an TEN of great
magnitude, the loss of which will SER
iously impair if not destroy the value
of the nome to these deserving peo-
pie
1T is needless to say that the state
feels a just pride in properly caring
for the defenders of our flag, but IN
this, as in other matters, our finan-
cial ability could not be overtaxed
nor the question of discipline over
looked. Under a wise management
all OF me necessities of life are furn-
ished the inmates at state expense;
to give them the whole amount of
pensions drawn under such circum-
stances is not considered just to the
state, for their best interests or con.
ducive to good discipline of the
home. A majority of the local board
of the soldiers home, all old soldiers.
actuated by motives of common in.
terest, are insistent upon the neces-
sity and justice of the present law.
The only grand army post in the
state that has taken notice of the
bill. so far as know, has
forwarded to me the following reso.
luton:
=. AT a regular meeting of the
Post No. o. Grand Army
Of the Republic, department of Mon.
tana. held at Grand Army Hall, in the
city of Helena. Montana. on the Sth
day of February, 1901, the following
resolution was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That in the opinion of the
members of the Wadsworth Post No.
), G. A. r.. House Bill No. IS, now
before the senate, to re.
peal that section OF the law requiring
inmates of the soldiers home to turn