The National tribune., 1903-06-04
PENSIONERS UNDER TIE ACT OF JUNE ~.
1890

l89V.
Last week we spoke of the benefits to
the pensioners under the old law from the
passage of a service pension bill. Let us
consider this week the benefit to those
who are now drawing small pensions I'M
der the Act of June %, 1890. These
are mainly men whose disabilities are un-
questionably due to the hardships and
strains of their service, but who have
been unable to furnish the proof required
by the Pension Bureau to connect the
two. They have had as hard a time in get
ting an allowance as those under the old
law, since they were particularly discrimi-
mated against by the administration of
LOchren and Evans, whose eight years of
office was largely a crusade against this
class of pensioners. The amount of ex-
animation and re-examination they have
endured, the quantities of letters they have
written, the amount of proof they have
furnished, the answers they have been
compelled to make. and the general tor
travel, have been simply indescriba BILE.
After all this work 92.306 invalids of the
army and 1855 invalids Of the navy have
received allowances of $6 per month, or
S1.50 per week. This is a very slender
stipend to men who have had to furnish
the proof they have of age, disability and
necessities Two invalids of the army and
one of the navy have succeeded in some
mysterious way in getting 81 per month,
and the reason of this has perplexed the
student of the Pension Office reports.
Just what induced the Examiners to give
these particular three old veterans 81 a
month more than their 81 900 comrades is
a puzzle.
The next rating is SS per month, which
13G,4SS invalids of the army and 5.2O5
invalids of the navy have succeeded. after
nnumerable difficulties, in getting. There
are also 1862 widows getting the same,
who have had to answer all manner of
questions as to their private character, and
as to their means of support-endurne
the siege of all the neighborhood gossip,
before the Pension Bureau would make
them an allowance; this at any time is
likely to be taken away by the report of
some spiteful neighborhood chatter; for
instance, that the poor old widow had
rented her house and gone to live with
her son, or had the mortgage raised on her
homestead, or some other windfall to in
crease her income a dollar or two above
the rigorous maximum established by the
Pension Bureau.
The passage of straight, simple $12
per month service pension bill will double
the pension of the $4,000 pensioners on
the roll under the Act Of June q, 1880,
at Sc per month. 1t will do almost as
well for the three solitary old veterans
who are getting 81 per month, and it will
add so per cent to the pensions of 1,693
inyalds and 1862 widows who are re-
ceiving IS per month. 1t will add 20 per
cent, to the pensions of the 1929 in
vaIids who are now receiving $40 per
month, and all this will be done without
any of the present dreary, endless. soul
wearing requirements as to- additional
evidence" repeated examinations to which
the applicant is now subjected before
any increase can be obtained. The in
crease will take place at once without any
effort On the part Of the applicant, as soon
as the bill is signed by the President, and
the next check mailed to the pensioner
will be for the higher amount.