Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-12
PENSION LEGISLATION
WHAT WAS DONE FOR THE VET
ERANs By CONGRESS.
Five Acts Added to the General Laws,
in Addition to 1900
Private Bills.

The Fffty-seventh Congress added five
acts to the list of general pension laws,
besides passing nearly 200 private pen
sion bills. 1t Is still conjectural whether
this legislation will result in raising the
total of the pension roll above its present
figure, whether its effects will be fully
offset by deaths steady thinning out of
the ranks. At all events, the new legisla-
ton will not greatly retard the downward
course of the pension budget.
The most important act is that increasing
the pension of those who have lost limbs in
the service. All reasonable people approve
of this legislation. Mr.. Loud of Califor-
mia, an opponent of most of the pension
legislation, although himself a Union sol
d1er, said to a member Of the committee
when this bill was under consideration:
you cannot give the men who have left
an arm or a leg on the battlefield any too
much to suit me-"
Those Who Lost Limbs.
The new law gives to soldiers who have
lost one hand or one foot in the service, or
who have been totally disabled in one hand
or one foot, $40 month. They have been
getting $50 month. Those who have lost
an arm at or above the elbow, or a leg at
or above the knee, or have been totally dis
abled to a similar extent, are to receive
S46 a month henceforth. The rate is made
500 where the wound was so high to
prevent the use Of an artificial limb. Per-
sons who have lost both feet now receive
500 month, as against $72 under the for
mer code. There is no change in the rate
for persons who have lost both hands.
That remains at 500 month.
This legislation applies to relatively
small number Of pensioners-from 5000 to
5000. 1t Is estimated that it will add to
the pension roll from $500, 600 to $500 900
annually. II the proposal of the House
committee had prevailed, 1t Is estimated
that $1O0OO,000 would have been added,
but the Senate insisted on holding the bill
down to its original purpose. The House
committee wanted to make the measure
popular" by providing similarly increased
rates to those veterans who from disease
| or otherwise had suffered an equivalent
disability" The pension Office would have
been under the necessity Of deciding how
much rheumat ism was equivalent to the
loss OF one foot, and similar problems. The
Senate did not favor opening the way to
greater expenditure by such a subterfuge.
f. Another act passed by this Congress re-
lates to the pensions Of widows, cut off by
remarriage, but who have a second time be-
come widows and are In need. The new
law is very technical, and is designed to
provide for only small class OF equitable
cases which have arisen out Of disparities
between two old laws. 1t will not tax
greatly the revenues.
A third bill changes the rate for total
deafness from $50 month to $40.
Mexican and Indian War Veterans.
The Mexican war veterans are henceforth
to receive pension Of $12 s. month For
merly this sum was given to those whe
were unable to perform manual labor and
In need, while all the others had only SO
month. The new law, which was next to
the last one to receive the Presidents sig
nature, abolishes this distinction and gives
them all the larger amount. 1t will cost
only $4,000 year. A similar change.
which will cost 5000, 600 year, has been
made in regard to the Indian wars. A law
was passed in 1892 providing service pen
sion of So month to all survivors Of speci-
fed Indian wars prior to 1912, such as the
Creek Blackhawk and Seminole wars and
some Cherokee Indian disturbances. The
present act extends the benefit of this pen
sion to the survivors of all Indian conflicts
down to the civil war and to their widows.
This brings the service pension system
squarely up to 1861. 1t was estimated In
1900 when these Indian wars were can
yassed with some care, that there would be
1909 beneficiaries of such a change4,61S
survivors and $500 widows-and that the
cost would be $4,000 a year. Death has
made the number somewhat smaller. and
still pension experts say that estimates of
the costs of any such changes almost in
variably turn out to have been too conserv-
alive.
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