The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-18

What Was Done for the Veterans by
Congress.


Washington Star
The Fifty-seventh Congress added I'VE
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. or whether it's effects will be fully
onset 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
or this legislation. Mr.. Loud, of Salifor-
MIA, an opponent of most of the pension
! legislation, although himself a Union SOL
der. said to a member of the committee
when this bill was under consideration:
You cannot give the men who have left
an arm or n :eg OH the battlefield any too
much to suit me-
The law gives to soldiers who have lost
who have been Totally disabled in one hand
or one foot, SAC a month They have been
getting $50 a month. Those who have lost
an arm at or above the elbow, or leg at
abled to a similar extent, are to receive
$40 month henceforth. The rate Is made
700 where the wound was so high as to
prevent the use of an artificial limb Per-
sons who have lost both feet now receive
Sloo month, as against s72 under the for
mer code. There is no change in the rate
That remains at 500 month.
Inis legislation applies 10 a relatively
small number of pensioners.-from 1900 to
SSe nspsd is estimated that it Will add to
nually. Ii the proposal of the House COM
mittee had prevailed, it is estimated that
100000 would have been added, but the
Senate insisted on holding the bill down to
it's original purpose The House commit
tee wanted to make the measure popular
by providing similarly increased rates to
those veterans who from disease or other
wise mad suffered equivalent disa-
bility." The Pension Office would have been
under the necessity of deciding how much
one foat n was to the loss OF
ate did not favor opening the way to great
| er expenditure by such a subterfuge.
Another act passed by this Congress re-
| lates 10 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 it 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 80 month TO $40
The Mexican war veterans are henceforth
| to receive a pension of S12 a month. For
merly this sum was given to those who
were unable to perform manual labor and
| in need, while all the others had only IS a
| month. The new law, which was next to
| the last one to receive the Presidents sig
| nature, abolshes this distinction and gives
| them all the larger amount. 1t will cost
only $4,000 a year. similar change,
which will cost 100000 a 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
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
vassed with some care. that there would be
1909 beneiciaries of such a change-.6ls
| survivors and 2909 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.
These changes are all in the direction OF
| the enlargement of the pension budget The
| proposal, long urged by. commissioners OF
| pensions and others, to deprive from the
| benefits of a widows pension the women
who now marry the veterans has no stand
| ing. Congress will not pass any act tend.
ing to lessen the pension roll. The feeling
| is much the same that in the Senate
| toward the tariff reductions through reel.
| procity or otherwise. Cases have occurred
| where young adventures would marry a
| veteran, obviously at deaths door, for the
purpose of having pension the rest of hel
| life The principle that the widow to share
| the benefits of a pension must have been q
partner of the soldier during the period OF
| middle life at least was recognized In tn,
| act of 1880: its widows benefits avail
able only to those who were married II
soldiers at the time of the passage of the
| act But under the general law the widow
| of two hours has the same claim as the
widow of forty years; each must show tina
the death came from causes of servic,
origin, but this can be sustained in a very
large number of cases.
The next great change in these laws will
| be the establishment of a service pension
system for the veterans Of the civil war
The act of 1890 comes so near to that In
| practical application that the roll would
not be greatly enlarged by the change un
less the IS a month Of service pension wer,
to be given in addition to existing disabilit,
pensions.