Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-17
A N[N PENSION RULING
All Veterans Over 62 Years of
Age to Be Entitled to at
Least Sc
THE NEW RULE IS IMPORTANT
All Soldiers Who Have Proof of Service
to be Considered One Half Disabled
In Ability to Perform Manual Labor
at Age of 60 and Pension Will be
Granted.

| Washington, March l,.-Commis-
| prevail of Secretary Hitchcock, yaster-
| day promulgated the most important
pension ruling that has bean issued in
a long time. II directs that, beginning
on April lS. if there is no contrary evd-
dence and all other legal requirements
have been met, claimants for pension
under the general act of June q. 1890,
who are over 81 years old shall be re-
garded as disabled one-h half in ability
to perform manual labor and shall be
entitled to Sc month; over Go years,
to SIS; over IS years, to $l0 and over
er rates continuing for disabilities 9TH
er than age.
The order itself is preceded by pre-
amble which, after citing the law, says
the pension bureau has established
with reasonable certainty the average
nature and extent of the infirmity OF
old age: that thirty-nine years after
the Mexican war congress in 1887
placed on the pension roll all Mexican
war soldiers who were over 62 years
old.
Commissioners Ware, just before
leaving for a trip south for his health.
spoke as follows regarding the order,
which he said would save both the old
soldiers and the government great
deal of money and time:
There has long been in the bureau
a rule fixing a maximum age limit at
ST. for seventy five years. This was
made during Mr.. Cleveland's admins
tration by Commissioner LocMren,
now federal judge in Minnesota.
The 6o-year minimum limit has
been a long while in force in the but
reau, but l am not advised by whom
1t was established, nor Is it particu-l
larly material since 1t met with gem
eral acquiescence.
The Mexican war limit of 81 years
was probably brought about by the
we'll known army limit of 50 years, at
which officers are retired
There seems to he a general con-
census that at 50 years the disabilit.
OF old age has set in. The order could
not have been issued earlier. because it
Is only now that the thirtynine years
fixed by the congressional limit has
been reached. The civil war ended
April 10, 1865 and in enlistments in the
loyal states those who enlisted ate.
that time are held to have no pension
able service during the war of the re-
bellion. Hence the thirty-nine years
would expire on April 10, and it is
proper that the order should be issued
fixing G. years as the minimum age
limit and the biblical three score and
ten as the maximum.
1T viii without doubt increase the
payments to some extent, but no one IS
able to fix the amount. What the bu
reau has considered has been whether
it was the right and just and proper
thing to do, leaving results to take
care of themselves. do not think.
however, that the increased expense in
the long run will be very noticeable. I
because the death rate Is always to be
and there is also to be
considered the fact that the ones to
whom we give the pension without
proof, other than their ages, would
have proved themselves anyhow under
former circumstances as entitled to tbs !
pension by reason Of their disabili- |
ties"