The National tribune., 1904-01-14
EARLY INDIAN WARS.

United States, provided Invalid pension
for officers and soldiers of the Regular
Army wounded or disabled while in the
line of duty. BY the act of March 23,
1196, the same provisions were extended to
volunteers and militia in the service of the
United States. IT,. provisiona We're sub
stantially re-enact& and extended from
time to time to cover additional forces and
new contingencies.
The act of June Z. 1874, as amended by
that of March IA. 1913. and later enact
ments. provided five years half-pay pension
for widows and children of commissioned
officers of the Regular Army and militia,
dying of wounds received in actual serf-
ice of the United States" subsequent to
March 4. 1889.
No pension provision was made-for WIG
ows and children of enlisted men until the
act of April 10, 1872, which related only
to the volunteers and militia engaged in
the campaign of Gen. William Henry Har-
rison against the hostile Indians on the
Wabash River, eliminating in the victory
at Tippecanoe, Nov. >, 1911.
Widows and children of enlisted men or
the Regular Army who lost their lives In
the various Indian wars after ll90 were
not within the pension laws till the act
of Feb 3. 1853, now embodied in section
4732. Revised Statutes. (See 1.-The 1Sl2
War;
1t is held that to confer pensionable
title on widow or child, where the sol
the death-cause of the soldier must have
had its origin in some war.
THE 1912 WAR.
As to invalid pension, the Regular Army
was provided for by existing enactments
and the extension of the same to include
additional troops organized. The act OF
August ,, 1918, provided invalid pension
for the militia and volunteers disabled
by known wounds received in the actual
e ~. yx,.k ol toko aud linz of
duty. The act of April Is. 1916, included
militia and volunteers disabled otherwise
than by wounds, if enlisted for one year
or IS months.
Widows and children of officers of the
Regular Army, and of officers and men of
militia and volunteers enlisted for one
year or IS months, were entitled to five
years half-pay pension under the act OF
1916, above, if the soldiers death was due
to wound received in line of duty. The
children of enlisted men of the Regular
Army were entitled under this act to accept
FIVE years haIf-pay pension in lieu of
bounty land, if the soldier died in the
service.
Nc pension provision was made for wild
ows of enlisted men of the Regular Army
In the war until the act of Feb. 3,
1853. now embodied in section 4732 Re
vised Statutes. which is as follows:
Sec 4T32. The widows. and children
under 16 years of age, of the officers. nom
commissioned officers, musicians, and pri-
Yates of the Regulars. militia, and yolun-
teers of the War of 1912. and the various
Indian wars since 1880, who remained at
the date of their death in the military serv-
ice of the United States, or who received
an honorable discharge and have died or
shall hereafter die of injury received or
disease contracted i'm the service and i'm the
half the monthly pay to which the deceased
was entitled at the time he received the
injury or contracted the disease which re-
suited i'm his death. But no half-pay PEN
sion shall exceed the half pay of a Lieu
tenant-Colonel. and such half-pay shall be
varied after the 23th day of July, 1866.
in accordance with the provisions of sec
tion 4112 of this Title"
THE MEXICAN WAR.
The laws of May Is. 1896. and July q,
1916, provided invalid pensions for disa-
bility incurred in the Mexican War, and
are now embodied in section 473O, Revised
Statutes, which is as follows:
'.Sec. 4730. Any officer. non-commis-
stoned officer, musician. or private, whether
of the Regular Army or volunteer, disabled
by reason of injury received or disease con-
tracted while in the line of duty in actual
to or returning from the same, who re-
ceived an honorable discharge, shall be
entitled to pension proportionate to his
disability not exceeding for total disability
half the pay of his rank at the date at
which he received the wound or contracted
the disease which resulted in such dis
ability. But no pension shall exceed half
:. the Day of Lieutenant Colonel"
Widows and children of officers and en-
listed men were made pensionable by the
acts of July q. 1S4s, Feb. %, 1S49 and
Sent. %. 1850. now embodied in section
4731. Revised Statutes. as follows:
Sec. ABB. If any officer or other per-
son referred to in the preceding section
has died. or shall hereafter die. by reason
of any injury received or disease contract
ed under the circumstances therein set
forth. his widow shall be entitled to re-
ceiye the same pension as the husband
would have been entitled to had he been
totally disabled: and in case of her death
or remarriage, the child or children of such
ofiicer or other person referred to in the
preceding section. while under the age of
IL years, shall be entitled to receive the
pension. But the rate of pension shall be
varied after the 18th day of July. 1866. in
accordance with the provisions of section
Alp of this Title"
Section Alp. referred TO, is as follows,
based on the acts of July %, 1866, and
July p. 1868:
Sec 4T12. The provisions of this Title
in respect to the rates of pension to per-
sons whose right accrued since the 4th day
of March, 1861. are extended" (but not TO
reduce act of June o. 18S0) ito pension
ers whose right to pension accrued under
the general acts passed since the War of
the Revolution and prior to the 4th day
of March. 1851, to take effect from and af-
ter the 18th day of July, 1865; and the
widows of Revolutionary soldiers and sail
ors receiving a less sum shall be paid at
the rate of s. per month from and after
the 9th day of July. 1863"
TIE NAVY.
As already seen. the resolutions of Con-
gress dated Aug. 26. 1776. and Sept. %,
111S, provided pensions for officers and
MEN of the Navy on equal terms with those
of the Army. Commencing with the act
of July /, 1901. series of separate enact
ments provided for Naval pensions, the
last general enactment of this character
being an act of Aug. IL. 1913. now en-
bodied in section 472S, Revised Statutes,
Sec. 4I2S. Ii any officer, warrant or
petty officer. seaman, engineer, first, sec.
ond, or third assistant engineer, fireman,
or coalheaver of the Navy, or any marine.
has been disabled prior to the 4th day OF
March, 1861, by reason of injury received
or disease contracted i'm tile service and
line of duty, he shall be entitled to receive
during the continuance of his disability a
pension proportionate to the degree of his
disability. not exceeding half the monthly
pay of his rank as it existed in January
1870. But the pension of Chief Engineer