Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-19
Mr.. R.POTTER'SARGUMENT
HE SUPPORTS THE BILL INTRO
DUCED AT HIS REQUEST.
Would Cost the Government Nothing
and Would Greatly Benefit the
Public Service.

The House committee on reform in the
civil service today granted hearing to
William M. Potter, representing the Sol
diers and Sailors Rights League, on the
bill prepared by him and introduced in the
House at his request for the retirement Of
the old soldiers and sailors Of the civil
war now in the civil employ of the govern
ment. This bill is known as H. r. 1916. 1t
provides that fund shall be created by a
per cent assessment on all employees in
the government civil service. The fund
thus created is to be used for the retire
ment of civil war veterans in the service
who have attained the age of 70 years or
who have served the country in civil and
military capacities for a term of 80 years,
or who, after a civil service of five years,
are incapacitated for service duties, on a
pension of $50 month.
Mr.. Potter's Argument.
In support of the bill Mr. Potter argued
that the retirement of the veterans would
result in general. promotion throughout the
service. He declared that there are sew
raj thousand veterans now in the service
who are eligible for retirement under the
provisions of his bill. He said the clerks
of the departments have expressed a will
ingness to contribute to this fund. This
Willingness, he said, was due to the fact
that men now holding important positions
under the civil service would be retired on
pension, thus making room for advance
ment all down the line. For instance, he
said, bureau chief drawing a salary of
5000 might be retired, and in this way
there would be promotions In every grade
from 81 800 down. The lowest man in the
service would be directly benefited
Representative Lacey asked Mr. Potter
what the veterans at home would think of
their comrades returning from Washington
with a double pension-one for civil servica
and one for military service.
Mr.. Potter replied that the veterans at
home had had an opportunity to enter the
civil service; that the retirement system in
the civil service would cost them nothing,
and that there could be no charge of IA
voritism in any sense.
Mr. Lacey then asked as to what would
be the status of the Spanish war veterans.
He said they might insist that some spe-
clal legislation be enacted in their behalf.
Spanish War Veterans Status.
Replying to this, Mr.. Potter called at
tention to the fact that when the present
military service pension system was inau-
gurated it was only for the benefit of vet
Grams of the Mexican war and was not in
tended primarily for the civil war veterans.
In time the system grew until it included
all the civil war veterans. He argued that
the Spanish war veterans would in time be
taken care of if the system proved a rea-
sonable success and had no cause to COM
plain as to the promise of the future. Mr..
Potter said that the pension system which
he proposed would involve no cost to the
government whatsoever, but would benefit
the service immeasurably. He claimed
that according to the estimate of COM
petent actuary the two per cent assessment
would not only be sufficient to provide for
the retirement of all the civil war veterans
in the service but in few years would re-
suit In a surplus which would steadily. in
crease
The civil service committee will continue
the hearings on the various bills now pend
ing in the House providing different retire
ment systems next Tuesday morning