The Washington times., 1904-09-22

Commissioner Eugene r. Ware, Of the
Pension Bureau. defines the position Of
the bureau i'm regard TO pension order
No. IS.
The statement is an answer TO the
charge Of the Parker Constitution Club
of New York. alleging that order No
IS. known as the age order. Is an in
vasion of the Constitution. In his reply.
which Is i'm the shape Of a corimunica-
ton TO the New York sun" Mr.. Ware
gives his views on what constitutes "a
, support" for veterans. The letter Is as
follows:
All Democrats are constitutional
lawyers and occupy the relation to the
Republican party that mosquitoes do 70
a fisherman
/ have recently seen Report No. 1,
made by the Parker Constitutional Club
+ OF New York. in which they find that
( pension order No. IS. known as the age
/ order, Is an invasion of the COnstitu-
/ ton, and they hold the President re-
/ sponsible therefor
Order No. IS was an order making
/ the proof OF certain ages, by Old sol
! diers, evidentlal facts OF certain de-
/ grees OF disability; not conclusive-only
/ evidential
! Seventy years. being the Biblical age
/ or threeseore and ten. was fixed as the
| probable age OF total disability. which
I so incapacitated them from the per
| Torrance Of manual labor as to render
! them unable TO earn a support The
! foregoing are the words of the statute.
Commissioner to Judge.
The United States Statutes make the
Commissioner Of Pensions the executive
Lea
sion laws. The laws are brief and need
much Interpretation. and the position OF
/ Commissioner is IN many respects anal
ogous TO that Of a judge. in that he
must interpret the law and weigh the
evidence presented. and declare there
from whether the claimant Is entitled tC
a pension or not. over 10000 claims are
by him rejected annually.
Among other things which the Com.
missioner IS called upon 20 decide IS the
! meaning OF the sentence above quoted
For instance: What is manual labOr2'
Notice a policeman strolling leisurely
alOng-is he performing manual labor
Is the night Waterman in hotel. or tn,
! cashier In bank. or many another
labor?
The Commissioner must decide what 1,
manual labor" The statute does no
apply 70 brain labor, nor does 70 dehn'
manual labor" Congress pensions 70
physical and not mental decay.
Meaning of Support"
Again, what is "a support?'' Must az
old soldier lie on rice or on cornmeal'
Is the support contemplated by Con
gress the cheapest that viii keep life il
him at one meal a day? Must he live II
a cellar or in n bunk. lilse a san Fran
cisco Chinaman; must he wear rags
must he wrap himself up in a piece o
carpet and hibernate through the win
teri
The present attitude Of thought in tn,
Pension Bureau is that the word SIP
port means clothes good enough 10 z,
TO church in and a respectable abode
and such medical attendance as may b.
J [ necessary. and three good square meal
day, and plenty of plug-cUt. and sew
cral other things, and then some more.
| Order No. IS finds that an old sOldie
/ VINO IL siNty-twO years OF age Is prob
ably able 10 earn only One-haif Of thi
| kind Of support and is entitled TO 5
per month as a pension. and at sixty
r five he is twO-thirGs disabled and en-
titled 10 s.
Will Not Be Abrogated.
This rule is within the strict line O
statutory authority, human experience