Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1904-03-31
THE PENSION ORDER.
4 STATEMENT BY mr.. DAVENPORT.


taty OF THE interior yesterday sent I,
the senate communication In re
Spouse to Senator Oyerman's resolu
ton directing the secretary to fur
ash the senate a copy OF the ordel
issued by the department enlarginf
the pension act OF June ~, 1880, and
amendments as to the disabilities 81
Applicants for pensions and to report
| by what amount tie order will Ia.
crease pensions annually. In the
course OF his communication he says:
Disability, partial or complete. to
perform manual labor is the sole
measure of the right to pension I'M
der this act of June n. 1890. The ele-
mcnt OF manual labor is fundamental.
II, in TIE adjudication of pension
claim, 1t shall be determined that the
applicants pensionable disabilities
render him wholly incapacitated for
manual labor, his pension rating will
be accordingly even, though the aDpli-
cent may be then occupied with dis
Htinguished usefulness in some field of
intellectual endeav0r.
Not only does the act itself provide
that each and every infirmity shall be
duly considered but the decisions un-
der 1t uniformly recognize the princi-
pie that disabilities due to senility
alone are pensionable.
ITO this fart, together with the
growing Importance Of age conditions,
Ia due in considerable measure the
necessity for action on the line of this
order specifically, defining, as far as
practicable, ratings from the best OBJ
talnabie data for infrmities due to
senility.
THE order In question merely lays
down, as a convenient rule Of deci-
sion and rebuttal presumption Of
fact, that one who is otherwise enti-
tied and Is 60 years OF age is par
TALLY disabled from earning liveli-
hood by his hands; hat one who Is So
Is more disabled for manual work;
that one who Is 60 is in still greater
degree incapable of earning a support
by manual labor and that one Of 10
Is completely disabled in this regard.
such a presumption is justi-
fed by general experience In actual
life.
When 1t Is understood that in the
under this act, age has
always been considered factor with
other disabilities, and when 1t is fur
her considered that, for more than
ten years, there has been an estab-
ished rating 1.-THE maximum allowed
by law) based solely on the age OF
rs years, and that for nearly seven
Years there has been an established
'ating 1.-THE minimum provided by
avn based alone on the age Of 65 |
vears, 1t will be apparent how large
y problematlcal must be any estimate
II increase Of expenditures under the |
rider Of March Is, 1904.
The acting commissioner of pen
ions estimates that the order Of |
darch IS, 1904, will result in an in
reased expenditure annually Of So
00,O00.'
Secretary Hitchcock's letter is ac-
by a letter from Acting
of Pensions Davenport,
Who says Commissioner Wares or
Ter does not enlarge but simply con-
trues the pension act of June 81, 1890, |
nd its amendments. Mr.. Davenport
avs:
THE amount the order will Increase
eusloIs ANNUALLY. and particularly
Then the same shall become fully
perative, can be only roughly esti-
rated. There are supposed to be liv-
ig to-day about $4,000 ex-union SOL
iers Of the civil war. OF these are
ensioned under the act Of July Ia,
s62, known as the general law, about
$4,000 and under the act Of June 81,
300, about 42s.OOO aggregating $685.
%. which. deducted from the whole
umber of survivors, leaves $4,000
no have not applied for pensions.
o state definitely how many of this
umber failed to serve the required
J days and receive final honorable
Ischarge would be impossible. One
'urth seems fair estimate and re-
lces the number to 10000. To say
lat 5000 Of these have reached the
20 Of 90 and will apply, seems a rea-
'nable estimate. II these $4,000 are
] placed on the rolls at Sc a month |
so year, the output for pensions
m be increased s5,400.00O annually.
he pension roll is diminishing rapid
/, owing to deaths Of benefciaries,
ID In all probability this decrease
III Offset any gains caused by claims
soldiers to have reached the age
a - i