The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-27

recent order of Pension Commissioner Ware granting to soldiers of sixty-two years and over. divided the soldiers into three questionable classes: Those who are not receiving any pension; those who are receiving pensions under the service pen- sion act, and those receiving pensions un- der the general law
 Of the first cless he said there was &C., cording to the best estimates between 1SO00O and .000 Sub-d divided into classes according to age, IS per cent being 62 and entitled to the $6 pension, would re- quire $7 000 per cent are 65 years of age, which would require $1, ,632 0O0 49 per cent are 6S years of age. which would require $1, ,167, 600; 9 per cent are 70 years of age, which would require s5960 malx- ing total of $10,7O4,000 necessary for those who are now on the pension roll.
 Increase of pension under this order to those who are now drawing pensions un- der this act of June 27, 1890, would re- quire the following:
 Increase to those 66 years of age. $1.- 45SSS6; to those 65 years of age $l, ,606 530; increase to those 6S years old s354, 04o or a total of $96 ,56S, making a grand total of s4174. 56S.
 The third class, MT. Miers said, was composed of soldiers who are drawing less than $6 for disabilities actually re- ceived in the service. To bring these up under the order would only require $504, while 1t would require S72OO, 900 to execute the order to those soldiers who had never been able to prove any pen- sionable disability whatsoever. The only precedent that was cited for the order was the executive order pensioning the Mexican veterans at SIP.
 MT. Miers said he thought legislation by congress would be necessary to make the order effective.
 Manner of Doing 1t.
 He said it was not the right to enact the legislation against which he contend ed, but the manner in which it was done. He said congress had been preparing to answer the great demand for service pen sions and inasmuch as 1t was the func- tion of the congress to legislate for the country, the executive order, whether issued through the interior department or by the President himself ';was in very bad taste, to say the least"
 Mir Miers read from reports of the pen sion department to show that the cost of the order on account of the veterans who proved their claims to be of service origin is only $1.1S4,576, and would cost for those who cannot prove disabilities, $l4.174. SIS. He declared the figures to be wrong end to-"
 MT. Pou of North Carolina reviewed the failure of congress to enact legisla- tlon to correct specified evils. particularly the trusts. He referred to President Roosevelt's attitude on trusts before and after his election as President. Mir. Pou minimized the value of the Northern Se- curities' decision, because he said 1t did not go to prove that the roads could be kept from CO., operating and controlling rates for passengers or freight rates. He said that the feeling that the ascension of Roosevelt to the presidency would re- suit in changing the republican party from a servant to the oppressor of the trusts, had proved a fafiacy, and that the party was still dependent upon mo- nopolies and the money they pour into its campaign funds
 Will Be Begging Money.