The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-17
IMPORTANT CHANGE IN
PENSION RULES WILL GO
INTO EFFECT ON APRIL II

CONCLUDED FROM FIRST PAGE)
10 be a general consensus of opinion that at
sixty-two years the disabilities Of old age
have set in.
'.The order could not have been issued
earlier because it is only now that the
thirty-nine years fixed by the congressional
limit has been reached. The civil war
ended April b. 1865 and in enlistments in
the loyal States those who enlisted after
that time are held TO have no pensionable
service during the war of the rebellion.
expired on the 18th of next month, and it
is very proper that the order should be
issued fixing the sixty-two years the
minimum age limit and the biblical three
score and ten as the maximum.
SAVING TO THE GOVERNMENT.
There is an advantage and saving TO
the government in the of this order.
because every old soldier who has reached
the age of sixty-two years is able to prove
almost without possibility of doubt that
he is one-half disabled from earning his
support by manual labor This being so it
seems unwise TO put soldier to the ex-
pense of time and transportation to go to
a place where medical board can ex-
anime him to find that fact out, and on the
other hand il seems unnecessary for the
government to keep boards established and
then pay So for the examination OF a SOL
der when the result of the examination can
Il am of opinion that this order will
save the government a good deal of money.
OF the 100000 examina tiOnS in the last year,
if one-fourth of them were saved il would
make 10000 and perhaps an equal amount
in time and transportation to the old sol
diers who would have to go and be ex
amined.
1.-The Experience here in the Pension
Bureau has practically established the
manual labor limit. In the ruling of the
department the inability to earn support
work, but applies to those who can by bod
lily labor earn support. This is what Con-
gress endeavored to do, and did do and
the legislation is continuing to do and the
theory of the term and its legal construc-
ton are well known and long acquiesced in.
Hence i'm the bureau where many ex-
aminatiO have been made through long
series of years the disa Utilities existing from
age are almost definitely fixed. so much
so that il may be conceded that at sixty
two years an old soldier is at least one-half
disabled from earning support by manual
labor and under the law he would be enti-
tied to So.
Il am not able to say what expense the
bill would entail i'm the shape of additional
payments The expense 10 which IL will
augment the necessity for further appro-
priation cannot be told. There is a great
unknown army that has never applied for
pensions 1t is not known whether they
would or whether they intend TO. II will
without doubt increase the payments to
some extent. but no one is able TO fix the
amount. The bureau has not considered
that as the proper element of consideration
What the bureau has considered has been
whether or not is was the right and just
and proper thing to do, leaving results TO
take care OF themselves.
II do not think, however, that the in
creased expense in the long run will be
very noticea BILE because the death rate is
always TO be considered and there is also
TO be considered the fact that the ones
to whom we give the pension without proof
other than their ages would have proven
themselves anyhow under former circum-
stances as entitled TO the pension by rea-
son of their inability.