New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-31
WARES PENSION REGULATION.
Amply Justified by Law and Fact

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
ST.: A confusion OF ideas and word values char
acterizes a communication signed "B." to which
The Tribune gave place en- It's Wumau's Page last
Monday. Discussing the recent pension regula-
ton OF Commissioner Ware, "B." confounds IN
ability 10 perform manual labor with ''senity,''
confusion which might warrant the characterize
ton OF more than majority OF the United States
Senate rs senile Could two-th!ris OF the ninety
men who compose :he Senate earn much as
= 50 a Cay each with pick and shovel were
the two-th!rds selected TO include the bright
est and most influential men IN the upper cham
Der? The Pension law shows. IN nearly all It's
clauses that the legislators meant It FOR laborinE
men. not capitalists
Commissioner Wares regulation Is 'JuStiAabls
only II Il represents actual fact" says B
and far ell agree with him. That u does
represent an actual fact Is shown BY the records
| o: the Pension Bureau. where experience has
proved that veterans who have reached thu age OF
sixty-two can establish "one half disability 20 per-
| form manual labor" and practically all OF those
I who have reached the OF seventy DO easily
! establish total disability to perform manual la
/ Dor" ''B." says. the question for the Pension
Bureau to determine IN the administration OF this
law is one OF fact. Is the applicant incapac!tated?
Bas!ng his conclusions on the experience OF the
bureau FOR an extended period. Mr.. Ware deter
/ mines that the age OF sxty-two shall be accepted
as prima facts evidence OF one half disability 20
perform manual labor and that the OF seventy
shah be accepted prfna facie evidence Of total
disability 20 perform manual labor and thus dis
peuses with the cumbersome and expensive process
! whereby such disability must be established y
/ spe~ldc evidence physicians certificates. etc.
AZ 20 the authority conferred the Pension Com
missioner 70 establish such requirements Of proof
! Of eligibility under each pension law as may, IN
his Judgment best conserve the interests Of justice
there can be no question. Section Of the Act Of
! June q. IS31 amended by the Act or May y
/ .sl rroyilcd that all persons who served ninety
/ davis or more ard who found 20 bs suffering
/ from mental or physical disability which so IN
/ carscitates them from the performance OF manual
! labor as 90 render them unable to earn support
/ shall upon making due proof OF the fact accoru-
ing 20 such rules and regulations as the secretary
/ Of The Interior may provide be placed on the lst
I - iryar5 persiorers OF the United States and DO
| .7t,t,cd 10 receive pension not exceeding *S n
month. proportioned 20 the degree OF iAaolHIy 10
/ earn n support ~ -.
may IN his Judgment. be reedfl tile better 10 au-
minister tho law. Is thus clearly conierre1 upon
a., Secretary ~ the Interior who I'm turn imposes
81. resrorzibiitv on the Commissioner or PENSIONS
/ 7 mink 7 have said enough to demonstrate the
,-rrl-varcy Of ''B.s'' allegation that 10 per cent
90 the Pension Bureau force, which Is OF colISe'
engaged IN mental labor. is over siAty-'"o SeaIs
OF age etc. and 20 establish the Ignorance OF 49,
/ ~, er-onaorslv assume that the Pension bureau
hes rcsr carried away by the notion that II l9''t
rro-erly make over the law by process Oh No.
co-qt-ictlon and read into II new meanings 10 az,
! cornplIsh purposes coHI'7seuy "7'1
nv The lav-rnaking body
/ A. n veteran. might ada that cannot IooN
vi,b favor upon a law which does not %
! t..,.ean the man who bore the bruht OF O'',''
/ ,,rourbout four years OF war, ana those VIM
/ served only ninety days but that IS inc IA" IN
/ octe6 bv Congress. and for which no sensiois nun
- hold the administration responsible
can Ho1 MANUAL LABOR
vvsshinrton March %. 1901