Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1905-02-03
TIE SOLDIERS HOME BILL.
Congressional Law Requires State Hon,
to Care for Pension Money!


to Care for Pension Money.
To the Editor Of the Argus Leader:
Some days ago Mr. Geo. Ludlow wrote
the ArgusLeader, condemning House
Bill No. 4, because of its pension pro-
visions, and later Joe Hooker Post No.
10 passed resolutions to the same end
They did this, probably, not knowing
why such legislation is necessary.
Here is why such bill is neces sary
and must be passed or this state will
lose between $4,000 and $4,000 each
year:
An act of congress approved April
%. 1904, compels it The United States
government pays to each state and ter
ritory which maitains Soldiers Home,
800 per annum for every soldier it
maintains in such home. In the above
act of congress appropriating money
for this purpose I, this prcviso, ro-wit;
"Provided, Tina; no part of this ap-
preparation shall be apportioned to
any state or territorial home until its
laws, rules, on regulations, respectin g
the pensions of its inmates be made TO
conform to the provisions of section
four of an act approved March 3, 1888,
entitled an act prescribing reguls tions
for the Soldiers Home located at
Washington, in the District OF Colupl-
bia, and for other purposes, etc"
Here is section four referred to in
said proviso. to-wit:
receiving pension from the govern
ment. and who has a child, wife or
parent living, shall be entitled, by fiji
ing with the pension agent from whom
he receives his money" (the comman-
dant of the home i'll our CASEY "a written
direction to that effect, to have his
pension, or any part of it, paid to such
child, wife or parent. The pensions of
all who now are or shall hereafter be-
come inmates of the home, except such
as shall be assigned as aforesaid, shall
be paid to the treasurer" (the comman.
dant of our home is ex-officio treaurer
of the home), "of the home. The money
thus derived shall not become part
of the funds of the home but shall be
held by the treasurer" (the comman-
dant), ''in trust for the pensioner to
whom it would otherwise have been
paid, and such part of it as shall not
sooner have been paid to him shall be
paid to him on his discharge from the
institution. The board of commission.
ers may from time to time pay over to
any inmate such part of his pension
money as they think best for his inter
est and consistent with the discipline
and good order of the home, but such
pensioner shall not be entitled to de.
mand or have the same so long as he
remains an inmate of the home.
SIN case of the death of any pension
er, any pension money due him and re.
naming in the hands of the treasurer
(commandant), "shall be paid to his
legal heirs, if demand is made within
three years; otherwise the same shall
escheat to the hone.'
The officers of our home construed
the above act of congress as directory
and not mandatory. until they were
emphatically informed by the national
inspector, General Richards, that il
this state did not comply with this Law
and conform its laws and the rules o.
our home to the provisions of said ac
of congress, no part of said nationa
appropriation would be apportioned to
South Dakota. Without this statutory
enactment the board of commissioner:
of the South Dakota Soldiers Home
has no power to conform the rules o
our home to said act of congress.
T. M. SHANAFELT,
Pres. Soldiers Home Board.
THos. NJ. GODDARD, Commandant.