The Washington times., 1905-04-16
LEGG PLEADS
FOR ARMY VETERANS
Thinks Great Injustice Is Done Them by Pension Com
missioner in Giving Publicity to Certain Stories
Affecting Their Service Records

IN the opinion of Gen. A. NJ. Legg,
commaEder-in-chief of the Union Vet
Grams Union, great injustice has been
done to the old soldiers of the country
ly newspapers who are supporting
Commissioner of Pensions Warner in
his attitude toward the veterans of
McIanc's Pennsylvania Regiment" +"
To The Times yesterday General Legg
n ade, the following statement in re-
gard to the subject of pensions in gem
eral, and the ninety day pensioners in
particular:
The whole matter that has Joen ap-
pearing in the newspapers relative tc
some alleged mistake In allowing the
pension claims for some soldiers in
is a great ado about
nothing. and l am surprised that Conn
missioner Warner allowed the matter TO
go into the newspapers. He has mag
record as a soldier, from the
opening until long after the close OF
the war, and knows as does every old
soldier, that when these matters are
carried into the newspapers, they are
carried for the purpose of ceEsure TO
the old soldier and those things are not
pitdodht w all VI o' n
Should Show Other Side.
"If the newspapers would take up this
question on the other side and show
the injustice that is done when mis-
take has been made through which the
old soldier is made to suffer, it would
result in a division of sympatlaies, and
the Willingness on the pdrt OF the vet
L. lat tdf
in the newspapers, because, there is not
one of them but what is opposed TO the
granting of q single illegal pension. and
all are anxious that equal justice should
be Ineted out to the disa bled defenders
of the nation.
L am not personally acquainted with
the cases under discussion. but | judge
Of their character from the articles
have read regarding them, and simply
state it is a question for the decision
of the Secretary whether these soldiers
are entitled to the benefits of the aci
of June q, 1890. That act simply re-
Quires service of ninety days in tEe
military or naval service of the United
States during the war of the rebellion
and an honorable discharge therefrom
II QOcS Hpt icIuiic VI ihuSlCi
out, nor a written discharge. 1t simply
requires ninety days service and ar
honorable discharge which discharge
may be verbal discharge as proved
by satisfactory evidence if the Secretary
should so decide.
No Effort to Loot Treasury.
There does not appear to me TO bt
ury in this case. These men seem tt
have enlisted and gone into camp and
performed their ninety days miIitarJ
service, and for the Government to den!
that their service was military, aftel
recognizing ninety days of it without
denying them muster-in, is equal 10 th'
farmer who refuses TO pay his hiret
hand after his having performed three
months of service
Conditions were such at the time tha
the Government was in doubt whether
more men would be needed, and tines.
men were held in camp believing that a
any moment (and undoubtedly encour
aged in that belief by Government Off
Cials) they would be called into ac
tive service, and they continued in cam,
better duty when called upon to go Il
the front AS we, who are posted as Z
the conditions in those days. know. th'
Government did some very peculiar
things and that the Pension Bureau ha.
taken advantage of these peculiar thing
IN the adIudicating of some claims un
der thaact of June q, 1890.
Example in the District,
For instance, here in the District o
Columbia, men were called upon to vol
unteer their services for the immediat
defense of the Capitol, and they yolun
teered and went into camp, and werl
held in camp for days, and in some case
weeks, doing duty before they wer
finally mustered into the service. ant
were neld in service until the volunteer
from the States arrived here TO reliev
them, and then they were mustered ou
OF service.
.'All of them actually performed NOR
than ninety days service, but the perio
between the dates of nuster-in and mus
tar-out did not equal ninety days. an
although they had performed the ful
ninety days service yet, under the rul
lHES vi lux L Siioici SbiNNr Ai's'iAS ~ ti'NsS
men have been denied pension becaus
, the period between the date of mus
ter-in and muster-out did not equa
ninety days, though there is plenty o
| evidence in existence showing that thei
Services actually exceeded ninety days
| have never seen this matter ventilate
| in the newspapers
I L have never known or heard of any
body being in danger of being dis
charged from the service because c
The action of denying to these men tn
benefits of the law, which they wer
actually and legally entitled to. and We
/ kMCpIHhN DEM M0MEN