The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-08
Order No. 49, to Pension Vet
Grams on Reaching Age 81 to
Be Made Law.
Congressman Gardner of Mich
gan Supports the Measure
Before the House.
2y w. w. Jermane.

Roosevelt s order No. 10, which was in
tended to give pension to every vet
eran Of the civil war who had reached
the age of 81, practically service pen
sion, is to become law. The presi-
dent stirred up the country with the
found that the law would not quite
stand the Interpretation he sought to
place upon it, Thereupon he decided
that, if the law would not allow it, it
was time the law was changed. When
this session of congress commenced,
therefore, he sent for Congressman
Washington Gardner, Of Michigan,
chairman of the pension subcommittee
Of the committee on appropria tions. Mr..
sion appropriation bill upon the floor
of the house, and the president asked
him to prepare a speech which would
make clear the necessity for such a
pension policy as that contained in
order No. IS, and at the same time he
asked Gardner to place in the pension
appropriation bill a section legalizing
| the order. This has been done, and to-
da Mr.. Gardner brought the bill up in
| the house and made the speech which
| the president had requested.
The speech was a careful exposition
of the pension situation Of the country,
and more interesting or exhaustive
Summary of the facts involved has sell
dom been made. Certainly nothing to
equal it has been presented to the house
in recent years. And not by any means
the least interesting feature OF 1t was
the exposure Of the avidlty with which
the Spanish war veterans have taken to
the pension feed-trough.
49,. Bill Carries 100000.
+ Some of the more striking points
scored in the speech are as follows: q
he pending bill carries $I39, 09a9,0 GOO.
! There are almost an even million PEN
sioners.
! The average age Of civil war pension
Ali but 53,424 are from the war Of
the rebellion.
/ The average pension appropriation
I for the past fifteen years has been
/ $140,000,000.
The total cost Of the civil war, when
the last pension will have been paid,
will be about $12,000,000,0 :,
Twenty years ears from now tn there ens WI,
rolls.
We still have five from the revolu-
tionary war, 776 from the war Of 1872
1928 from the Mexican war, 945, BE
from the civil war, and 20,491 from the
Spanish war.
The fixed current expenses of the
civil war .(pensions and interest on the tn
, public debit remain practically the
France, Germany, Austria Hungary
. and Great Britain combined, pay less
than one-half the sum for pensions palc
by. the United States.
The annual cost of the Russian stand
ing army Cover a million men) is ST,
100000 less than the annual pension rol
Of the United States. ooo 49,
Spanish war enlistments, $4,000.
Spanish War Applications.
Spanish war applications for pension
69,6S7.
!; Civil war enlistments, 2,213,365. "
Civil war applications for pension
eight years after close of war, l02, 466
The Spanish war already has NOR
pensioners than the maximum humble
in Shafter s army before Santiago.
Annual cost if all civil war pension
ers now receiving less were brought VI
| to present roll. s l'e..y
IF all widows now receiving So Wer
raised to r$12 the added cost would b
: $S,363,066.
, In discussing the president g famou
s order No. IS, Mr.. Gardner said:
: "This bill by an amendment make
l. age a permanent and specific disabillt
> within the meaning of the pensio
: laws. 1t was intended that order Z
would, as the statute relative to tn
Mexican war veterans did, make age
= specific disability. Commissioner War
II SO held, and I think his construction {
~ the law has never been publicly que
:, tened When Commissioner Warne
y came to interpret order 70 he found
III conflict with section of the revise
statutes.
Wants Order Legalized.