The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-02-14
THE new PENSION Law
Was Signed Monday by President
Roosevelt, Providing Increased
Service Pensions for Age.

The new service pension law which
was passed by congress a couple of
weeks ago was signed by President
Roosevelt Monday and is now a law.
There has been great interest taken in
this new law, and but little has been
known as to what it actually provided,
many old soldiers having called at this
Office for information. For the infor-
nation of the old soldiers we publish
the new law in full as it appears in the
Congressional Record, and it should be
carefully preserved for future ref
erence. 1t reads as follows:
Any person who served ninety days
or more in the military or naval service
of the United States during the Civil
war or sixty days in the war with
Mexico, and who has been honorably
discharged therefrom and who has
reached the age of 81 years or over,
shall, upon making proof Of such facts
according to such rules and regulations
as the secretary of tho interior may
provide, be placed upon the pension
roll. and be entitled to receive a pen
sion as follows: In case such person
has reached the age of g. years, $12 per
month; 70 years, SIS a month; rs years
or over, $50 per month, and such pen
sions shall commence from the date of
the filing of the application in the
Bureau of Pensions after the passage
and approval of this act.
Provided, that pensioners who are 62
years of age or over, and who are now
receiving pensions under extra laws, or
whose claims are pending in the Bureau
of Pensions, may by application to the
Commissioner of Pensions, in such form
as he may prescribe, receive the benefit
of this act and nothing herein contain
ed shall prevent any pensioner or per-
son entitled to pension from prosecut-
ing his claim and receiving pension
under any other general or special act.
Provided, that no person shall receive
pension under any other law at the
same time or for the same period that
he is receiving pension under the
provisions of this act; provided further,
that no person who is now receiving or
shall hereafter receive greater pen
sion under any other general or special
law than he would be entitled to re-
ceive under the provisions herein shall
be pensionable under this act.
Sec. ,. That rank in the service shall
not be considered in application filed
hereinunder.
Sec. 3. That no pension attorney,
claim agent or other person shall be
entitled to receive any compensation
: for services rendered in presenting any
claim to the Bureau of Pensions or
securing any pension under this act.
There are about 14S,000 veterans be-
tween the ages of 81 and 20 now receiv.
ing pensions and entitled to increase,
and that increase is placed at nearly
$7,O00,000. About $4,000 veterans are
between 70 and 75, and will be entitled
to an increase of nearly S2,000,000, and
there are 10000 over Is who will come
in for an increase aggregating $2,000,-
600 more. Then there is an army Of
prospective applicants, not now on the
rolls at all, the number of whom the
commissioner places at 100000, and he
estimates that one-third of these will
file applications, adding $4,000O00 to
the pension appropriation for several
years.
During the consideration of this i'm
portant measure it was shown that the
United States of America has paid to
soldiers, sailors and marines, their
widows, minor children and dependent
relatives, on account of military and
naval service in the wars in which this
country has engaged, the staggering
sum of $3,320, ,S60,O22. OF this amount
$70,C00,000 was paid as result of the
war of the Revolution, $45,0O0,00O on
account of the war of 1872, $7,500,OO0
for the Indian wars, S36,500,000 on ac-
count of the Mexican war, over S3,000,-
100000 for the Civil war and 1000, 600
on account of the war with Spain.