Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-10-01
VETERANS 70 GET
Pensions DIRECT
Part OF Pension Can No Longer
Be Sent By Home to Deepen
dent Relatives
EFFECTS PAVING OF PENSIONS
Federal Law, Recently Called to the
Attention Of tho Soldiers Home Of
ficials, Says That Pension. Are to
Be Paid Direct to the Pensioner -
Conflicts With State Law.

Be Paid Direct to the Pensioner -
Conflicts With State Law.
A federal law. passed last spring,
which has just been called to the at
tention Of Commandant c. G. Horton,
OF the soldiers home, by the state
board OF control is destined to make
marked difference In the method of
handling pensions at the home for a
certain class OF pensioners.
This new law is, in brief, that PEN
sions shall be paid direct to the PEN
sioner by the pension department, and
that they shall not pass thru the hands
of home officials; also that no por-
ton of the pensioners pension is to
be held out for dependent relatives or
withheld as a punishment for infrac-
tons of home rules.
National Board Serves Notice.
The provisions OF this law, which
was passed ON May % OF this year,
were brought to the attention OF the
state board of control by c. w. Wads-
worth, president OF the board OF man
ayers of National Homes for Disabled
Volunteer Soldiers. The notice served
on the board Of control was forwarded
to Comrnandant Horton. The result
Is that Colonel Horton is placed in the
position OF either being forced to dis
regard the federal law or the state law,
for they, insofar as the handling Of
pensions is concerned, are exactly OPP
posite.
Disregard Entails V to State.
1t is thru the reports made to the
national board Of home managers that
the state Of Iowa received 800 a year
for each veteran Of q war who is a
member Of the local home. To disre-
gard this federal law, and continue to
enforce the state law relative to pen-
sions, Colonel Horton is confident
would mean a loss to the state of the
federal support, which goes to the state
Of Iowa for the home. which amounts
to from $4,000 to $4,000 year. COL
mel Horton has no intention of dis
regarding law which the board OF ma
tional home managers seeks tohave car
ried out, but the quarterly pensions
to be paid in October will be handled
in the usual way because the certifi-
Gates have gone in, having been for
warded by the home in the accustomed
manner.
Change Affects Few Materially. q
There is only minority OF the PEN
sioners Of the home who will be az
fected materially by the changed
method of handling pensions when IT
is put in force, and they represent only
two classes. These classes are those
who have wives who are dependent
on them for support and those who
are addicted to drunkenness. The for
mer represents about 80 per cent. ac-
cording to the estimate made at the
b1me, and the latter a very small per-
centage.
Acting under the state law, one -half
lOl Liz pSlISlOAl lCSCASCA nv SAAO 49,
sioners who have wives dependent
upon them has been withheld each
quarter when it arrives, by the home
officials and this one-half has been
sent at once to the wives. Under the
same law, when a member of the home
has been convicted twice by court mar
tial for drunkenness, or similar mis-
demeanor, his pension is withheld by
the com1nandant, and the pensionerti Is
allowed to spend It only under the
supervision Of the commandment. The
latter provision is for the purpose of
preventing members who are given to
drunkenness from squandering their
pension money.
State Law to Be Amended.
This state law, Colonel Horton has
been informed, will be amended SO that
there will be no conflict, but until ut
is Colonel Horton will be forced to
disregard it to protect the state.
The custom has been established that
the home acts as medium thru
which the pensions reach the pension
ers Of the home. This lis merely due
to the fact that the certificates are
acknowledged at the headquarters
buildings, and the pension checks are
received there and given to the pen
sioners. The only pensions that the
home officials handle are those which
are included under the provisions Of
the state law and those that are de-
posted with them by pensioners for
safe keeping. These deposits at times,
total thousands Of dollars.
Members Prefer Old Way.
The home officials, gratuously and
without being obliged to, are OF much
service to pensioners in acknowledging
certificates, a great many OF which
are brought to the headquarters build
ing a short time before the pensions
are received. 1t is on these certificates
that the pensions are issued.
Colonel Horton says that he has talked
with many members of the home, and
they prefer that the home officials
should handle the pensions under the
old custom, and Colonel Horton is con-
WINGED that the custom has been the
means of saving many pensioners from
losing their papers.
Under the new law the pensioner, II
he so desires, may have his pension
sent to any address he may indicate,
instead Of to the home. Those who
have dependent wives viii receive all
of their pension, and those who have
been court martialed will not have
their pensions held up.
Years ago, under a former state law,
the state took from each pensioner,
who was a member of the home, all