The National tribune., 1908-02-06


REPRESENTATIVE c. A. SULLoWAY
s12 per month; and nothing herein shall
be construed to affect the existing al
lowance of 81 per month for each chile
under the age of Is years and for each
helpless child; and all acts or parts OF
acts inconsistent with the provisions OF
this act are hereby repealed: Provided
however, That this act shall not be sc
construed as to reduce any pension I'M
der any act, public or pirate.
Sec. 2. That if any officer or enlisted
man who served 90 days or more in
the army or navy of the United States
during the late civil war and who has
been honorably discharged therefrom
has died or shall hereafter die, leaving
widow, such widow shall, upon due
proof of her husbands death, without
proving his death to be the result of his
army or navy service, be placed on the
pension roll from the date of the appli-
cation therefor under this act at the
rate of $12 per month during her
widowhood, provided that said widow
shall have married said soldier or sailor
prior to June 81, 1890; and the benefits
VI ILLS SeCllol Slldli llicluue tHOSt VIII
ows whose husbands are given a pen
sionable status under the act of Feb
Is, 1895, and the joint resolutions OF
July 1, 1902, and June %, 1906.
Sec. 3. That no claim agent or attor-
ney shall be recognized in the adjudica-
ton of claims under the first section OF
this act, and that no agent, attorney or
other person engaged in preparing, pre-
senting or prosecuting any claim under
the provisions of the second section of
this act shall, directly or indirectly,
contract for, demand receive or retain
for such services in preparing, present
ing or prosecuting such claim a sum
greater than $40, which sum shall be
payable only upon the order of the
Commissioner of Pensions by the PEN
sion Agent making payment of the pen
sion allowed; and any person who shall
violate any of the provisions of this
section or who shall wrongfully with
hold from the pensioner or claimant
the whole or any part of a pension or
claim allowed or due such pensioner or
claimant under this act shall be deemed
guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon con-
viction thereof shall, for each and every
such offense, be fined not exceeding $500
or be imprisoned at hard labor Tot ex-
ceeding two years, or both, in the dis
erection of the court.
Accompanying the bill, the Commit
tee made the following report:
The Committee on Invalid Pensions,
to whom was referred the bill Oh. R.
1868 to increase the pension of wild
ows, minor children, and of deceased
soldiers and sailors of the late civil
war, the War with Mexico, the various
Indian Wars, etc, and to grant PEN
sion to certain widows of the deceased
soldiers and sailors of the late civil war
submit the following report:
A year ago Congress passed an act
granting pensions to certain soldiers OF
the late civil war and the War with
Mexico, known as the McCumber act,
which provided minimum rate OF $12
per month to soldiers who had arrived
at the age of 62 years and maximum
rate of $40 per month to those who
had arrived at the age of rs years.
No provision for an increased rate
Of pension was then made for the
widows of the soldiers who served in
these wars, and fully realizing that
while it is not the policy of the Gov
eminent to provide full support for
widows of soldiers, your committee be-
lieve that an Increased rate of pension
for these widows should nevertheless
be granted to prevent absolute want.
granting to the widows of soldiers of
all wars who are now receiving, or may
hereafter be entitled to receive, a pen
sion of IS per month, an increase OF
81 per month, so as to make theii
pension $12 per month.
This part of the bill goes into effect
from the date of its passage, and the
increased rate is granted to those
widows who are now drawing pensions
without the necessity of making appli-
cation at the Pension Bureau, as The
same mode of procedure can be applied
to the execution of this act as has
heretofore been done when the pen
sion of general law widows was in
creased from IS to $12 per month un.
der the act of March 10, 1886, and the
minimum rate of pension of Sc pei
month was established by the act OF
March 2, 1895. namely. thru the sew
eral agencies for the payment of PEN
sions.
AT the same time the bill provides in
section 2 that, from and after the date
OF its passage, applications for widows
pensions under the act of June 81, 1880
as amended by the act of May 9, 1900
may be made by and allowed to those
widows who formerly We're barred
hereunder by reason of the fact tina
they possessed resources from which
an actual net income in excess of $25(
per annum was derived or derivable.
These widows will be granted tn,
same rate of pension as those men
| toned in section 1, and the same linn
itation as to date of marriage is mad,
applicable to them az is contained II
| the original act of June 81, 1890.
This section of the bill, it will b.
seen, is not retroactive, hence applica
| ton for its benefits must be made t.