The National tribune., 1909-02-11
THE NEW YORK PENSION BILL.

Editor National Tribune: Your edi-
toriaI of Feb. 81 regarding the pro-
posed pension laws of New York and
Pennsylvania is very we'll from the
standpoint of one who is. or will be. eli
gib1e under those acts to draw a pen.
sion. but 1 hardly think you can blame
those of us who demur at the prospect
of being cut off from the benefits of
the pension law because we have re-
moved to other States. To be penal
lied in consequence of having had the
grit and hardihood to move to the
Great West to better conditions is a
prospect we cannot face with that de-
gree of patience that might be expected
of us. We feel that we have earned by
services the right to the pension just
as much as those who did not leave the
State at the conclusion OF the civil war
Moreover, understand that in the case
of New York State the fund from which
the pensions are to be drawn is one that
has been occumulating in the Treasury
ever since the war. If this is the case,
1t seems as if we had an absolute right
to our share in it. i do not believe the
law, if passed, would be amended at
some later date. If it is, l fear that ii
will be after most of us have gone
hence to regions where pensions are
unknown or not needed We have too
much pension history back of us to
warrant or justify much confidence in
any amendments.-W II. Britton. Co.
I. Old 18th N. Y: Battery G, 3dlN. Y.
L. A, Chicago, Ill.
We shall have to dissent entirely
from the comrades views. It is going
to be work of the greatest difficulty
to get any pension bill passed by a
State Legislature, and its opponents
will take advantage of every device to
prevent its passage. One of the strong
est and most effective of these has al
ways been to magnify the uncertain
and unknown expense of a bill. This
device viii be used to strongest effect
in opposing the State pension bills
While it is known with some degree of
certainty how many may be in the
State to receive the benefit of the bill,
the number of those who are outside
the State is not at all so well known
and if the bill came up including these
we may expect reckless assertions as
to the vast number who had taken-up
their residence elsewhere. This would |
suffice to defeat the bill by carrying |
over many wavering votes and giving |
an excuse to those who were at heart |
opposed to it to vote against it. The |
bills propose 10 pension all those vet
Grams in the State who are bona-fide |
tho they may have served in |
regiments from other States. There
fore, If all of the other States shall |
pass pension bills, and an effort will be
made to have them do so, the matter
would be equalized. At present, how
ever. it is, as we have said before, a
matter of policy. The committees have
bills for which they thought
here was hope of passage. They have
studied the situation carefully, and
snow what they can have a reasonable
nope of getting enacted and what they
,annot. We believe that it is the duty
If all the veterans to give cordial sup
bort to these bills and put them into
operation. They can confidently look
or any present falling short of inequal-
ty being made good by amendments
n the near future. These amendments
will not be SO long coming as our friend
ears. The same powerful pressure be-
lind them which has secured the pas
age of the bills will be behind the
amendments and as successful in Sc
uring their passage also.