Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-04
CUT NEARLY so PER CENT
Widows and Orphans Also in the
Cut-Check List.
PATHETIC SCENES WITNESSED
Not Enough Collected In Fines in
Police Court to Maintain
Full Payments


geticaliy handing out cut-rate pension
checks. The District Of Columbia, which
by law owes money to the widows and
orphans Of men who have died while
life and property. this morning
paid 50 cents to the police pensioners
and 50 cents to tho flre pensioners in the
place Of the good round dollar.
The reason Is that there Is not enough
crime to furnish q sufficient amount OF
Police Court finest to pay the money
which the District OF Columbia owes to
the veterans OF the fire department. to
the veterans Of the police department,
to the young widows OF young men who
died on duty. to the old widows OF very
old men who ran to fires before an cleo
trio alarm was heard of. And in more
than one instance the District gave this
80 per cent pittance to mothers OF men
who risked their lives at fires-and died
First Applicant q Woman.
They had Q good chance to tell their
tales today. because the checks were 8
little late in coming through the vari-
GUS processes necessary. Early this
the very first pensioner. q
woman with tired lines about her
mouth and eyes, came to the grating
and asked Louis Wilson. disbursing otfi-
Ger. II the pension checks had been
made out. She had a poor. worn coat
and her shoes were gaping In places.
She had attempted to look her best.
and the woman's love for q bit of pretty
fixing showed itself in a single cheap
white feather on a hat that must have
been made over season after season.
She was very much disappointed when
she was told that she would have TO
wait.
And they'll be cut down this month.
too2" she asked. in q scared little voice,
as she nervously fingered a fiat-very
"Yes; it's too bad. but we can't help
It,"
'sThey won't be making 1t up this
month. will they?" she asked.
Its hard to say. Probably not for two
months, though"
Prayer for Her Children.
The woman sighed. And In that sigh
she was praying for the two children that
have. been left her without a big-armed.
broad-shouldered fire laddte Of a father
to furnish food and clothes and warm
rooms to sleep in. She gets less than $40.
anyhow, for the eldest child, just turned
sixteen, can no longer be pensioned.
"Oh, God, it's SO hard to live"
That's what she said as she turned to
60 outside to walt for her check.
There is another one. an old man who
stuck by his engine at one OF the worst
fires that ever came to this city. Some
how or other, the engine had not been
moved away from dangerous wall that
was tottering and dropping bricks every
now and then. but this olo-t1mer posi-
lively refused to move away. His engine
was necessity. The chief knew 1t. The
crowd yelled to him to run. Had he done
it the water his engine was pumping
would have dwindled away to nothing.
The walls fell and showered bricks al
around him, but instead of burying him
they spread around him like a big wreath
When he had to leave the service, after
thirty-three years without pen mark
against his record. he was not In shape
to take up another JOB.
And yet, because there is not crime
enough or not enough sentences paid by
fines in the Police Court to pay him the
dollar a day or so that the District OF
Columbia granted to him, he is among
those whose pensions are reduced.
Others In the List.
There is a little child who is almost en-
tirely dependent on the $40 amonth that fell
to her lot after her father died In the serv-
ice. She got less than 81 to live on for the
rest of the month. There Is the widow OF
a man who belonged to the old Franklin
Company in SO. He went straight up IN
the service and became the foreman of a
company. His widow still lives-an old
woman who subsists on the dollar q day
that the disbursing Office pays her once
q month. It will be only about $40 for
the month this time. because there has
not been crime enough to swell the fund.
The widows of men who died at the IA
fJvo orc
ago. and the mother of one of them, who
were dependent on a sum that might have
been Forthcoming had there been more ar
rests during the last six months, will
have to get along with two-thirds OF a
sum that seems just about enough to
keep the wolf away from the door.
A mother who has been supporting her
self and child on $35 a month-just
about 30 cents a day to keep two lives
has to get along with 30 cents day.
The Disabled Veterans.
In addition to the women and children
who were paid a cut-rate pension today
there were OF course policemen and fire.
men who lost their ability to work-lost IT
because of their exposure to hardships.
None Of them receives a large pension
only one or two get over $50 month.
and large majority of them draw about
$3O-that is, they draw it when there is
crime enough to allow the District to pay
its just debts in this connection. Many
of them have had to go away from Wash
ington, because Of the nature of their dis
ability. Some of the policemen contracted
discs ses Of the lungs on long, wet nights
damp sections of the town.
Some Of them had their lungs badly hurt
in accidents. or by the piercing tear of a
bullet from some outlaw revolver.
Those who went away will get their
checks by mail. Many of them probably
do not know that the District Of Colum-
bia, which relies upon the punishment of
criminals and on the fines from violations
Of ordinances, has not had crimes and
violations enough to pay these pensions.
Letter Will Explain.
They will know 1t. however. when each
of them receives the letter which Disburs-
ing Oficer Wilson is sending out. stating
in exact terms just what the situation is.
And they will know that IL there are
crime enough and fines enough, some day
the District may make up the remainder
Of the pension. But until that day comes
the widows and orphans and mothers and
disabled men will have to get along on
this cut-rato February pension