The National tribune., 1910-07-21

In compliance With numerous re-
Equests we republish The National Trib-
une pension bill /
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE BILL.
10 AN ACT
To Amend the Act of June 81. 1890. the
Act of April 10, 199S, and Other Acts.
Be it enacted by the Senate and
House Of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assem-
bled: III
Section I. That amy person who
served 80 days or more in the military
or naval service Of the United States
during the late civil war. or 60 days in
the War with Mexico, and who has been
honorably discharged therefrom, and
who has reached the age of 62 years
or over. shall, upon making proof of
such facts according to such rules and
regulations as the Secretary of the In
terror may provide, be placed upon the
pension roll, and be entitled to receive
a pension as follows: In case such per-
son has reached the age of 62 years,
SIS per month; 65 years. $40 per
month; 40 years, $40 per month; 75
years or over, $40 per month; and such
pension 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 81 years of age or
over. and who are now receiving PEN
sions under existing 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 benefits
of this Act; and nothing herein con-
tanned shall prevent any pensioner or
person entitled to a pension from prose-
cutting his claim and receiving pension
FtaaF- s..1 -
Provided, that no person shall receive
pension under any other law at the
same time or for the same period that
he Is receiving a pension under the pro-
Visions of this act; provided, further,
that no person who Is now receiving or
shall hereafter receive a greater PEN
sion und4r any other general or special
law than he would be entitled to receive
under the provisions herein shall be
pensionable under this act.
Sec. 2. That rank in the service shall
not be considered in application filed
hereunder
Sec. 3. That the clauses in the Acts
of June 81, 1890; May 9. 1900, and
April 10, 1903, denying pensions to wild
ows of soldiers, sailors and marines
who married their husbands subsequent
to June 27, 1880. are hereby repealed
As we have already fully explained,
this bill is purely tentative. It is what
we individually think Congress ought
to do for the veterans. We anticipated
from the first that it would have to re-
ceive full consideration and possibly re-
modelling by the G. A. r. National PEN
sion Committee, which is the authorized
expression of the National Encampment
as to pension legislation. The National
Pension Committee is composed OF
comrades Of the highest ability and
long experience in managing pension
Legislation, and 1t is the best judge Of
the temper of Congress as to what is
likely to be, granted. The committee
wants JUST az much for the veterans
and their widows as The National Trib-
une does. 1t is just tas full of earnest
ness in securing all that can be possf-
bly, gotten, but it must always take into
consideration the temper of the public
and of Congress. and ask with tact and
careful consideration for the utmost
that it is likely to get. When it does
this it's formulated. request must under
go the severe scrutiny of the commit
tees in both Houses of Congress. The
leaders in these have their eyes upon
the public temper. and are governed by
what they think the people really wish.
All these considerations must come in
to modify The National Tribune pension
bill before it becomes law.
We-firmly believe that the substantial
features of the bill are far more likely
of success than any other measure pre-
sented The reason for this is that the
bill advances in the direction in which
pension legislation has always gone.
Measures making a radical departure
from that course cannot fail to encoun-
ter great deal of opposition which is
likely to prove fatal to them. No mat
ter how friendly member of Congress
may be to veterans and their claims for
recognition, he is likely to look ask
ance, to say no more, at measures
which radically vary from paths already
trodden and introduce new and perhaps
startling features. We had all these
considerations in mind in framing The
National Tribune pension bill, and felt
that we were proposing that which had
tnG fHOSI CIldilCt VI SuSSCoop dhop ~Hdl
Is more important, speedy success. The
bill has been pruned to the utmost SIM
plicity, it proposes no startling innova-
ton, it will give the greatest good to
the greatest number. and 1t fs In entire
harmony with the course of pension
legislation from the foundation of the
Government Therefore. II will encoun-
ter no opposition from directions In
which other pension legislation win
arouse the strongest controversy. We
are not opposing any other bill. because
we believe that Congress cannot and
will not give the veterans too much.
It may be that in the melting pot of
legislation of the next session some
points in all the other leading bills will
be merged with essential features of
The National Tribune bill In the law to
be put upon the statute books. We re-
peat our earnest advice to the veterans
and their widows everywhere to unite
solidIy in requesting the next session of
Congress to pass The National Tribune
pension bih. ~
--@-n~T-
ANOTHER FOOL PROFESSOR.
We knew that this hot weather would