Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1912-05-11
THE SERVICE PENSION,

The dispatches have recently announced that
the Senate and House Conference Committee on
the so-cead service pension bill. has come TO an
agreement. We may reasonably expect therefore,
that the conference agreement Will be adopted
by both houses of congress. It is, therefore i'm
portant to note just what the effect Of this bill
Will be- First Of all. il is stated that its addition
TO the pension cost will be something
S25,OO0000 yearly upon the passage Of this bill
Under its provisions all pensioners 90 to 40 years
of age who served two and half years will re
ceive SIS a month, and if three years or more
$40; those 20 10 % years old who served year
and halfv receive $3.50 a month, two years
men SOB, two and half years S24, and three
years more So Men Is years old or more
who served two years more $50 This last is
the dollar "A day limit
This Will be the nearest to a real service pen
sion law that congress has ever enacted when
both houses agree to it and the president signs
it, of which there is doubt. Heretofore those
who did practically no service in the war have
been put ON precisely the same basis and rate of
pay as those who served long and arduoUsly at
the 'front.' but this bill recognizes service as in
itself meritorious and pensionable
In consideration of the measure as between
the two houses a senate amendment barring per-
sons who have an income of their own exceeding
-, 400 year stricken out in the conference
An amendment also adopted in the senate re
curing the commissioner Of pensions TO publish
in his annual report list by counties of all the
pensioners the roll with their postofice address
and the amount received This was retained by
the conference. but with proviso that il do not
take effect until 1914 Under the latter provision
undoubtedly the pension roll will be considerably
trimmed and any names fraudulently thereon
will be stricken off. which will tend to make a
pension roll a roll of honor, il ought to be.
We notice in the New York Commercial a
statement in this connection that it is well
known that the rolls are padded with the names
of thousands who had no legitimate claim If
| this is known to the person who wrote those
words it certainly ought to be known to the pen
sion office which has jurisdiction over the roll
and which ought to be able to purge the roll of
| those fraudulent names The service which the
publicity of the roll will render viii be largely
/ in the elimination Of names fraudulently thereon
i provided there are thousands thereon which our
New York contemporary affirms to be there. The
pension commissioners generally. in replying tC
Il these charges OF fraudulent names the pension
roll deny all knowledge of such fraudulent names
and affirm that no fraudulent names are known
to be ON the roll. and that great vigilance j,
exercised in Keeping the roll pure. However thi,
may be- and however much or little truth Their,
may be in the charges such as are frequently
made without fraudulent names on the pension
roll the publication of that roll will be Of tn,
highest possible service in detecting and eliminat
ing all frauds that may appear.