The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-03-01
bLANKE I
PENSION BILL
IS PLANNED
ORPHANS, BLIND, CRIPPLES
AND OLD PEOPLE
TO BENEFIT
PURE HOTEL BILL NOW
BEFORE THE s0L0Ns|
CENTRAL TEACHERS BEHIND
COUNTY UNIT IDEA; AP-
PROVED BY WILSON

Oklahoma City. Okla. March l.
A bill to pension orphans, dependent
old folks, cripples, blind people and
other so-called objects of charity has
been introduced in the house by Rep
resentative w. K Dunn Of Potta-
watomie county.
The bill provides clever scheme
of raising the pension fund by levying
a pension tax" on all able-bodied
people between the ages of 21 and 60,
and in addition thereto a 11a mill
state levy.
Representative Dunn has prepared
the following explanation Of his bill;
This bill provides for pension not
10 exceed $40 per month for people
totally blind, and permanent cripples,
who were residents of this state one
year prior to the passage of this act
or who may lose their sight or be-
come crippled within the state any
time hereafter; to pay the sum Of
$500 and pension of ten ($10) dol
lars per month to the widows Of peace
officers. or guards killed in perform
ance OF their duty, with an additional
pension of SIS per month for the sec
ond and third minor child of such
widow, and the same amount to Wild
owed mothers in INDECENT circum-
stances with minor children with the
exception Of the $500; to pay the sum
of not to exceed SIS per month to
orphan children who have no income
or property; a pension of not to ex-
ceed $40 per month to man and wife,
over the age of so years, who have
no property; pension of not to ex-
ceed $40 per month to man and wife,
over the age of go years, who have no
property or income; and seven and
one-half dollars (s750) per month, to
an old person who is single, and has
no income.
1t provides a department of pen
sions, pension tax of $3.50 per year
on people between the ages of q and
GO. and in addition thereto, one-half
of one mill state levy. These two
taxes should raise on our present
population and valuation approxi-
mately one million dollars for the
pension fund annually. The bill
provides the pension fund into four
separate funds, and the different
classes of pensioners permitted to par
ticipate are assigned to the different
funds which is as follows:
Thirty per cent funds are set aside
to be known as fund No. /; so per
cent for fund No. 2; 80 per cent for
fund No. 3; 10 per cent for fund No. 4.
The blind people and unfortunate
widows are assigned to No. ], orphans
and cripples to fund No. 2, old age to
fund No. 8 and No. is an emergency
fund to be paid to the community
that is devastated by drouth, floods
or storms, mine explosions; con-
tagious diseases, etc. ~
If the state does not take care of
the unfortunate people who have no
means of support they go in need, or
some charitable inclined person who
takes care of them. Some one has
to provide for our orphans; some one
mas to provide for the blind and the
crippled; and some one has to take
care of us when we grow old, and our
eyesight grows dim, and our steps
get slow, and we can no longer hold
our own in the fight of life, and why
should not the great state of Okla
homa take care of the unfortunate,
by pension? We can pension them
much cheaper than we can provide
for them any other way. For illus
tration, the statistics show that it
costs from $40 to s15 per child per
month to maintain the orphan child
rem in an orphan home, and these
homes are maintained by the charit-
able people OF the state. If these
orphan children could be paid pen
sion of SIS per month. one-third as
much as 1t costs TO keep them in an
orphan home. they would have no