The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-03-09
Three Pension Bills.

1
The present session of Congress
promises TO make a record for gen.
eral pension legislation. Already
three great pension bills are on the
way to passage.
Representative John A. Key, of
Ohio, is the author of bill which
extends the benefits of the pension
system to the widows and minor
children of officers and enlisted men
who served during the war with
Spain, the Philippine insurrection and
the Boxer troubles in China.
The measure grants $12 monthly
to the widow of an honorably dis
charged soldier or sailor who served
during the war with Spain, the Phil
| ippine instruction or the disturb
ances in China during her widowhood
and 50 monthly for each child under
IS years of age, provided the widow
shall have married the soldier prior
to the passage Of the act. The pen
sion is to be limited to the widow
who is without means of support
other than her daily labor and who
has an actual net income not exceed
| ing $3.50 per year"
The Key bill has passed the House
of Representatives by an overwhel-
ming majority and the outlook is that
| it will pass the Senate by as great a
proportionate vote. The report of the
House committee says concerning
this measure and what it is intended
to accomplish
1.-THE total number who served in
the United States army and navy du-
ring said warfares approximates
434, 900, which is about Is per cent
of the number who served in the
war between the states. The month
ly allowance fixed by this measure is
the same that is allowed by statute
to the widows and orphans of veter-
ans of other wars and Indian cam
paigns.
Existing law grants this allow
ance to the widows and orphans of
men who served in other wars,
whether the beneficiary be rich OF
poor. The provision contained in the
present bill narrows the proposed
benefciaries to far smaller class.
The number of widows and Or
phans to be benefited by the proposed
measure cannot be definitely ascer-
tanned. Inquiry among the camps of
the United Spanish War Veterans
would indicate that there are about
1000 widows of men who served in
the Spanish war and the Philippine
instruction. What percentage of
these come within the purview of the
1ill-that is, have no means of sup
port other than their daily labor, etc.,
can only be conjectured I
cat present the destitute widows
and their dependents are cared for
in the main by the United Spanish
War Veterans. 1t is in negotiable to |
ask the men who offered their lives I
to their country in war service to !
make this additional financial sacri |
fee, when the burden should be car
ried by the mass of our population, |
which did not serve with the colors. |
"Of the $4,000 who served in these !
warfares about one-fourth were in !
the regular service and from $4,000 |
to 100000 were assigned to duty in |
the Philippine Islands. In these |
warfares there were 826 battles and |
skirmishes, in SIS of which men were
killed or wounded. The whole NOR
tally of the campaigns was 10000
lives. For the first time in the his
tory of our country the American |
soldier and sailor served in the trop- |
les and the Orient under climatic and
hygienic conditions unusual to him.
They received no bounty or substi- |
tute money and were not drafted for |
service. Not to provide for the de-
pendents of this latest type of our
patriotic citizenship while lavishly
making provisions for the dependents
of those who served in all the other
wars of the republic indicts the gov
eminent on charge of unjust dis
elimination"
The other general pension bill that
is on the way embraces within the
scope of it's benefits all widows of |
civil war soldiers whose marriage to |
the veterans occurred prior to June |
81, 1905. Under existing laws widows
of civil war soldiers whose marriages
to the soldiers occurred after June
- AoJp, IdlIlOl uldW pcIlSIOuS. ADOul
fifty bills were introduced in con-
gress for the benefit of these widows i
and the house committee on invalid |
pensions chose for passage the bill |
by Representative William
A. Ashbrook of Ohio. This bill, if |
enacted, would impose burden on
the federal treasury of between $751;
100000 and $20,OO00OO a year.
The bill provides monthly pen
sion of $40 for the widows of civil i
war veterans who were married be-
fore or during the war and similar
amount for widows of veterans who Il
have attained the age of 20 years.
The measure also provides that
widow of veteran who marries a
second time and loses her second II
husband by death or divorce may be
restored to the rolls. A pension of
S2 month for minor children is pro-
vided. 1t is provided that widows
who contracted marriages with vet
Grams at any time prior to 1905 shall
be given pensionable status at the
rate of $12 month, regardless of
the age of the widow.
The third bill fayorably reported I