Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1933-03-08

series of pension acts In favor of the widows
Of soldiers of the Revolution, restricted at first
to those who had married before the close of the
Revolution. These grew more liberal later until
pensions were granted to all widows, regardless
of the date of marriage. Out of these pensions,
and similar ones for widows of veterans of later
wars, grew many abuses of the pension system,
for 1t became a practice for young women to
marry aged veterans In order to benefit by a
government pension after the death Of their hus-
bands.
The pension rolls of the Revolution had scarce
ly grown to their peak when the United States
became engaged in another war-the War of
1812-to add to its list Of veterans and depend
ents drawing pensions. And the same thing was
repeated later at intervals of two decades with
the Mexican war and the Civil war. The first
law pensioning soldiers of the Civil war was a
disability pension act of July IA, 1862, which
provided for the disabled survivors, for the
widows, orphan children and dependent members
of those who died because Of wounds received or
disease contracted while In the service of the
United States and In line of duty. Rates for
total disability ranged from IS to $50 a month.
according to rank, and these same rates were
applied to the widows of the soldiers. Successive
laws, beginning July A, 1864, and eliminating In
the recent act which increased the pensions OF
Civil war widows more than seventy-1ve years
old, have increased the rates, setting fixed rates
for various kinds Of disability.
The Civil war changed a number Of things as
regards the pension treatment of war veterans.
In the first place, the veterans of that war were
numerically Of large political Importance. They
were able to make their influence felt In Wash
ington consequently the march of pension leg
~islation quickened after the close of the war.
The passage of the arrears act In 1879 added
greatly to the burden of debt which Uncle Sam
bears because of the wars In which he has en-
gagged. This act provided that all pensions which
had been granted or might hereafter be granted
should date from the time of disability, provided
application were made before January /, 1880.
The effect of that law Is shown by the fact that
the total sum paid for pensions jumped from
s32,000,OO0 In 1879 to $58y0OO,OO0 In 1880, the
greatest increase In any one year In the history
Of our pension system.
From time TO time during the course of the
pension history of the country various Presidents
have attempted to stem the tide of pension pay
ments. Outstanding In this effort was President
Grover Cleveland. A bill to establish service
pensions for persons In dependent circumstances
was vetoed by President Cleveland In 1886. A
similar bin was passed June q, 1890, providing
that all persons who had served 90 days in the
war and who were suffering from any mental or
physical disability of a permanent character
which incapacitated them from performing man
ual labor might receive pensions ranging from
So to $40 a month. according to the degree of
disability. Widows of soldiers who served 80
days who were dependent upon their daily labor
for support could receive So a month.
The most carefully worked out attempt to fore
stall the expensive and sometimes wasteful re-
suits OF the pension system was made when we
entered the World war. II was the first time
that our government had ever tried TO find a sys-
tenn at the outbreak of a war to deal with dis
abled veterans In some manner other than by
pensioning them.
After the war. too, efforts we're made to pre-
vent the beginning of a pension system by CIV
Ing the veteran some government assistance In
establishing himself. What the result has been
In the long-drawnout dispute over bonus legisla-
ton and other matters connected with veterans
compensation-is too well known from recent
events to require further comment In this article.
- ~ western Newspaper uaasal