The Coolidge examiner., 1933-03-10

government life (converted) insurance. The
total amount paid on these items is 81 670, 49,
400
Many thousands of claims have been filed un-
der the law providing monthly payment Of term
insurance and government life insurance for total
and permanent disability, and relief being
given In 20,195 cases on June 80, 1892.
The disability allowance plan, which went into
effect July l. 1880. provides monthly payments
to veterans permanently disabled to the extent
of 25 per cent or more, even though their dis
ability was not incurred in or a result Of
their terms of service. Another new relief law
provides for the pensioning Of emergency off,
GERS who 80 per cent or more disabled or In
capacitated as a result of their World war serv-
Ice on the same basis as retired officers of the
regular army.
The history of pensions for veterans OF Amer
ican wars goes back to the earliest days of the
republic. On June 20. 1776, even before the
Declaration of Independence had been adopted,
the Continental congress appointed a committee
to Consider what provision ought TO be made
for such as are wounded or disabled in the land
or sea service"
This committee made prompt report, and on
August 90, 1776, the first national pension act In
America was passed by the Continental con-
gress That part of the law fixing the amount
was as follows THAT every commissioned off!
Ger, non-commissioned officer and private soldier
who shall lose limb in any engagement be
so disabled In the service of the United States
of America to render him incapable after
wards of getting livelihood. shall receive, dur
ing his life the continuance of such disabil
ty the one-half of his monthly pay from and
after the time that his pay officer
soldier ceases"
After the Constitution had been adopted and
- l. -
tinued for time the pensions which had been
previously granted and assumed their payment
Soon, however. strong demand arose for
new pension law and on March %, 1892 the
first pension law passed by the new government
went into effect.
Later there grew a demand for pension law
not based upon disability incurred in the service
and In his annual message to congress on De-
cember ., 1917. President Monroe recommended
such law. bill was passed by the house on
December "a. a sort of a Christmas present
to the veterans of the Revolution passed by
the senate Immediately afterwards and approved
by President Monroe on March is, 1878
The loose wording of this law, however made
frauds easy and the grant of pensions became
public scandal law passed in 1920 required
all pensioners already on the rolls and future
applicants to file a statement of property as
proof of their alleged dependence upon govern
ment bounty for livelihood AS a result, the
names of many pensioners stricken from
the rolls.
In the early days of the Republic. pensions
were distributed by the secretaries of war and
navy But on March II, 1888 a commission
of pensions set up under the direction of
the secretary of war; In 1910 the pensions dis
bursed by the secretary of the navy were also
placed under the administration of the commits
sion of pensions, which in the same year was
transferred to the department of interior and be-
came the pensions bureau. There it remained
until 1881 when the United States veterans ad-
ministration was established and absorbed the
pensions bureau.