Pensions Wie

The first pension bill for World War veterans disabled in civil life went on the Federal statute books amid great legislative turmoil last week, less than one hour before Congress adjourned. It represented a major reversal of the policy of compensating World War soldiers for service disabilities only. Small though the amount of the pensions appeared, they were large enough to establish the principle of civil disability payments which in the course of years will undoubtedly dwarf the pension outlays after all other U. S. wars. Spanish War veterans had to wait 22 years for their civil pensions. World War veterans now begin getting theirs after twelve years.

After President Hoover vetoed the first World War pension bill fortnight ago, not because he objected to the pension principle as a new policy, but because he disapproved of the size and details of the measure, Congress scrambled to give him a bill of the same kind which he would accept. No. 1 Pension Scrambler in the House was Representative Royal Cleaves Johnson of Aberdeen, S. Dak., chairman of the House Veterans Committee. Congressman Johnson, 47, enlisted in the regular Army in January 1918, won a lieutenant's commission, went to France in July and as an infantry officer won the D. S. C. for battle bravery. He it was who whipped together last week's revised bill which the House passed in 40 min. His chief provisions were:

A War veteran disabled in civil life would be paid a pension, regardless of whether his injuries could be traced to military service or not. ranging from $12 per month for 25% disability to $40 for 100% disability.

All legal presumptions and time limits were eliminated.

Two restrictions: 1) a veteran who by "willful misconduct" contracted a venereal disease which disabled him would receive no pension; 2) a veteran with a net annual income large enough to pay an income tax ($1,500 or more) would receive no pension.

The Veterans Bureau estimated that this measure would cost the U. S. $31,000,000 the first year, running up to $82,000,000 the fifth.

The Senate laid a rough and liberalizing hand on the Johnson bill. Amid scenes of uproarious disorder a majority of Democrats and insurgent Republicans voted practically to double its pension provisions. Disability was to begin at 10% instead of 25%, with an initial payment of $10. The maximum pension was raised from $40 to $60. The venereal disease and income tax restrictions were knocked out entirely and the bill was passed by a vote of 55-to-11. The cost of the Senate bill scaled up in five years from $58,000,000 to $167,000,000.

For all their political generosity Senators were not blind to whither the pension plan was taking them. Republican Senate Leader Watson frankly declared: "We have started out on a pension system so far as the soldiers of the World War are concerned. We all know that in the days to come, with each succeeding session of Congress, the rates provided are likely to be increased from time to time, just as they have been in the case of soldiers of the Civil and Spanish American wars." Senator Borah predicted that it will be" a very short time until the question of service alone [rather than disability] will be the basis upon which pensions will be granted."

With the bill in conference, Senators were compelled to take the House provisions or none, because another Hoover veto hung over their own measure. But another written protest from the President and seven hours of furious debate were required before the Senators would recede. In that time President Hoover was bitterly flayed for what Senators called "lashing the Senate to his will." Declared Senator George of Georgia: "But for the War carried on by men now broken in mind and body, Herbert Hoover would still be unknown in his native land but would be driving pauper labor among backward people to add to the dividends of British citizens." Senator La Follette sharply twitted President Hoover on the fact that in his December message to Congress he had called "sound" the "basic principle" of compensating soldiers for military disability only whereas he was now referring to an entirely different pension system as also "based upon sound principles."

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