OCR Text |
Show WILSON SIGNS PENSION BILL Indian War Veterans of Utah to Receive Re-ceive Pay for Fighting Services. President Wilson has signed the pension bill which will give the Indian In-dian ward veterans of Utah the right to receive pay for their services ru-dered ru-dered the state and the nation during the Blackhawk wars and during the other wars by the Indians which menaced this state during the early days. Governor Bamberger Tuesday received a letter from the President in which he said that he had signed the bill passed by Congress. The letter was sent Governor Bamberger in repiy to a telegram to President Wilson asking that he sign the bill. The President's action ends one of he hardest fought matters of leglg-latlon leglg-latlon affecting the western states md especially the intermountatn country that has ever been fought out in Congress. For more than ten vears Senator Reed Smoot and firmer fir-mer Senator George Sutherland, wltti former Congressmen Joseph Howell ind Jacob Johnson, while they v et in Congress, fought for bills pensioning pension-ing the Indian war veterans. During 'he session of Congress two years igo the Indian war veterans' pension bill met with strenuous opposition from Senator Hoke Smith of Georgia and other soTtthern Democratic senators sen-ators who desired that descendants of those who took part in the Seminole Semin-ole wars be pensioned. The bill nassed Congress a number of days igo, but was held in conference committee com-mittee for some time before being "en t to President Wilson. The bill is not effective on approv-il approv-il as separate bills will have to be introduced in order that the individuals individ-uals may benefit from the general pension bill. The recognition of the services of the Indian ward veterans through the President signing the bill paves the way tor the State of Utah to be reimbursed in the amount of $75,000, which was appropriated during dur-ing the past session of the Legislature Legisla-ture and in the 1913 session of the Legislature for the relleT of the Indian In-dian war veterans of this state. me signing or the bill by President Presi-dent Wilson wll not interfere with the distribution of the $75,000 for the Indian war veterans as passed by .the session of the Leglslature. The 'state board of examiners will look into all claims as quickly as they are filed. I "I am glad that the government of .the United States has at last recognlz- 11 j ed the valor of the men and women of the went who fought for the bo( . tllng and lbs upbuilding of this part of the country," declared Governor Bamberger. "The work of the men and women who will benefit under the Indian war veteran pension did more to promote pro-mote civilization than almost env other factor in the United States and they conquered and gBve to the Unlt-led Unlt-led Stales the greatest section of the I country the west, on which the .United States depends for Its rood supplv." I ' |