I am constrained, therefore, to agree with the House Committee on Pensions in their views of this bill.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, February 23, 1887.

To the House of Representatives: 

I herewith return without approval House bill No. 10082, entitled “An act to increase the pension of Margaret R. Jones.”

The beneficiary mentioned in this bill is now receiving the highest rate of pension allowed in cases such as hers under the general law.

All the information which is available to me fails to furnish any reason why this pension should be specially increased, except the general statement in the claimant’s petition that she is in necessitous circumstances and that the rate now allowed her is insufficient for her support.

The further statement in the petition that her husband’s death “was caused prematurely by his endeavor to comply with unusual, disrespectful, and indefinite orders” to go to League Island Navy-Yard certainly does not in all its bearings furnish conclusive proof that his widow’s pension should be increased beyond that furnished others in her situation.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, February 23, 1887.

To the House of Representatives: 

I return without approval House bill No. 5877, entitled “An act for the relief of William H. Morhiser.”

This beneficiary, though apparently not regularly enlisted in the military service of the country during the time covered by this bill for his relief, performed military duty, was captured and imprisoned.  No technicality should be interposed in considering this bill to prevent the receipt by him of the same pay and allowances awarded under like circumstances to soldiers regularly enlisted.

But this bill proposes to appropriate for the benefit of this claimant such sum as pay and allowances as would be allowed a private of cavalry from November 30, 1863, to January 1, 1865.  It appears from the records of the War Department that he has already been paid for at least two months of that time.

The bill also provides that there shall also be allowed to the claimant such additional pay and allowances, as commutation of rations and so forth, as were allowed prisoners of war, from July 30, 1864, to January 1, 1865.  The records disclose the fact that he has been allowed commutation of rations from July 30, 1864, to December 11, 1864.

As the purpose of this bill, as gathered from the report of the committee to whom it was referred, appears to be to secure for the claimant therein named compensation “at the rate at which other soldiers in the same situation were paid,” and as he seems already to have received a considerable part of the compensation provided for in the bill, I am led to suppose that a mistake has been made in framing the same.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, February 24, 1887.