nt of
disabilities. It is not now claimed that he was in the least disabled as
an incident of his military service, nor is it alleged that his death,
which occurred nearly twenty-nine years after his discharge from the
Army, was in any degree related to such service.

His widow was pensioned after his death under the statute allowing
pensions to widows of soldiers of the Mexican War without reference to
the cause of the death of their husbands. Her case is also, indirectly,
one of those provided for by the general act passed in 1890, commonly
called the dependent-pension law.

It is proposed, however, by the special act under consideration to give
this widow a pension of $30 a month without the least suggestion of the
death or disability of her husband having been caused by his military
service, and solely, as far as is discoverable, upon the ground that she
is poor and needs the money.

This condition is precisely covered by existing general laws; and if a
precedent is to be established by the special legislation proposed, I do
not see how the same relief as is contained in this bill can be denied
to the many thousand widows who in a similar situation are now on the
pension rolls under general laws.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _April 21, 1896_.

_To the Senate_:

I return herewith without my approval Senate bill No. 249, entitled
"An act granting a pension to Charles E. Jones."

The beneficiary named in this bill was a photographer who accompanied
one of the regiments of the Union Army in the War of the Rebellion. He
was injured, apparently not very seriously, while taking photographs and
when no battle was in actual progress. He was not enlisted, and was in
no manner in the military service of the United States.

Aside from the question as to whether his present sad condition is
attributable to the injury mentioned, it seems to me the extension of
pension relief to such cases would open the door to legislation hard to
justify and impossible to restrain from abuse.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _April 25, 1896_.

_To the House of Representatives_:

I herewith return without my approval House bill No. 1094, entitled
"An act granting a pension to Francis E. Hoover."

It is proposed by this bill to grant a pension of $50 a month to the
beneficiary named, who served as a private for about one year and nine
months in the Union Army during the War of the Rebellion.

I do not un