New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-12-05

ps "a, such vast number OF claims. involved glea.
isss, md responsibility Il was Necessary ~ me l'st
nDel ~ prescroe forcs Of appiic 'on and moHer OF
pNs, Which they were 10 be established ne
roe. ten was to collect arrange aud CLASSIFY tae
hen - The different companies extending tlto15i
s,iod of near sixty ears dn1 e'notaclis M, oh
n;jl,on Of soldiers so that the claim OF ehcn
san ,.ss1. might be compucd with them a'lo Ais
sp,;,r and term Of service accurately a.ceIt hed'
=. r,ovisicp had been made oy law TO enable the
SO 10 dispose OF this Immense increase o. business;
~ al first, the "declafauons were mercy Aeu
nep r,ndles IN the order IN which they we're re
Jpn ma deposited n room Tor sale keeping,
s,rangeneA;s could be made Tor their 1tnihl-
80 For some months the receipts rhiSei ,to'ii
ice 10 1890 per day Inefe was, .h
tsie. ,.iions could be made for investigating tleiI
Y'srrts ard issuing the warrants ,-.--;x 49,.
,.,dr execution of the law would oeled, Ihe Pu'
's M those who passed II. aid DEPRIVE many dgei
S.,sons Of the benefit OF It's provisions J ie.t war
fsrte6 in assuming the respons!oilT o. N-ciedstn5
he force OF the Pension OEice WIN Ie.e'enOe " ~
nsyt,cular service THIS course was dppioNoup W
Congress at its last session anu apl t ,,bo baS
nrompty made not ony 70 pay the cleits MP AZ
thus been employ ed, but for still iurlher add'oA
10 the force ,. ~, ,;,:.
Al clerks would be necessary 10 keep pace with t0e
srmber Of appl cations called on the late Com
m,ssioreg for an estimate Of tue probable number
Mich would be submitted during the year. He
fr,s before him IN relation TO other laws % similar
sstIse From these data he concluded that the
lumber presented within the first year would be
about fry thousand, or one fifth of the whole.
ended in some measure by his estimate but still
des,ous OF making an allowance for contingencies
asked for a number of clerks sufficient TO adludi-
.s, and issue warrants for 10000 claims which were
sr,n,ed Il was soon found, however, that the num-
r. NJ applications would be almost three times
usat as had been supposed AS far as the means at
all | hav udea ed tn
~ emergency. Some additional clerks have been
smployed Others who could be spared for a time
rom mr. own Office have been detailed to do duty In
The Pension Office and the clerks of that bureau have
heen required 10 work an hour longer In each day
than has heretofore been customary In all these
efforts 10 advance the progress OF the business re-
ceyed the cordial cooperation not only of the head
Of the bureau and his efficient acting cnei clerk but
az the large body OF his assistant clerks engaged
thai business. VITO have manifested the most lauda
bic zeal in the discharge Of their respective duties.
The first warrants were issued about the first OF
February last. For some months the number sent
out each day was comparatively small, because many
OF the clerks were engaged IN acknowledging The
receipt OF claims, corresponding with claimants, and
registering filing and preparing the cases for adJudi-
ton.
Notwiths anding all these difficulties, of the 49,
900 claims which had been filed on the LIST of No
sember, 1851, 10000 had been examined and 81 900
carried INTO warrant % 900 have been rejected or
suspended for further consideration. The number Of
warrants now issued daily exceeds 400 and by the
meeting OF Congress the aggregate number of war
rants issued will be about 10000.
Thus 1t will be seen At, III the short space OF
nine or ten months, almos, as many cases have been
adJudicated under the act OF 1850, as have been dis
posed OF under the law OF lS47 in relation TO Next
can warrants since its passage.
II may not be improper here to remark that Il has
been the inyariabe rule of the Office to act on the
csses IN the order of their presentation. If there
have been occasional departures from it, they have
been the effect of accident and not ofdesign. Com
plants have been made 10 me from various quar-
tiers that the rule had been violated, but IT was
found IN every instance, that the cases which II vas
alleged they had been Improperly passed by IN favor of
junior applications were those which had been Sus-
pended for some defect or informslity. As soon as
case 10 ascertaned TO belong TO this class, II Is laid
aside until the defect can be supplied, and In the
mean time the Office proceeds with other applica-
tons IN their appropriate order. Any other rule
would cause endless delay.
The Report o Che Commissioner of Pensions con-
ains many valuable suggestions Of amendments
md notifications of the existing laws, to all Of
which l respectfully invite your attention. The
most important are the following VIZ:
FIRST. That the benefits of the pension laws be
onhned to those who rendered the military service,
M 70 the widows and minor children OF such as are
lead.
Second. That more efficient provisions be adopted
10 prevent frauds under the various pension laws,
and more especially under those relating TO nvalids.
WITHIN The last year tso hundred and thirty -one
applications for Invalid pensions were presented
authenticated according to the forms OF law. But
he Commissioner having conceived the Suspicion
that many ofthem were fraudulent, caused a conn
Dental agent to visit the neighborhood, and It was
ascertained that only slsty-oue were Just, ana tha'
he residue were fraudulent.
Third That warrants for bounty lands under the
vet of 28th September 1850, be made asslgnaole
Most of the holders of these claims are persons lar
sdyanced i'm life, or WIDOWS or orphans who have
not the means of locating them 10 advantage, ana
AN therefore only make them available by sale
Fourth. The enactment OF law maklngt felohy
forge utter or publish az genuine, any forged land
rarrant or other evidence of claim against the
lnaed States for land, or any endorsement or as
lgnment thereof.
The Circuit Court of the United States at Colum-
,us, Ohio, recently quashed an indictment against
prkoIer for forging land warrant. on the ground
hat there Was no law Of tie United states making
i penal ofitnSc.
beg leave to remark that the laws of the United
States IN regard To the subject of forgery exceed
lngly detective and need revision. They are gem
orally specific, and directed against enumerated
efepses. l would respectfully suggest the proprety
ofinvitng the attention of Congress TO TINS SUBJECT
and Of recommending the passage oil general law
Imiar IN its provisions those adopted III England
md most of the States Of the Union, and cOmpre
1ensive enough to embrace the forgery OF every con-
elysble species OF paper ~ he injury OF the United
mates, or those having claims against the Govern
nent for money, land, OF any thing else OF value.
In addition To the changes proposed by the Com
in view of the great Increase OF the bus
hess OF the Pension Office, respectfully recommend
hat provision be made by law for the appointment
of an Assistant Commissioner of Pensions. The
Commissioners Judicial duties furnish hum iul occu-
patton, and render 1t absolutely impossible for him
10 authenticate and tIa0smlt the large number OF
warrants and certificates issued from the office,
and perform the other duties OF a ministerial char
acitr which he is now required by Ian 10 discharge
1 also recommend that the law regulating the COM
pslsaiion of clerks be So modified as 10 enable the
Department 20 graduate their salaries according to
ne nature and value of the services rendered by
'hein respectively. AZ present no temporary CLERK
can receive more than 80 1891 per day. This is IN
sucient to command the talents necessary for some
Branches OF the service and rs more than enough
los others. My proposition would involve no IN
crease Of the aggregate compensation of the clerks,
su only a more equitable appornonment OF II.
The Secretary then speaks of the Public Lands,
but as that portion of his Report contains merely
summary OF what is given in the Report OF the Com
Missioner OF the General Land Office, which we
lave already published al length, we omit lit
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
The leDOff of the COmml>slOuer of Indian Affairs