The New York herald., 1851-12-04
NATIONAL DOCUMENTS.


TENSION OFFlCE, NOV. ~, loOl.
SIR I'll have the honor to submit herewith the
annual report, exhibiting the operations of this
branch Of the Department for the past year;
BOUNTY LAND LAW OF 18th SEPTEMBER, 1850.
In view Of its prominent i'm mportance ct the pro-
sent time, commence with the progress made in
the execution Of the act of 18th September, 1850,
granting bounty land to certain officers and SOL
disrs Who have been engaged In the military ser
operstiOn about two months when took charge OF
the buresu, and claims had been filed urter 1t ave
raging about eight hundred and nifty per day. The
force Of the Office barely sufficient to discharge
its current duties-the services Of most of the
clerks employed under the Get of 1877 having been
dispensed with Nolegal provision had been msdefor
ths prompt despatch Of this extraord binary increase
eff business; and hence when these claims were re-
ceived they were deposited in a room provided for
the purpose, until arrangements could be made for
their regular examination. Thousands of claims
bad thus accumulated when | catered upon the
duties Of the Office, and they continued to increase
until the receipts were sometimes upwards OF fifteen
hundred per day.
able system for dsposng of this mass, to pre-
pare forms and books of registry, and to commence
the ssang of certificates as soon as the same should
be engraved and printed, az ordered By the depart
ment. Nearly all the clerks employed In the ser
vice were new hands, unaequainted with the busi-
ness, and hence considerable time elapsed be-
fore it could be fairly under way.
The first certificates, or warrants, were issued
absut the LIST of February but in consequence Of
the unavoidable delay at the commencement, the
correspondence connected with this particular
branch became exceedingly voluminous. Many OF
the Claimants aged, others in reduced circum-
stances and all anxious avail themselves OF their
country's bounty. Notwithstanding these impedl-
ments, and others which might be mentioned,
nearly one hundred thousand claims have been re-
thousand have been adjudicased, and more than
6fty-four thousand warrants issued TO the same Pc
riod Of time, being nearly all the cases passed by
the examining clerks, which wers IL proper conol-
h,o. Z, he allowed
up 10 the Ist of November, about one hundred
sad City seven thousand ,sses had been fled leav-
ing after deducting such as were fully or partially
acted on, upwards Of eighty thousand still to be
considered The suspended cases (about twenty
tvo thousand at the time mentioned0 require much
more labor than the same number OF ordinary
clains and give rise to heavy CORE sp ondence.
Ia further illustration of the progress made in
executing the law, | have subjoine1 q tabular
statement, brought down to the date Of this report,
together with an estimate of the probable condition
Of things on the lst proximo.
|. viii thus be perceived that in the short period
Of nine CT ten months, nearly as many cases have
been Adjudicated under the act OF Der, 1850,
as tns number presentedfo for services in the Mexican
war, and that q very large proportion of warrants
have been issued.
The number of cases fled under the act of
lS47, may be stated dat....................W at 10 lf6
OF which there ave been carried into war
raltS, or scrip ........'..'.. ...''''' oS,Soo
Leaving suspcr ded for various causss...... 6,l9I
been issued for services in the Mexican war. These
arily required uch time, and attention,
lost Of them being sas pended cases. Much labor
h also employed in the examinations necessary to
prevent the issue Of more than one warrant to Q
claimant under both these laws. In many cases
applicants fled separate applications for their SER
vices in the several Indian wars and in that Of
1872 SO long as the regimental and State regis
txies in arrear, there sufficient check to
prevent this evil and hence, in some cases, two or
mo:e warrants have been issued to the same person
for different services. Those regstries, howsver,
haye been brought up TO dste, and are no kept so
snd most Of the second issues have been prevented
Ii Is scarcely necessary to add that in cases Of
roneol Issue, prompt measures are adopted to pre-
vert Injustice to the government.
Tas passage of the act Of 18th September, 1850
having induced inquiry into the rights Of those Who
served in the var Of lsl2, many Just claims for that
service have been brought to light. The nume
rous examinations necessary 20 decide whether
claimants under the act Of 1850 lad received
or entitled bounty for services in the of
1sl2, have materially Increased the labors of the
latter division in this Office. Ninety-two warrant.
have been issued in the past year. under the acts Of
Path December, ISL; ilth OF January, 1872, and
10th Deoe mber, 1874, and there are now $50 sus.
pended claims under those acts.
Thus il will be seen that since tho last re port
from this Office, there have been isssed under the
acts Of l5i 1872 and lsli, Einetys-s warrants, to
wit
.fr.s
50 warrants for 100 acres each anOuasinstO. $50
Under the act of llth February, ls.'. -
aes variants for ieo aeres each aaaouatiasto. sssleo
IS 40 500
for ieo scTss each .noun.ias to lsas 400
sssss -, &c lsss.1
and % certificates for 900 each, in lieu Of i6O
acres and certificates tor s25 eaca, in lieu of ~
acres.
In execution Of the act Of 1850, amendments have
been occasionally suggested, to some Of which 1t
~ IA Wv 10 ad IN ia Nn
prcvssion has been ade for hotilla men, and other
mariners, Who performed duty on land, and who
we're oot entitled 70 prize money. To all such IL
w0ua TO be Just that the law should be extend
ed, ~ well a. to those who In battle or In actual
conflict with the enemy, but whose term Of service
vas less than month IL Is also recommended,
taa. 10 cases where an officer or soldier was living
when the law passed, and who made application for
Its benefits, but died before a warrant could be
LSsaed, leaving neither widow nor minor children,
previson should be made for the benefit Of the heirs
n law
Il being doubted whether the Ia vs. now in for,s
sufficiently provide for the punishment Of persons
Who may fraudulently issue, SELL put in circula-
ton sny false or forged land warrant certificate,
c. saail forge the same, or in any manner, either
principal or accessory, be concerned in the
facure Of such warrants procure the issue Of the
sane, tae subject Is respectfully recommended to
scu- no,ise
The paper marked A, contains a ststsme ent OF
toe nrm Der Of pensioners the rolls Of the United
States and the District Of Colu bia, but not in
elvding the navy pension rolls, which viii be the
subject Of a separate and distinct oommunication
From this state ement IL appears that the whole
number on the rolls Is ls,0ll-a slight diminuton
compared with the year preceding
The paper B, shows tie number Of pensioners
added 70 the rolls since the last annual port and
the number Of deaths returned in the same period
oil be found In s'stemnt E.
Ths paper marked ID, exhibits the number OF
pensioners vho have been paid IN the hrst and
marked L, IL statement from the books Of the
Third Auditor Of the balances In the hands Of the
several Pension Ageats at the date Of their last
reports.
The whole amount expended for pensions during
tne past year, ending the 3Oth September, IL, as
far a. can be ascertained, 81 ,t9,5ts. In order
20 present the financial branch o. the pension sys-
TEN ip more ineligible form than the means or
materials in the Office itself can furnish, respect
fully suggest that suitable provision should be
made for auditing its accounts under the immedi-