The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-09
THE PENSIONERS OF AMERICA.

THE PENSIONERS OF AMERICA.
The Pension Once Report.
FErnoS oFFcE, Nov 26 1881
sR-I have the honor to submit herewith report Of
the various operations Of this branch Of the department
snce he annual report Of November 1851.
The tabular statement marked presents the number
Ct pensioners the rolls Of the United States and the
District Of Columbia exclusive Of navy psnaioner OF
whom separate report will be made From this state
nent 1t appears that the whole number is 49, 6Sess by
743 than the number reported in 1851.
Paper exhibits the number OF pensioners added to the
rolls since the last snnua report and statement viii
chow the number Of deaths in the period
Of time
The statempt shows the number Of pensioners paid
In the nrt and second Of the year 1884, and
the Third Auditor exhibiting the balances in the hands
OF the fsvsra pension agents ct the date Of their last
returns
Tho sum expended on account Of pensions since the
last annual report far % the be sseersnsd
At the Treasury Department, is one million five hundred
the last report but not paid until the present year The
expense ofthe system is not materially changed is 1t
naey to be until the corrective hand Of legislation is ap.
REVOLUTIONARY PENSIONS.
March 1878 which was based for the o. sna
soldiers n.ndigent circumstances 4S5 Of whom
lC46 are now on tas rolls and only 3Se have received
payment In the first and second quarters Of the present
year.
Only pertons have been pspsoned under tho act Of
officers and soldiers Of the continental army who served
to the end Of the or that number the Of 2S
first and second quarters Of the year
Under the act Of the 7th june 1881 which greatly
tended the system 3So66 persons have been pensoned
since Its passage and the number now on the rolls is
4,S28. OF whom 1495 have received payments in the
first and second quarters Of tho year.
WIDOWS OF REVOLUTIONARY
The act OF 4h July 1886 only provided for
tionary widows but for the widows and orphans Of
tain volunteer and militia troops who died in service
since 1873 The whole number pensoned under the act
which now, with few exceptions Is confined to the wi
dows Of those who rendered revolutionary service is
5I0s Of whom 97s remain on the rolls
The set Of 18th July 1883 gave Ave years pension to
revolutionary widows who married before the ist Janu
ary 1884, Under It, IL 400 have from time TO time been
enrolled but 1872 only have been paid in the first and
second quarters Of the year.
1S4S for life wdowhood is 5000 and under the Of
10th July ISAs which EXTENDED the period Of marriage
the rolls under both these acts $3.50 pen.
sioners Of whom zoe were paid during the first and
second quarters OF the year
The act Of 2lst July, 1s48, made provision for the wi
dows ana orphans Of those who were killed in battle
pe1ished by disease, In the Mexican war The number
pensioned under the act Is 500 and the number
Iols il 1,l22.
INVALID PENSIONS.
The whole number the rolls. under the several
invalid acts Is $3.50 being an increase Of 62 compared
been paid in the first and second quarters of year
NAVY PENSIONS.
A separate and detailed report on this parsieul.r
branch bearing the date herewith
An additional years experience since my last annual
report has confirmed In the opinion then
and expressed that revision Of the Pension Laws by
Congress- the only compete Mt authority is rendered
cetsary bv the which the system
rights Of descendants OF lutonary men, il Is mani
fest that the has been sustained BY series Of
by cry fixed and positive statutes on the subject There
may DO danger that what was intended as personal
sauity only for services rendered may acquire BY pre-
cedent and usago descendabls quality wholly in,on
sistent with the original design
Some suitable legislation is also necessary to guard
againtt the frequent frAnds and inposons practised
upon the government in the of invalid PEN
sions Notwithstanding the vigilance constantly
cised it difficult prevent evssons punish viola
lions of the law The act Of Sd March, 1919 which
required biennial examinations OF invads in order to
show that the disability continued or that the psnsionr
restored to health, was, believe, incsutiousy or
uninte nonally repealed by the act of July 1892 Its
reenacment with additional and more stringent pro
visions, if not absolutely necessary might furnish add
tiona guards to protect the government.
1t may not be irelevent to remark however. that
to implying any legislative sanction Of the principle
that admission to the rolls conferred continuous right
to invalid pension the disease disability for which
such pension was granted had ceased to exist and in
this view Of both the and law Of the have
been sustained by recent decision OF the department
In adverting to the obvious abuses Prastced In some
branches OF the pension system and especially in that
which originated in the grateful remembrancss revou-
tionsry service but now too frequently perverted
purposes Of private gain and extortion, 1t would
be unjust TO overlook particular class. whose
sympathies Of the country the widows Of army
tctrs who have from tins to time been pen.ioned for
short periods particular acts but whose pen.
sions have expired, and remain unrenewed whilst the
more fortunate survivors, in d rent branch Of the
vice. have been placed on permanent footing I am at
loss to perceive why such discrimination should exist
between the two great arms OF the national defence In
which both have shared equally dangers and hadshps
disease and death and both have left widows orphans
in state of restitution Nor have been sbe to Disco
just for the distinction in the history Of
Of captures bestowed upon the navy properly so
applied long continued available fund but
from the bereaycd families Of army ocers to whom the
benefits Of capture In time Of have always been de-
MED.
The execution Of the act Of 2th September 1850 has
been steadily advancing since the spring 1851 Up to
the present time the number Of cases received and
OF which there have been admitted ..... .14o o,s
Now ut the rolls for examination ........ s31
Suspen dsd for further proof. ............ IS lii
Warrants are issued daily for all admitted cases and
the quantity Of land required to satisfy the Issues the
LIST inst amounts to 9 1856 $40 acres.
The applications nov received under the act Of 1850
amount to . daily average Of ore hundred
In the execution this .. Of other laws 1t has been
necessary to prescribe rules Of construction which, In
,nsT .lpc-o1 have produced cases Of
instance Of warrants which have spsed 10 tee
government BY reason Of The unavoidable delay in the
execution OF the set. In the Of . soldier his
widow whose claim has been regularly presented but
who dies before the warrant could issue who
special relative entitled to reeive justice would seem
to require that the warrant should 1t had Just
issued the day when the claim declaration pre-
fents0. Cases.
Under the act OF 2'd March, 1882 there have been
received and registered. observation-disclosures. 1855
OF which there have been admitted. .....,. 23&t
Leaving It'll to be acted MISREPRESENTATION. 1914
To satisfy the warrants already issued under this act
143 eco acres will be required
The elaine under the act Of 18th February, 1SH,
known tho Mexican Land Bounty law, which
were nsd up to the 3 October last amount to 80 377
Filed fer script In lieu OF land bounty ..... 4347
-
0a,7A
Number Of land warrants issued, ........ s3,os8
IssEed for money and script. ............. 1894
- 80 a2a