The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-12-16

Sis In Tie discharge Of my duties in this bureau.
lind that its business is naturally divided into the follow
ing classes
i.--Revolutionary pensions.
It.-HaIf-pay pensions Tor nve years.
lli.-lavaid pensions.
Iv.--Navy pensions
V.-Bounty land
-REvoLuTIoSARr PENSIONS.
ia this class are included all claims under the various
acts OF Congress giving gatules on account oil service
rendered in the war oil the revolution, and are
ls Applications asserted under the acis of March is,
lss May Is, 1928, aad jane T. 1889, providing Teef
for persons who actually rendered personal service
in the revolutionary army.
ID Applications asserted under the acs of July 4,
1886, July 7, 1888, March g. ls43, June IL Sl4 Feb
ruary 1sas July 30, 1913, and February Q, 1885,
king provision for the widows OF those who served IN
said army and
3D. Applications asserted under the act OF July S. 1882
directing The claims cr hallPay Of the officers Of GER
tain of the regmeats and corps Of the STATE of Virginia
10 be adudcaed and settled on the plnciples oi the half
pay already decided in the supreme court OF ap
peals IN said State.
The whole number OF applications ande1 the act Of
March 49, ISIS, is 22,240 OF this number, 2O,4s5 have
been admitted aud placed on the list OF pensions and 75j
have been suspended rejected. The number of PEN
sioners under this act, now on the s s 254 OF whom
the semi annual payments during the past year, have
been made 10 only 250
The whole number of applications under the act of
May IS, 1928, is 2,73 The number admitted is IFS,
and The number suspended is ye5. The number OF pen
s,oners under this act upon the list is Al OF whom
only "a have been paid during the past year
The whole number Of applications under The act OF
June = 1884, is 3S,593 The number admitted Is SO, 70,
and the number SUSPENDED and rejected Is AIS The
number of pensioners under this upon the list
jos; of whom 300 have been paid during the past
year. The provisions OF the act OF June 1892, being
more liberal than The preceding acts many persons who
had received the benefits OF those acts relnqHshed the
same, and became benehcaries under the last ACT As
we not been able TO ascertain the number who have
made This change, cannot state with precision the num-
Der OF pensioners under the acs aforesaid.
BY the provisions Of the ACT OF July 1886. widows
who were married before the Hast period OF their hns-
bands service entitled 10 receive the pensions to
which their husbands mp hi have been entitled under the
act OF June T. 1882. during the time they remain nn-
married The whole number OF applications under this
act is 6,975 The number admitted 1855, and the
number suspended and rejected is 24l9. The pension
under this act and The act Of July 81 S4s have been
paid from The same appropriation and, consequently the
whole number under each act cannot now be definitely
stated The whole number now on the list under both
acts is s63
The act of Jay T. 1888, extends TO those widows who
were such the 7h day OF June 1882, and who were
married after the last period OF their husbands service
and before the first day OF January 1884, for the term OF
nve yeats from the An OF March, 1896, the same pen
their husbands would have been entitled to under
The act OF June 7, 1882, The whole number OF widows
admitted under this act al various times is 500 None
OF this class upon the list. OAe hundred and
eleven have been paid during the first and second quar-
ers OF the present calendar year. The provisions of
the act of July 1885, extended to the beneficial
lsi3 and the provisions of this last revived
and continued IN force Tor four years from March 1884,
by the act OF June II, lsi4 and by the provisions OF
the act OF February 2, 1Sis, the benefits were
continued 10 the same class of persons while they re-
NAMED unmarried. The persons who have been pen
skoned under these last acts the those who
were pensioned under the act of July T. 1885, except
those widows who were admitted under the JOINT reso-
luton OF August 49, lSi2 and those who became wild
after July Z, 1885, and survived the passage OF the
| joint resolution of March 3. 1851.
| The act Of July 49, is4s, gives TO all widows who
were married before The hrsi day Of January 1900. and
TO continue during wdowhood, The same pension to
49, "a
under existing pension laws, II now living The whole
number OF applications under this act is 795 The mum
Der admitted IS 74o; the number suspended rs s..
BY the provisions oil the second section OF the act oil
February 3, 1858, all widows Of the officers and soldiers
of the revolutionary army who were married subsequent
10 January, D. isOo are entitled 10 pension 10 the
same manner those who married before that
date. Under this ,7g0 applications were filed before
the ist day OF October instant OF this number, l,5to
have been examined, Lis admitted and placed the
hsl, and A25 suspended rejected. Applications under
this act being filed al the rate OF about 90
week aud /, is fair estimate that the whole number
will ultimately be 5000. most of which VIII finally be
admitted, and tue pensioners placed upon the list The
average annual stipend in these about $50 each
Upon this estimate. will require about Slto 900 TO pay
these pensions during the curreR year Tue apPropna
ton made Tor this purpose S24 900 and - already ex
pe'sded leaving deficiency ot $500 900 10 be pro-
ved for by Congress II is hoped that the attention OF
Congress will be given 10 this subject al an eafly day
The widows oil tie officers, non on-comfssioned ohcsrs
mariners, and Marines who served IN the navy oi the
United States during the revolutionary war; are not pro-
yided or IN THIS ACT lnasmuch as no good reason can
be why they should not be placed upon the same
fso'ng IA The widows OF officers and soldiers oil the
army the attention OF Congress is specially invited 10
this omission.
g. The act OF July 1882 passed for the purpose OF
indemniiying the Slate OF Virginia agains, The claims OF
certain officers whom she had made promises to induce
them continue in service during ihe revolutionary
The whole number OF claims presented under this act s
33. The number admitted and paid is al. The nun
Der file. most of winch have been examined and
suspended, IL 100 II IL more than twenty years
since this act passed. and claims under have been
pressed with lack OF zeal ability. The preparation
of these evinces great labor and learning and,
they involve large amounts. The examination OF them
ques great deliberaton and II the opinion OF
my predecessor who well understood the nature and
character OF these Claims that but few OF them out
standing, were genuine. Fiom the examination have
been able TO give them, am Inclined 10 concur with him
in this opinion.
There are but few original claims presented under
any OF these acts. except the act of July 49, 1sis and
February 3, 1853. Sill the most complicated and DIM
cult examinations OF cases under the former acts
The practice so long continued in this Office and under
such authority acquire the force OF law OF permit
ting only the parties but their children, call up
their cases for REORGANIZATION, although the same may
have been fairly disposed Of since, leads 10 of
the most dltcu and aborous researches The further
we recedc from the period OF time when the incidents
happened which the sublect OF inquiry The more
duous the tack OF ainng the trus, and The IL
able to mistake and imposition. These cases
therefore, require very particular attention The
spondence IN this class OF claims has been very heavy
and much but ~ Up within four weeks OF
and the correspondence under the act Of February
| 3, 1885, is but about six weeks in arrears
u.--nALr-PAY PENSIONS FOR FIVE YEARS
q 1ss9, and February g. 1888, the widow. or. il no
wow the child or children nnder sixteen O age,