The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-12
OUR PENSIO NER s.
The Annual Report or the Commissioner
OF PenAOns.

The Annual Report or the Commissioner
OF PENSIONS.
PENSION OFr1n Dot. 10, 1883.
s-n the discharge Of my dutiesin this bureau and
that it, business Is naturally divided into the following
claxses:-
l. Revolutionary PENSIONS
II. Half pay pensions for Ave years.
Ill. Invalid penions
~. Navy pensions.
V. Bounty land
REVOLUTIONARY PENSIONS.
In this class included all claims under the various
ssts Of Congress- giving gratuties Of service
rendered In the war Of the Revolution and are
lst Applications asserted under the acts OF March IT,
1918, May Is, 1929 and June 1892 providing relief for
those persons who actually rendered service in
the Revolutionary army
I'd. Applications asserted under the acts Of July 4
1886 July 1898 March 1913, July IT. 1874 February
2 ls4s, July 49, ls4s and February 1853 making pro-
visions FOR the widows Of those who served in the raj
amy; and
3d. Applications asserted under the act of Jul, s. 1882
directing the claims for half pay OF The ic-rs of certain
Of the regime and corps Of the state of Virginia
Adut ca and settled the principles Of the hal pay
cares already decided in the Supreme Court of Appeals
The whole number of applications under the act OF
March s. 1918 Is % 240 OF this number 4S5 we're ad
ntted and placed the list of pensioners, and 1855
suspended rejected The number of pc asionsrs
under this act, the st is 254 whom the semi
annual payments during the past have been made
OF May Is, 1873 Is l73. The number admitted Is
LIS aud the number suspended is 9s5 The number of
pensioners unser tbis act upon the list is 44of
whom only "a have been PAID during the past year
The whole number Of applications under the Of June
1852, il SO 593. The number admitted is 80 l75
tne ger suspended ard rejected is 4lS. The mum
Der OF pensioners uncer this act before the list
llGs, Of whom 100 have been paid during the psst
The provisions Of the act of June T. 1882 being more
liberal than the preceding acs many persons no hsd
received the OF those acts renqaihhed
a laat Az laua
not been shle to ascertain the number have made
this change cannst state with precision the number of
pensioners under The acts aforesaid.
2 BY the provisions OF the act OF July 1885, widows
who were married before the last period Of their hus-
their husbands might been entitled under the a.t
OF June 1882 during the time they remained
red The whole number Of applications under this act
6S15 The number admitted is $780, and the
Suspended and rejected Is 2,4l9.
The act of July 1885, extends to those widows who
married after the last period service and
before the LIST day Of JAM 1874 for the term Ave years
husbands would been entitled to under the act OF
June 1882. The whole number Of widows admitted
der this act at various times Is None of this class
are now upon the list. One hundred and eleven have
ben paid during the first and second quarters Of the pre-
sent calendar year.
to the benefcares Of that act for year. the act Of
March s43 and the provisions Of this last
ved and continued In force for four years. from March
1s4 BY tie act of June H. 1914 and by the provisions
Of the act of February 1s48 the benefits
tnued to the class of while they remained
unmarried The who have been psnsoued ader
these last acts the tho who ps
der the &C, Of July Z 1888 except those
admitted under the joint resolution Of August 49,
1872 an6 those who became wdo after ~ July Z 1888
and survived the passage Of the joint resolution Of March
8, 1851
married before the first day of January 1900
nus during wdowhood, the same pension to which their
pension Ii rs IL living The whole number Of appli
cations under this act is 1885, The nun Der Omitted
740 The number Suspended is %.
By the provisions of the act Of February g. 1853 all
widows Of the officers and soldiers Of the Revolutionary
army who were married subsequent to January AID $780,
are entitled to PENSION the those who
were married before that date Under this 100 sp
pcatons were aed before the LIST day Of October instant
OF this NUMBER $40 have been examined, and lis ad
tilted and plac.d upon the list and 42s suspended
jected.
rate Of sxy per week; and IT is fair estimate that the
whole number will ultimately be eco, most OF which
viii finally be admitted and the pensioners placed upon
about $500 ach Upon this estimate it will require about
$40 to these pensions during the year
and already expended leaving deficiency OF over $780,
900 to be provided for by It Ia hoped that the
attention Of Congress viii be given to this subject at
The widows of the officers non commissioned officers,
mariners and marines who served in the navy of the
United States durirg the Revolutionary not pro-
vded for in this act lnasmuch good be
seen why they should not be placed upon the foot
ing the widows Of officers and soldiers of the army
attention Of Congress is especially invited to this oms
sion.
The act OF July s. 1882 was passed for the pu, nose
Of indemEifypg the stare Of Virginia o. the claims
of certain ticsrs to wi she had made promises to
induce them to continue in service during the Revolution
The whole number Of pre- under this ast Is
3sl. The number admitted and pAiijs 23l. The mum.
ended Is 100 1t is now more than twenty years
since this act was passed. and claims under have been
pressed with lack of zeal ability The p eparatoa
Of these evince great labor and learning ADD IS
they involve large amounts the examination Of them
qures great de Iteration and 1t the opinion
Of my predecessor who well understood the nature and
character Of these claims that but few of them
standing, were genuine. From the examlnA ion have
been able to give Them an Inclined to concur with him
There but few original claims presented under
any OF these acts except the act OF July 20, 1S4S,
and difficult q amina lions Of under the
former acts The practice 80 long continued In this
law Of permitting not Only the parties but their chill
dren, to call up their for q examination, al
though the same may have been fairly disposed Of
since, leads to some OF the most difficult and aborous
researches. The farther rscede the period Of
tine when the incidents happened wi ioh the sub
ect of inquiry the arduous the Of ascertain
ipg the Il uth and the liable TO mistake
imposition These therefore, require very parcu
lar attention The correspondence in this class OF claims
has been very heavy and much In arrears, but ia
mp within four weeks Of date and the correspondence
under the act Of February 1885, but about six weeks
In arrears.
n-nAlf PAY PENSIONS FOR -FOUR YEARS
Under the acts of July 1888, July 81 ls4s, February
lot9 AND February IS lso3 the vic ow IL widow,
the child children under sixteen years of age of each
Of the officers, commissioned officers, musicians aud
privatss of the militia including rangers fencibes
and volunteers who have died heNrvice Of the United
States since he goth cav Of April 1873 who have died
of wounes received whilst in said service since the day
aforesaid ard the widow no widow, the child chill
dren under sxte Of of each Of the officers
mmissoned officers musicians and soldiers of the army
Of the United States who we're in the service on the st
cay Of March, 1885, at any psriod during
the late war with Mexico, and the widow, if no
widow, the minor heirs Of each OF the officers.
non commissioned officers musicians ard privates Of
the regulars, militia and volunteers of the Of 1872
and the various Indian 1870 whose husband
father renal, ed the da Of his death service
OF the pited States who having received honorab
discharge has died while returning after arriving At
his usual Of residence in the United States of
received OF sease contrace while efvics in he line
OF his euty s entitled receive half the hly pay
which the deceased emit led at he time of his DEATH
at the time Of receiving such wounds tractir
such disease for and during t7e term of I've BY
the tern # the act OF February 3d. 1853 this wild and