Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-05-20
Interesting to Claimants for Back Pay,
BOUNTY. sc.


The following information will prove
interesting to the heirs of soldiers who
have applied for back pay, bounty and
pensions to the department at Washing
ton:
The I'd Auditors Office has not yet been
able to audit any claims for back pay and
bounty, where the death of the soldier co.
CURED subsequent to April 80, 1862. The
warrants now being received, range from
the 1st OF January to April 30, 1867
This must put at rest much anxiety on the
part of clients as to the condition of
claims where the death OF soldiers occur
red after the 1st of May, 1862. / have
every reason to know from personal OBJ
servaton while at the Department in
March, that the clerical force in the I'd
Auditors Office are working industriously
at these claims, but it Is said there are
nearly 10000 which have not yet been
audited. The settling of these claims for
back pay and bounty is but portion of
the business which is brought before the
I'd Auditor. He also receives and adjusts
| all accounts relating to the pay, clothing,
and recruiting Of the army, as well as the
armories, arsenals and ordnance, and all
accounts relating to the Indian Depart
ment. 1t seems as if the matter of back
pay and bounty was sufficient to keep
large force of clerks employed without the
addition of paymasters' accounts, &c. 1t
was reported that the Auditor was about
to add hundred more clerks to bis bu-
reau. If this is SO, there is reason to hope
that they will be able to bring up arrears.
As it is, the delay in auditing these &C.
counts works great hardship to the poor
widows and orphans of our brave boys
who have died in their country's cause,
and whose homes are left, in thousands sf
instances, destitute of the necsssaries OF
life. Many cases have not been audited
which were sent over a year ago.
The business in the Pension Office is
also much behind, although they are
working ahead bravely. There are over
5000 cases on file, some thousands of
which have been allowed. The Pension
Office did not commence work under the
law until about the middle of last July,
while the back pay and bounty cases have
been In hand year longer.
AT the recent session of our Legislature,
law was passed giving six months State
aid in cases where the soldier dies in the
service, unless the pension is received be-
fore that time. The design of The law
was to apply to all cases where death oc-
CuTIcO DcIOIc tuC PdoodSo VI euc INV, dS
well as after but it was discovered when
too late to remedy the defect, that tue
language was not sufficiently explicit tor
the Secretary of State to give RETROSPECT
tive action to the law, and he has conse-
quently ruled that he cannot pay any cases
where the death occurred prior to the pas
sage of the law, viz: April 4th, 1868. 1t
will doubtless be corrected by the next
Legislature.
The 800 bounty to soldiers discharged
for WOUNDS received in battle, under the
law Of Congress, March Sd, 1853, cannot
be paid until an appropriation is made for
that purpose, as Congress neglected that
important point. Claims, however, are
filed and placed in q proper shape for set
tlement, either through the I'd Auditors
Office, or the Pension Office.
The whole country is interested in the
above Information, and it is hoped that
the press will give it wide circulation,
and thereby aliay much of the anxiety on
the part of clients, and relieve many of
those engaged in prosecuting these claims
from unjust suspicious. 1t is useless to
fret at attorneys when the delay is caused
by the inability of the auditing officer to
accomplish the herculian task set before
him, and the powers at WashingtoH ere
to blame if sufficient force is not added to
accomplish prompt settlement IF these
accounts.
Very respectfully, E. B. QunsKR.
Madison, May IL, 1863.