Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-12-02
Tha puea Of Doesa6od soidIora.

etter to the N. Y. Tribune:
70 tks Editor of the N. 7. Tribune
Sir: Permit me to give piece Of very
useful information to the public, that will
enable about 1000 persons month to
make applications TO the Government for
the dues Of deceased soldiers at saving
Of probably 10 per cent Of their claims
otherwise wasted on agents. Beside that,
it will serve to assure them that their
claims are c7rtsin Of attention in their |
turn in the order Of the date Of their |
death, and so relieve them Of useless pains |
and snxieties which q state Of uncertainty |
Of mind during TOO long delay, but un-
avoidable, very naturally induces.
Application, post paid, should be made
to the Hon. E. B. French, I'd Auditor,
Washington, D. o.
Mr.. French, wishing to spare claimants
the burden of agents Of every kind will
send them blanks, and plain Instructions
how to I'll them up, and how to proceed IN
sll respects. To agents he will send moth
ing.
The nearest survivor in law to The de-
ceased should make the application, IS
First, widow; second, children, collective
ly IF minors, by guardisn); third, father
fourth, mother; fifth, brothers and sisters
collectively; sixth, next nearest relatives,
or heirs, by executors or administrators.
The mother takes precedence Of the father
IL the latter is drunken or otherwise un-
worthy Of his trust. The bounty viii not
be paid to any representatives below the
second degree (ehildren) unless resident
OF the United States. Neither will bounty
be paid on the will Of deceased.
The application should state the rels-
tionship Of the applicant Zone or more, he
she, or they) to the deceased, and what
other nearest relatives survive, so as to
enable the Second Auditor to decide at
once, and SO inform the applicant whether
he is or is not the proper person to receive
the claim. If the applicant is the proper
uarsou. blank afidavits and directions how
to fill them up to constitute the required
proof of what the applicant has stated,
viz. of the relationship that is entitled to
the claims, &c., will be sent to him. II the
Auditor decide that the applicant is not
the proper person, word will be sent to
him to that effect, ct the same time indics-
ting which Of the relatives named by the
applicant is, and furnishing the blanks
and instructions before mentioned.
On the return of the blanks duly eXscu-
ted, as directed, they are filed away, with
all other applications Of the same state to
oDait settlement iH the order Of the date O
the death.
Thisis the work Of one set Of clerks oi
the division to which this class Of accounts
is assigned. At the same time another sci
the auditing clerks prOper-are examin-
ing claims previously arranged and hled
by the preliminary clerks. They ssoer-
tain the amount due in each case II any
thing) from paymssters' rolls, and report
their finding to the Second Controller
bureau. There the account is examined
again, and as his clerks find 1t to be so the
Second Controller confirms it, and orders
il to be paid. 1t is then returned TO the
Second Auditor, and that officer issues g
Government certificate for the amount pay
able to the applicant, or order (never tt
an agent), by the paymaster Of the district
in which the applicant resides. The GER
tiheate the applicant presents, in person
or by letter, to the psymsster, and receives
the money, of course; or any bank con
vsnient would no doubt cash it.
There is, unfortunately, long delay il
the settlement Of these accounts, often in
fieting suffering upon the claimants, whisl
is very naturally exciting inquiry as Il
the cause, and often, too, by the way, un
merited censure Of officers who have
nothing to do with it except to exert them
selves to perform their duties as they ar
laid down for them, and with them s1cl
| means as are afforded them, to the best o
their ability. This delay wish to explain
and leave without comment.
A deceased soldier cannot be paid al
living soldiers are-because he is no
present when the psymsster comes srounC
10 his regiment, to receive and receipt FOL
his money; becsuse he would net be aliVt
to refund to the psynsster sny overpsy
which the Second Auditor might find, OF
auditing the psymaster's account, the do
ceased soldier had received. The paymas
ter will not pay his representatives., in liel
of himself, at the time Of paying his liv
ing comrades, becsuse he can not max
sure who are legally entitled to receive
the claim; and If he should pay to tht
wrong relative, he would lose the amoVn
"a risk he deslines and is not ealleC
upon to run.
Then how can deceased soldiers due
be paid7 As follows: Suppose he dies il
hospital. As soon as the surgeon in chsrg
finds out where the soldiers regimen
lies, he reports the death and date Of 1t
Say it occurs in May. If the regiment i
not too far away from the hospital, tn
death will get into the muster rolls 0
May and June lthe practice being TO pu
two months together), which ordinarily
(but with many exceptions, however
owing to the movements of the army, SO
|, the paymaster will come round to pay il
the course Of the next two months; and il
about another month he will have made o.
his sAbstraet" and abstract Current,
and reported them with his rolls, contain
ing this death, to the Paymaster General
Office at Washington. That Office exam
ines them 10 month for that and send
them to the Second Auditors Office. Nov
count the months since his death. Five
Five months have proved necessary t
) bring the account Of a mans death to th
Office to which the law assigns the duty @
examining both the claim and the perso
, who seeks to get it. Not till now has th
l Second Auditor anything whatever to d
3 about it, or the means by possibility o
doing anything about it. Well, his ofac
can make the necessary examination in
month, if the application is already pei
: feoted and month more st the SecOn
J. Controllers, and the accounts, hindrsnee
: aside would be settled in seVsB months
But the settlement hos been, and IS 6eiH
delayed fourteen How is thst2 SimPl
, because the Second Auditor and the Set
+ ond Controller have not been able to ot
= tain rooms enough to accommodate a
. > adequate number of Clerks, and the wor
= has crowded in faster than the forces {
u these offices could dispose of it, and a.
: eumulated seven months ahead. Latterl,
u however, by reason of the removal Of Ii