Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-09-27
SOLDIERS. EXTRA BOUNTlES.
Letter from Gen. Ha1ert Z. P.iae.

M!LwArKEE, Wis, August 10.
! Aiz Rxceiiency, Lacius faircLild, 6orcrnor Of
WisconsinA ss4sa F HLr
DEAR SIR ~ have received numerous
letters from soldiers OF our State entitled to
extra bounty uLder the c; Of JG y -, 1850,
which disclose the existence ot seri01. dis>
satisfaction With the progress made in tbs
settlement Of these bountges. aud ANXIETY to
ascertain who is responsible for the delay
whether 1t is UuaS ulsable. AID whether anv
remedy OF The evil is 10 be expected. Find.
ing Al aiiiic cult to answer II length all inaui
! ries on. this subject taket the hb<rsr OF ad.
dressing yoa public letter tor the intorma
ton OF all concerned.
AT the Commencement Of the last session
OF Congress, the House Of Representatives
adopted a resolution directing the Secreta-
ries ot the Treasury and War to inform tha.
body whether additional legislation was nee
essary TO expedite the payment Of the extra
bounties. The 81 bstance OF the information
conveyed BY their replies, aud BY the verbal
statements Of the Second Auditor to mem.
oers OF the House. was that, in cases OF
claims made by living soldiers the Pavmas>
Ter General makes the payment upon certt.
icates furnished on his. application by the
Second Auditor, who has the custody uf the
master-oat rolls OF the army, aud Upon an
examination of these rolls cer,iiss the fact
In each case; that forty Fl se clerks were ems
ployed in the examination OF tie rolls and
preparation OF these certificates Tor the Pav>
master General, aud for the Commissioner
oi Pensions, who settles certain claims Tor
pensions upon like certificates ; that as ma.
ny clerks We're engaged In this work as could
he. italy nm htx-
there had already accua. ulated In the office
ot the Second Auditor 10000 unanswered
applications Of the Paynas,er Genera, Tor
such information, and in the Pay master Geu-
erals otsies about i5,VUc cases in which ap-
piicatioAs had not been r~agded to the
Second Auditor; that during The last three
mouths the Second Audno. had auswerea
the Pa.nasler uenerais applications at tie
rate ot 1888 per manth, a4d hoped event,
ually to re.ch $4,000 per mouth that al
the liouniies due under the act could not lie
eife, ted III less ,Ean three wears.
lhis Information, II correct, showed ,ha,
the DELAY woulu be felnedyess. aniess some
plan could be devised by which more clerks
could be assigned TO this duty. A loint MS
olutlon, prepared by ap o:hcer .. the pay
Department, was passed by the House of
Representatives, proyiding that Photographic
copies OF the nustcr>out rolls should be ta>
ken for the use Of the Paymaster General.
which would furnish him tisc simils of exc
ry roll. aud so render il possible to increase
the clerical force employed on extra bounty
claims. We were assured by photograph.
or who had been employed many wears in
the Treasury Department, and had copied
papers much larger than the largest Of these
roiis that th; provisions of the joia, resolu>
ton were entirely practicable. But the res
ulution was defeated BY the Sesa.e.
1t IS said tha. the Second Auditor had
se,0nU musier>oa, rolls FOR the year 1865,
alone; that The expense oi phctographing
would be very great that TOO MANY o. these
rolls papers were SO attached as 10 cover
parts oi the rolls aud render i. impossible
perfectly TO photograph either the rolls or
the appeaiares and that many Of the en-
tries were III red Ink, which could not be
copied Inv the photographs peocessy The
photographer referred 10 ihoush, these di;ii>
e-.,ies could be easily sarnialMled but the
JOINT resolution was l.de ni,ely po>sponedby
the Senate on ao,ion ot Se.afor wilson,
who saii that when we passed ,h. Bounty
bill ii was tot supposed the work could be
compiered under three or -four years
IN his motion the Senate disposed Of the
subject by adopting resoution ealing ups
on the Secretaries Of the Treasury aud OF
War fQf the same information which they
had already furnished IN obedience to the /,
order OF the House Of Representatives. The
information that The Second Auditor had in |
his office so,0uo mustereut rolls for the year
1868, and therefore probably 10000 ia all, 7
led me, and | tb,uk many other Reprcseu,a>
uses, TO doubt whe,her it WAS certain ,iiat !
o,.ly forty five clerks could be employed ia .
their examination. coald not sec Why I
each clerk must have 3,Q0a rolls. could !
uot see why, with sufficient Office room and /
labor properly svs,ematized. 500 or even l.. /
GOO clerks might not be employed in the ex- I
animation of l50, 00e rolls. | did not regret 4
that the House resolution was defeated ia
the Senate, because thought saw a pro.>
pest OF obtaining re let BY employment of an /
force upon the original rolls them
selves. The impression wa, very extensive
in the House that after all there might be at
the bottom of the trouble some undisclosed /
reason not originating in the necessities of I
the case, and at the close of the session = 7
special committee was appointed to ascer>
tain the cause Of the DELAY, and suggest a
remedy. il possible. This com,nisiee has
power to send for persons and papers. and /
Is determined to make q thorough and i'm \
partial investigation at the commence emsn,
of the next session, and to ascertain. and, if
possible, remove, the obstacle TO the speedy
payment cf these tcunt;es. Until Congress