The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-09-09
OUR PENSIONERS.
The Business, Rules and Regulations Of
the Pension Bureau.
The METHOD OF OBTAINING PENSIONS.
Facts and Figures for Orphans and Widows
and for Men with CrutchfR
and Empty Sleeves.


and Empty Sleeves.
The Pension ONCE at Washington having sus-
pended all action on pension cases OF coored per
sons in the States OF Alabama, Mississippi and
Tennessee consequence OF the discovery OF extern
sve frauds upon the Bureau. and there being q
probability thas large number Of other pensions
will be suspended for the same cause, attracts no
little attention to the pension system concerning
which the public generally is SO ignorant. Although
over 200, 900 pensioners have been placed upon the
rolls since the commencement OF the rebellion, and
thousands Of applications are being made every
month and will continue to be made for years to
come, In consequence OF the hardness OF claimants
to present their cases, there IL, probably,
not single claimant whose case remains
to be settled that mas any ioea OF the
process by which his rights are to be secured Hun
dreds OF widows, orphans and disabled veterans
are to-day-dve years since the close OF the war
still deprived OF their pensions by ignorance Of their
claims upon the government or the method of pro-
scouting them; ana many Q suffering family, now
barely maintaining miserable existence, might be
receiving comfortable little annuity II they only
understood their rights. The country Is full Of self
constituted pension attorneys who seek out those
entitled to pensions and receive handsome cOmpen-
saton for performing that which every applicant
might understand and execute himself, and for the
benent OF such a concise statement of the method Of
securing pensions will prove Of great value.
THE PENSION BUREAU
OF the government Ia located In the Interior Depart
ment at Washington, and employs, under its Com
missioner H. Van Aernam 224 clerks, nifty
nine pension agents Tor the disbursement Of PEN
sions. and 200 examining surgeons, throughout the
xwhao dptvit Ia nto for
Invalid pensions. Nearly every county has one or
more OF these surgeons that any disabled veteran
may procure the necessary certificate Of his disa-
bllity without difficulty. Previous to the rebellion
the laws relating to pensions were comparatively
few in number and quite simple in their
provisions; but the last war aroused such
spirit Of fraud that Congress repeatedly called
upon to make new enactments for the protection
both OF pensioners and the government To pre-
vent and detect fraud secret special service was
established in the Pension once.
The most effective means employed Dy this service
is q system OF secret correspondence with pension
agents, examining surgeons and pOstmasters
througnoutthe country, to whom printed circulars
sent making stated inquiries In relation to each
pensioner ana applicant in the respective districts
BY this method any act on the part OF pensioner
which would deprive him Of his pension Is speedily
brought to the notice OF the Commissioner,
together with all the facts touching upon the merits
OF any original case presented for pension. Over
$4,000 per annum had been saved to the govern
ment in the last few years upon cases which might
have been improperly paid but for this special
vice; and 1t 10 now proposed to assign special
agents to geographical dis tricts throughout the
country in the following proportion:-Frst, New
England; second, New York; third, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania and Delaware; fourth, Ohio, Indiana
and Illinois; nth, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota
and Iowa; sixth, Maryland, Virginia. North and
South Carolina; seventh, Kentucky and Tennessee;
eighth Missouri Arkansas and Louisiana; NINTH
Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida; tenth,
Texas. California and the Territories.
late communication from the Commissioner OF
Pensions TO the Secretary OF the Interior states that
sit becomes and more evident that the govern.
ment is annually dlsburslng hundreds Of thousands
OF dollars TO persons not entitled benefcence:
and per contra that the number OF rlghtful claim
ants now precladea ron tneir }uss dues Is very
Ocers appeared AT the Pension ONCE In this city on
Saturday armed with authority from Washington to
make arrests OF certain parties frauduently receiv
ing pensions, and full particulars OF which were
given IN sundays HERALD.
The frauds discovered In the col0red pension class
very large about $40 600 900 having been applied
TO the payment OF such pensioners all OF which ls to
coed south to examine into the frauds and rearrange
the coored pension list. All colored pensions In
Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi are suspended,
and action VIII be taken by the Pension Once in
colored cases until the commission has concluded Its
Investigations. Commissioner Van Auernam has
introduced into the Pension Once several very salu
tary regu ations respecting the mode OF examlnlng
applications and by an additional number OF checks
and the selection Of officials OF tried integrity to
examine cases he has rendered it almost if not
quite, impossible for fraud to be committed In the
ONCE. All the frauds complained OF exist outside OF
notaries careless examining surgeons and perjured
applicants.
CLASSES ENTITLED TO PENSIONS.
The classes entitled to pensions include all per-
sons disabled by reason Of a wound received or dis
contracted in the military or naval service OF
the United States and who have been honorably dis
charged observation-disclosures and children under
sixteen years OF age of deceased ofcers, soldiers
and other persons losing their lives in the perform
mothers OF the same, II there be no widows or chill
dren, and II the mothers were dependent upon the
deceased for support; fathers the same mothers,
In the absence Of the prior claimants above men,
toned, and mothers and sisters under sixteen years
OF age, If there be no surviving father, mother,
Widow or children OF the deceased.
PENSION RATES.
The following are the rates OF PENSIONS:
NOn-commIssoned officers and priyates Including
oil persons OF like grade whether In the army, navy
or marine corps, for total disability, eight dollars
Passed midshipmen, midshipmen, captains and
paymasters' clerks, second and third assistant en-
gneers, masters mates and all warrant o1cers ten
dollars per month.
Second heutcnants and enrolling officers in the
army and first assistant engineers and pilots In the
navy, fifteen dollars per month.
First leutenants, ad1utants, deputy provost mar
shals, regimentai quatermasters, assistant sur
geons, acting assistant or contract surgeons, seven
teen dollars per month
Captains provost marshas, chaplains, commits
sares and assistant quartermasters in the army
and professors OF mathematics, masters. assistant
surgeons, assistant paymasters chapiains In the
navy, twenty dollars per month.
MAJORS and surgeons In the army, and ieutenants
surgeons, chief engineers and paymasters (respec
lively ranking with lieutenants by law and passed
assistant surgeons In the navy, TWENTY-FIVE dollars
per month.
Lieutenant colonies and all oficers Of a higher
rank In the army, and captains, commanders
surgeons, paymasters, chief engineers trespec
lively ranking with commanders by law and lieu
tenants commanding IN the navy, thirty dollars pc
month.
the pension allowed is proportionate to the DE
gree OF disability existing at the time OF ALLOWANCE
and for the rank held when the disability com
menced. provided 10 commenced after Oh
date from which rank takes effect