The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-06-04
OF INTEREST TO PENSIONERS.
Private Daizelrs Law 70 Protect High Pr.
Yates from Extortion.

To THE EDITOR OF The SUN-Sir At
the last session OF the Ohio Legislature 1 had
the honor to offer law which was passed April
Q (Ohio laws, pp. l2s-l3l), and which provides
that II snail be part OF the oficiai duty Of 40
Probate Judges and County Clerks In Ohio to
make certificates and administer oaths In pom
sion csses without any fee or compensation
whatever. 1t is estima ated that this will save our
pensioners $4,000 per annum. and that II every
State would ad opt IL the aggregate saved to SOL
diers, their widows and orphans annually
throughout the Union would not be less than
t2Oo,00O or t260,0oo, which now comes out OF the
pittance paid pensioners. Ohio is the only State
that has adopted this humane and patriotic law,
and have undertaken the task OF writing to
The SUE about IL, because II will then reach the
eye Of almos every soldier In the United States.
-Four times ysar-MArch 4, June 4, Sept.
and Dee. t-e00,0O0 pension vouchers are certi-
ned and forwarded to Washington. The pen-
soner pays the ofncsr-four umes q year, re-
mem ber-for certifying to these vouchers fifty
cents every time, and this fee 10 sxacted, too, at
time when many poor widows aud soldiers
the receipt OF their quarterly installment Of
pension.
Again. there are nearly 100000 pension cases
still pending, and afddavits are being constantly
forwarded to Washington by applicants. Some
times half dozen, or even more, certificates
to prove nersDt psTts Of the case, and the fee
CHARGED by attssting ON ,ers is often as muon as
$3.50 or 81 one Time. rhc applicant has Of
course received nothing but the rapacious cor
morants demand their fees for certificates. and
receive them. OF the applicant must yield his
clsim for pension.
In Obio no charges can be made In these
cases but In all the other States they risidly
eIacted In ADVANCE by uficers Of the law. Long
ago the United States enacted a law requiring
claim agents to charge applicants nothing until
pensions should be received, and making II a
peniteDtiA offence 10 receive a cent even and
when the pension was allowed, then. and not
before, the agent got small fee direct from the
Government, and he was liable to the peniten-
tlary II he received any lee from the pensloner.
but once the pension began to run, alter that II
any attorney charges a pensioner for nling bis
papers, he 10 liable 10 penitentiary imprison-
ment. These are all humane PROVISIONS Of law,
and II II were not Tor them $1,000 " your read
ers would annually he ROBBED Of every dime OF
their pensions.
Every chance Of robbinR pensioners has been
Cut on except one. Onicers are still allowed to
cnaige them for certificates from tweni y. nvo to
hfty cents iour times year In every State ex-
cept ONO. he Congress has not power to make
n law inhlbitng the exacton OF fees by county
officers from pensioners In the several States.
That Is matter wholly within the Jurisdiction
Of the state Legislatures, who have "a perfect
right TO prescribe the dulles and salaries OF
county officers. The soldiers In the several
States should petition these Legislatures TO on
net law simhar TO that OF ONO, and TO urge
soldiers TO do 30 10 tue only OBJECT OF this letter
uuuua Ohto Maye