St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-12-28
ExrRAPAY TO MExIcAN VETERANS

GEGASt u Aou-tflAf-
ExrRAPAY TO MEXICAN VETERANS
Three Months FUH Pay aud AIIOiodRce
CtaiS,d Under an old LsIIr.
The veterans Of the Mexican war, SAYS a
Washington telegram to the New York Her
aid, had raised a very important point in
connection with the recent decision Of the
supreme court In the case Of Gen. Emory
namely that they are entitled not only TO
three months pay proper, but 10 three
months pay and allowances, which makes 4
considerable difference, the pay proper Of an
officer prior to July, 1870, when allowances
we're abolished, being generally less than
One-half and in many cases not much more
than one-third Of his compensation. II the
veterans Interpretation of the Law be correct
all officers who have received three months
pay proper for their services in Mexico have
been underpaid, and the whole matter will
have TO be reOpened and probably relegated
% the courts.
To properly understand the question in
volved brief statement Of the law and the
facts is necessary.
In July lS4S, congress passed an act pro-
army who were In actual service during the
war with Mexico, and who served out the
term Of that engagement, or were killed or
honOrably discharged, should be entitled 10
three months extra paw. At that time and
for more than twenty years afterward, the
remuneration ofAn officer consisted Of pay
proper and allowances OF various kinds. A
captain Of cavalry, for example, received $50
per month pay proper, S24 for rStions, SIG
for forage, and $3.50 for servants pay,
clothing and ratiOns, making his total mon
thly compensation SlO6.5O. He was also
entitled TO an additional ration (s6 per
month"; for every i've years service as an
officer. The s'extra psy'' granted by the
act of Ts4s was construed to mean paw pIop-
er only. and payments were made aceOr-
dinghy.
In an accordance with an opinion given
by Atty. Gen. Reverdy johnson soon after
the passage Of tue act Of 1s4s, the secretary
Of war ruled that officers Of the regular army
who continued in Service after the close of
the war were not entitled to extra pay, and
that ruling was adopted by the accounting
officers. About SIX hundred officers were
thus deprived of the gratuity bestowed BY
congress.
In February, 1879, the law Of 1s4S was re-
viyed with the following provisO: "Provid-
ed that the provisions of tnis act shall in
clude also the officers, petty officers, seamen
and marines Of the United States navy, the
revenue marine service, and the officers and
soldiers OF the United States army mployed
in the prosecution Of said war" On the
strength Of this additional legislation a large
number Of Officers Of the regular army
whose claims had been barred BY the ruling
as kau fhs.r4 IN,
for three months extra pay, but their de-
mands were not acceded to- Gen. Emory,
one OF the claimants, took his case to the
court OF claims, and recovered judgment In
March last. The government appealed "a
the supreme court, which has affirmed the
judgment of the court below.
This, 1t was supposed, was = definite and
permanent settlement Of the whole matter,
and the accounting officers were preparing
| 10 adjust all the claims which have been he ID
up pending the decision OF the court, but the
old veterans have sprung a mine under the
astonisbed treasury officials, and boldly
claim three months full pay and allowances
The acts Of ls4S aud 1879, they say, do not
contain the words pay proper and the
word pay" as used In said acts means the
/ salary, compensation, or recOmpense that
the government paid TO its military officer.
for theft services. In other words, it is paw,
4 rations aud allowances
II the veterans are successful in this their
latest claim at least three thousand officers,
| including volunteers and militia, who have
already been paid, viii be entitled to the diff
ference between pay proper and pay and al
/ lowances, which will amount TO about S40O,-
600. Those who have not been paid-a5Oui
six hundred officers and between four and
faA
ward Of $500. 900, making total cost Of
500, 900. II they fail, then only the IN
| paid officers aud enlisted meu viii be bene-
| flied, and the drafts on the treasury will not
! exceed $500. 200.
] The roll of living officers1Fho are now en-
titled 20 the gratuity provided BY the act Of
/ 1879 contains many notable names: Gems.
/ Bragg, Don, Carlos Buell., Joseph z. Johnston,
Mcdowell, aud Ruckcr were captains; Gems
| Grant, Sherman, LOngsireet, Beauregard,
/ Fitz John Porter, Getty, Ingalls,, II. J. Hunt
/ Doubleday, and Truman Seymour were frs
lieutenants, and Gems. Hancock. Franklin,
| Mcclellan, Pope, Augur, Gibbon, Pitcher
| Charles P. Stone, Gusiavus W. Smith, Plea.
| sonton, Sturgis, Stopeman, and Others, we're
| only second heutenants. The Octogeuarian
/ Harvey was colonel OF dragons, and
/ Philip ST George Cooke was a major in the
same regiment Fremont, the pathfinder,
was lieutenant colonel of the mounted rifles,
aud Gen. Emory, who has had the trouble
aud expense of lighting the government in
/ two courts. was first lieutenant in the topo-
| graphical engineers, and lieutenant cOlone
OF Hughes ressAneut Of Maryland and dis
| trict OF Columbia volunteers
As the claims OF those Mexican veteran!
who "went SOUTH are just as valid as though
their loyalty had never been 10 question,
there is probability that JET Davis viii be-
come entitled to S279, that being the differ
ence between his pay proper for three month.
rs colonel of the Mississippi rides and his full
pay aud allowances for the same rifles.
The extra pay does not belong 10 th'
estates OF the veterans, congress having di
rected that it shall be paid 10 the following
representatives only, in the order named
First. widows, second, children; third, pa
rents, and fourth, brothers and period.
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