National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-03-24
REWARDS OF PATRIOTISM.
Consideration or the Pension Appropria
ton Bill Completed by the House Com

Consideration or the Pension Appropriate
ton Bill Completed by the House Conn
mittee.
The house committee on appropriations has
completed consideration Of tho pension appro-
priation bill. The measure appropriates $780,
6S1, 400, and provides that any balance of the
appropriation for the current fiscal year that
may remain uneXpended June 30, 1884, shall
be reapproprated. This balance is estimated
at $66,000,000. Tho estimates of the pension
bureau for the next fiscal year were $40, 000,-
900, in addition to the unexponded balance at
the close of the current fiscal year. The APP
preparations in detail arc: For invalids,
widows, minor children, aud dependent rela-
tions, and for the survivors and widows of
the war of 1912, S20,0O0,000; for fees and
expenses of examining surgeons, 100000;
for pay and allowances of pension agents, for
salary, fees for preparing vouchers, rent, fuel,
lights, and postage on letters to the executive
department, and to pensioners, STA AGO. and
for contingent expenses of pension agencies,
$4,000.
The bill provides that the act relating to
claim agents and attorneys in pension cases,
approved June 20, 1873, be made applicable to
bounty, arrears of pay, lost horse and bounty
land cases and pension cases in which arrears
of pension are or shall be claimed or granted.
The act referred to provides that it shall
BIO unlawful for any attorney. agent, or any
other person to demand or receive for his
services in o pension case q greater sum than
$40. No fee-contract snail hereafter be filed
with the commissioner of pensions in any
case. In n pension case in which n Fee con-
tract has heretofore been filed, if the pension
be allowed the commissioner of pensions
shall approve tho same as to the amount of
the fee to be paid, as specified in the contract.
1t also provides that the fee of $40 prescribed
by law shall not be payable to nor demanded
or received by any agent or attorney in any
pension case until such claim shall be
allowed. Upon allowance of arrears of pay,
lost horse, arrears of pension, and pension
cases, tho commissioner of pensions shall
direct that the same be paid by
the proper pension agent. This act shall np-
ply to pensions as we'll as all future applica-
tons, provided that whore tho pensiOner OBJ
tanning pension or an increase thereof on a
pending application has heretofore paid to
his agent or attorney sum equal to the
whole or any part of the fee allowed by this
act the said pensioner shall be entitled to
credit for the same against tho sum which
would otherwise be payable to such agent or
attorney. The bill further provides that
from and after July l, 1884, agents for the
payment of pensions shall receive only So for
each one hundred vouchers. or at that rate
for fraction of one hundred, prepared and
paid by any agent in excess Of four thousand
vouchers per annum, provided that from and
after July !, 1884, there shall be no more
than twelve agents for tho payment of pen
sions, and it shall be the duty of the Presi-
dent to reduce the pension agents to not ex-
coed that number.