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

Isres Months Fun Pay and AIIo,eanee
CiafWsd Under an Old Lasr.
The veterans Of the Mexican war, says 3
Washington telegram 10 the New York Her
aid, have 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 a
considerable difference, the pay proper Of an
officer prior to July, 1870, when allowances
were abolished, being generally less than
ODe-hah and in many cases not much more
than one-third Of his compen sation. 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
10 the courts.
To property understand the question In
volved n brief statement Of the law and the
facts Is necessary.
In July lS4S, congress passed an act pro-
viding that officers and enlisted men of the
army who were In actual service during the
war with Mexico, aud who served out the
term Of that engagement, OF were killed or
hoporably discharged, should be entitled TO
three months extra pay. At that time and
for more than twenty years afterward, the
remuneration Of an officer consisted Of pay
proper and allowances OF various kinds. A
captain Of cavalry, for example, received $50
per month pay proper, ga for rations, $40
for forage, and $3.50 for servants pay,
clothing and rations, making his total mon
thly compensation sIO6.5O. He was also
entitled TO an additional ration CSC per
month"; for every five years service as an
officer. The extra pay" granted by the
act OF 1S4S was construed to mean pay prop
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 the act OF ls4S, 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-
vived with the following proviso: ''Provid-
ed that the provisions Of this act shall in
clude also the officers, petty officers, seamen
and marines Of the United States navy, the
revenue marine service, aud the officers and
soldiers Of the United States army EN- ployed
in the prosecution Of said war" On the
strength Of this additional legislation q large
number Of officers Of the regular army
whose claims had been barred by the ruling
Of the authorities in 1S4S made application
for three months extra pay, but their de-
mands were not aeceded to. Gen. Emory,
one OF the claimants, took his case TO the
court OF claims, and recovered judgment In
March last The government appealed to
the supreme court, which has affirmed the
judgment Of the court below.
This, ii was supposed. was definite and
permanent settlement Of the whole matter,
and the accounting officers were preparing
TO adjust all the claims which have been he Id
up pending the decision OF the court, bat the
old veterans have sprung q mine under the
astonished treasury officials, and boldly
claim three months full pay and allowances.
The acts Of lS4S and 1879, they say, do no:
contain the words ''pay proper and the
word pay, rs used In said acts means the
salary, compensation, or recompense that
the government paid to its military officers
for their services. In other words, it is pay,
rations and allowances.
latest claim at least three thousand officers.
including volunteers and militia, who have
already been paid, will be entitled TO the diff
ference between pay proper and pay and al
loTances, which will amount to about $780,
900. Those who have not been paid-ab
/ six hundred ofiicrrs and between four and
ave thousand enlisted men-will receive up
ward Of $500, 600, making e total cost OF
5000, 900. II they fail, then only the IN
| paid officers and enlisted men viii be bcne-
6ted, aud the crafts on the treasury will not
exceed $500, 200.
The roll OF living officers who are now en-
titled 10 the gratuity provided By the act OF
1879 contains many notable names: Gems.
Bragg, Don, Carlos Buell., Joseph E. Johnston,
Mcdowell, and Ruckcr were captains; Gems.
Grant. Sherman, Longstreet Beauregard,
FitZ John Porter, Getty, Ingalls,, II. J. HINT,
Doubleday, and Truman Seymour were 6rst
lieutenants, and Gems. Hancock. Franklin,
Mcclellan. Pope, Augur, Gibbor, Pitcher,
Charles P. Stone, Gustavus w. Smith, Plea
sonton, Sturgis, $tonemsn, and others, were
only second lieutenants. The octogenarian
Harvey was . colonel OF dragons, and
Philip St George Cooke was = major in the
same regiment. Fremont. the pathfinder,
was lieutenant colonel Of the mounted rifles,
@1N 0N-- @A-N@yf WIZ las A11 Tic llOuU4c
and expense OF lighting the government in
two courts. was FIRST lieutenant In the topo-
graphical engineers, and lieutenant colone
Of Hughes regiment 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 hsd never been in question,
there Is probability that JEFF Davis will be-
come entitled to s279, that being the differ
ence between his pay proper for three months
as colonel Of the Mississippi rifles and bis full
| pay and allowances for the same rifles
The extra pay does not belong to the
estates Of the veterans, congress having di,
rected that 1t shall be paid 10 the following
representatives, only, in the order named;
First. widows, second, children; third, pa
rents, and fourth, brothers and period
Bucklen's ArnIca Salve-
49, - =.