The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-05-07
OUR CORRESPONDENTS.
Replies to Questions on Variety or Interesting
Subjects.

Subjects.
ITO Correspondents.-Writeq questions on 9 sep
arale sheet Of paper. give full name and address.
and mark it Correspondents Column No atten-
| ton will be paid TO communications that not
accompanied with full name and address Of writer.
Our readers requested to ineiose O stamp for
reply to their inquiries.
Mrs. 3. B. c., Crandon Dak., says: have received
your TRIBUNE and Life of Logan, and am much
pleased with them. l would like to ask question.
In the account of the hattie of ChckanlaHga this
passage occurs: Baird held the left with his left
What is meant by the word refusedf Af,sacer. To
refuse any part OF the Tine Of battle the center,
wing. is TO keep that part retired, or held back.
while the remainder Is advanced to fight
y. d. d., Hgoning, Aiy,a.-%hat State sent the
first regiment of volunteers into the field the
call of President Lincoln for 70 900 three-months
men? l see Gov. Hubbard, of Minnesota, claims
this for his State, Was it Col Germans LIST Mimi,
or was ii a Massachusetts, regiment? Ans,oer. So
many regiments went into the field simultaneously
that 1t Is Inpraeticable 10 determine what particular
regiment the first one The first company in
the field was the Washington Light Infantry of this
city. Pennsylvania came next with several indie
pendent companies. 1t viii probably never be sat
istctoriy settled as to which regiment was entitled
To priority by reason of having completed its organ
ization and its Offer and acceptance for service 1t
Is claimed that the LIST Mimi. the first three
pears regiment; but we will not decide the ques-
ton.
q. B. w.. Rutland, V.-Under the act of June 8.
1854, certain officers entitled TO change OF rec
ord. whereby they can be mustered back to the
date when their commissions were actually signed
by the Governor of their State and this change OF
muster Will entite them to the difference OF pay
between that rank and amount received during
service. The act does not provide remuster from
the date said commission gives rank but only from
the date it was actually signed by the Governor
There are two applications necessary, one to the
AdJutant General, u s. A, for change OF record,
and one to the Second Auditor of the Treasury tor
the pay involved Of course the latter application
hinges upon the former There many questions
involved such as vacancies for the rank to which
commissioned, strength of command. whether duty
OF the rank was performed prior TO muster whether
absent as prisoners OF by reason OF disability
when commission was issued, etc, which decide the
title of the officer under the mentioned In the
Adjuiant Generals Office il take about six months
to reach the claim in Its regular order and in the
Second Auditor Office about Is to "a months, un-
prompt action is usually taken. The appropriation
out of which these claims have been heretofore
paid even if allowed, until after the next Congress
shall meet and make an appropriation for the pay
ment of such claims.
X. e. e., Shrerc, O.-Psy for extra duty service
rendered prior to March. 1865. If employed under
the direction of QuaTterrnaster and the services
were regularly reported by him, can be recovered.
but not for service rendered subsequent thereto.
Extra duty pay was abolished in March, 1858.
There is no new law on the subject
r. y. D., Camden, ~ IL Are soldiers Of the late
war now entitled to land? 2. Can soldier if
granted land dispose of it by sale or Otherwise
without settling for q certain time upon 1t? a. Can
the widow of a soldier obtain land? and If SO, Is
there any u. S. law granting her a certain amount
of pay in lieu of said land2 4. space permits will
you give "a synopsis of the existing law reference
to land grants Or homestead law, whichever it is
that will apply to question No. !. Ans,cer. l. No;
only under the homestead -emption laws.
which require actual residence on the land and cu-
tiyation thereof for q certain period. 2. No ..
No; only as stated in reply to first question. Moth
ing is allowed in lieu of said land. Our space
will not permit If you will write to the Commits
sioper of the General Land Office, this city for a
copy of his circular Of March l. 1884. you obtain
all the laws and information necessary to answer
any inquiry in regard to public land that may sug
gest itself Soldiers of the late war were paid
bounty in money instead of land, as was given in
former wars. hence land warrants have not been
and probably nercr win be given for service in the
late war.
Nutmeg, Thomoston, Cona.-l. Can ex-solder
for other citizen) go West and obtain land under
the homestead act, and leave wife and adult chill
dren in the East? 2 Can ex-soldier gain title to
double the quantity of land that citizen, who
not soldier. can acquire under the homestead or
other laws? AnsweT. l. Yes. 2. No.
+. l.. IT,, Gorerdale, Ind,-Can you inform me
that is required? What Department has it to go
through, which takes it so long? Ans,Oer. When
the Examiner considers the claim complete ii is sub
mtted to the Board of Review for final action but
even after all testimony called for has been fur
nished the claim may not be complete. In many
cases the witnesses who have testified the
written to for information, their character
and reputation for veracity are inquired into or
other parties who have not testified but who, it Is
thought may have some knowledge of the merits
OF the claim are written to, and often they fai to
respond promptly, thus delaying the case until re-
plies received additional information may
be called for from the War Department, etc.-all
these things tend to delay the claim. and of which
the claimant Is not informed. If there appears to
be unreasonable delay the claimant should " call
up" his and ask its present condition. IL il
impossible for us to explain the delay in any case
because the causes of delay are so varied and no
two alike and we do not have access to
the papers in the claim.
r. b., Graad TaUey.-We thought the Oklahoma
question had been pretty well ventilated and set
tied. but here comes another inquirer, who says
1. Is the Oklahoma country Government land? 2
If not, why did the Supreme Court decide it SO? g.
II it is not Government land, in what way did the
railroad company get every alternate section? f.
If 1T Is not Government land why have the cattle
men any more right than the actual settler? s.
Did Cleveland order the cattle men out? 4nSrer
i. No 2. We were not aware that the Supreme
Court ever made any decision in the case, that
was, or is to be- submitted to the Supreme Court.
There is nothing TO decide. 3. What railroad?
There is not II railroad within hundred miles of
the Oklahoma country. L. They have more
right there than any other persons. 5. Yes, any
be found there. The Oklahoma lands were
definitely set apart for Indian reservation,
bought by the Government for that purpose, and
the rights of the Indians thereto have been con-
rned in several treaties from lS33to 1866 and they
will be protected III their rights against laweSs in
vason If it takes the entire military force of the
United States TO do it. Until the Indians sell their
settlement, you, nor any other person have no
right therein or thereon than you have to APP
propriate your neighbors farm
T. d., Gurnct, Ham, Asks why the District of Co.
lumbia has no vote. 4nstcer Because il is under
the exelu .ive control of Congress- and that august
body has seen fit to refuse tie citizens of the ids-
once, but twas taken away from us and 1t has not
since been restored.
f. c. c. Naples NJ Us 10 absolutely necessary
for an applicant for pension to prove 5y comrades
the fact that the disability existed in the service
and was incurred there? case in point: A SOL
dier contracted piles in service but did not give up
report to doctor; does not know that any of his
comrades aware of it. but the disease has
grown worse since, and now constitutes a serious
disability trouble to prove the existence since
discharge and treatment for the same. If he fails
tn prove this disability in the service is he debarred
Ans,cer. We do not, as rule, reply to postal cards
in this column. If an answer to an inquiry is not
considered equal to the value of postage stamp
tsee note at the head Of this column it Is not, in
opinion, worth answering except postal
card. the is sent To both your 1lues-
tions answer yes. Pension will be denied unless
proof of origin is furnished.
Reader, SiP,Uater, Minn.-We are not a mercan-
tile agency and cannot vouch for the solvency or
responsibility of any individual. firm corpora
ton, do discuss matters relating to the
standing of attorneys in this column nor can we
reply TO every inquirer in this column. Each week
receive enough letters of inquiry to fill several
columns. We endeavor to select for publication
those questions the answers to which will prove of
general interest, and our space Is limited. the
remainder are replied by mail We trust that
you will bear in mind that cannot crowd three
columns of reading matter into one column of
space any more than one can crowd number ten
foot into number five shoe.
d. b., Garfield, Ohio.-I applied f"r pension In
Spring of 1850; examined in january, 1851 and
again in February, 1882; sent in the last testimony