The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-18
A RAID ON THE TREASURY.
Claim Agents Who Think They Have Found
a Bonanza in an Old Law.

Claim Agents Who Think They Have Found
Bonanza in an Old Law.
National Republican.
The recent warning sent out by the Pension
Office cautioning the public against alleged mis-
leading circulars issued by local firm of pen-
sion attorneys-Messrs. Soule & Co.-has been
criticised by certain well posted people as alto
gether premature.
Evidence of this contemplated raid on the
treasury, to the tune of $50, 000, 900 or more
came to light through these circulars, addressed
to the widows of soldiers who were killed in
battle or died of wounds received during the
late war. The circulars inform the recipient
that the agents have reason to believe that there
is due her from the government on account Of
her deceased husband. a sum of money, not in
the nature of pension, amounting to between
$500 and $500, and an offer is made to prosecute
the claim before the departments and the courts
for contingent fee of 25 per cent. References
to the law or other authority under which the
money alleged to be due has accrued, is studiouE-
ly avoided in these circulars. and many anxious
inquiries are being made by persons who have
received them as to whether there is anything in
the scheme or not AS the matter Is of consid-
cradle public interest the following statement is
furnished:
careful examination of the United States
statutes proves conclusively that there is only
one law upon which the claims in question can
be based. and that the act of March 10. 1886,
entitled Gan act to provide for the payment of
United States % Stat. T. This act took the
place of the act Of JAM q 1895, Il Stat. 40S), to
regulate the pay of militia when called into
actual service, and has never been repealed.
Section reads as follows:
THAT when any officer, non-commissioned
officer, artifcer or private of said militia or vol
unteer corps who shall die in the service of the
United States, or returning to his place of resi-
dence after being mustered out of service, or at
anytime In consequence of wounds received in
service, and shall leave widow or, if no widow,
a child or children under sixteen years of age,
such widow, or, IL widow, such child or
children, shall be entitled to receive onehaf the
monthly pay to which the deceased was entitled
at the time of his death for and during the term
of five years, and in case of the death or inter
marriage of such widow before the expiration of
five years the half-pay for the remainder of the
time shall 60 to the child or children of said
decedent; provided always that the Secretary Of
War shall adopt such forms of evidence, in APP
plications under this act, the President of the
United States may prescribe"
This section is substantially identical with Sec
ton 1850 of the Revised Statutes the only ma
terial difference being that in the latter the
words Secretary of the Interior are substi-
tuted for Secretary of War" This change is
supposed to have been made by the compiers of
the Revised Statutes for the reason that the In
terror Department, which was not organized un
til thirteen years after the passage of the act of
1885, has charge of all matters pertaining to pen
sions, to which the allowance of five years half
pay is somewhat analogous,
There are conflicting opinions as to whether
the act or 1886 is still in force. Eminent couE-
sci are said TO entertain doubt that it is while
certain government officials incline to the opn-
ion that it has been implicitly repealed by the
liberal pension laws of 1861 and subsequent
years. AS the question will no doubt have to be
determined by the Supreme Court, 1t is unneces-
sary to consider it now further than to say that