The National tribune., 1886-03-25
OUR CORRESPONDENTS.
Replies to Questions on Variety Of Interesting
Subjects.

arate 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 inclose stamp for
reply to their inquiries Postal cards will be
replied to by mail only Replies by mail will ordi-
| narily be made within week, and if in this col
umn within three weeks.
Sererdt Inq,irers.-For any information regard
ing Mr.. Frank Ii. Curtis's new book, entitled
Digest of Pension Laws Decisions, Rulings,
Orders" ETC. address that gentleman at the U. 5.
Pension Office, this city.
a. C. E. Brddsha,o. Ncb.-l. I Ire-enlisted as vet
eran Feb. l, 1864, and discharged for promotion
Jan. 3, 1865. How much of the veteran bounty was
entitled TO? 2. Had the Paymaster the right at
the next ay-day after my promotion, to deduct
anything from my bounty. If so, how much?
think he kept back $50. AnStCer. l. You received
on muster-in as veteran one months advance
pay and SEQ advance bounty. At the first regular
payday after two months service you received the
second insta!lment of bounty, $50, and after six
months service the third instalment, So As you
were promoted before the third iustalment became
due, you We're only entitled TO retain the bounty
You mad received, less SO OF the first payment or
Si,5 in all. 2 The Paynaster deducted S25 from
your bounty, and that Is ali he could keep back.
Veteran volunteers were allowed to retain such
bountIeS as they had received being discharged
for promotion ercept the S25 required Jy lac TO be
refunded
J. H. A.. UauSau Uis-I Ny pension claim was
sent from the Pension Office to the Adjutant-Gen-
eraI, U, >. A.. for military history Jan. 6. How
soon can expect II to be returned to the Pension
Office to be acted upon? 2. Would our Member of
Congress have any influence with the Adjutant-
General to hasten the report? 3: Is it sign that
the case Is complete when the military history of
the claimant is sent for? AnstVer. l. 1t is impossi
bic to say. / takes from a few weeks to n few
months for such report TO reach the case. The
pension claim does not go to the Adutant- General.
lie Is simply called upon for IL report. 2. No. 3.
No: That is usually the first action taken in the
claim. before any testimony is called for.
j. ifcC., Chilticoths, Mo-And we stick to it. Our
reply to G. w. r., Feb. 25 1856 was correct. The
Kansas State, provided that nothing contained
In the Constitution relating TO boundary should be
construed to impair the rights of Indians, and that
such lands should be excepted out of the Territory
By subsequent acis and treaties the Indian lands
on the southern border of Kansas, known as the
" Cherokee Strip" were authorized to be sold to
settlers iii limited quantities, and by the act of Feb
2S 1877, the residue of said lands were authorized
to be sold at Si.25 and 81 per acre The proceeds
from sales of such lands were placed to the credit
OF the Cherokee Nation. The southern boundary
line OF Kansas has not been changed or modified
1t remains the same when it WAS admitted. The
conversion of Indian lands ICithin the borders of
the State did not add to the Of the State rs adj
mittcd TO the Union. The lands merely changed
ownership, leaving the boundary line as before;
j. ". d., EorriSburg, iO1CG.-There is no law
which compes a comrade, or any other person, to
give testimony III pension claim, and II such
witnesses refuse to give their testimony, that is
claimants misfortune, for which we know of no
remedy. A claim cannot be granted without proof
Claimants own statements are not evidence, and
the pension will be denied if the necessary testi-
mony Is not furnished.
r. +. d., Springfield. OF q veteran drawing n
pension has grandchild whose father is dead
and who depends on the grandfather for support,
and the grandfather dies, leaving the orphan child
say eight years old, destitute and helpless, is the
grandchild entitled to q pension? AHSCer. No.
y. j. D., Bo5gttnD Gfeen.-liccauSe we do not re-
ply 10 postal cards in this column We presume
your former inquiries did not contain your JtW
meme and address, and therefore they found their
way to waste basket i'll accordance with our
rules announced at the head of this column.
Those of our correspondents who do not receive
replies to their inquiries may safely attribute their
failure to receive such replies to their own neglect
in falling to comply with our rules. We sometimes
reply by mail and our letters returned uncalled
for thus demonstrating that the name given was
incorrect. We never reply to communications
signed by initials only, nor can we reply to every
inquirer III this column. The replies III this col
umn are selected with view TO interest and benefit
others we'll the party who makes the inquiry.
The bulk of our Inquiries are replied to by mat as
they mostly upon subjects which would not in
tcrcst or benefit any person other than the party
who seeks the particular information desired.
II. III. f., East Niddlebury Vt.-Order of April 3,
lSSi increased pension rates for rupture loss of an
eye, inferior degrees of deafness, etc The act of
March 3, 1888, increased pension rates for ampnta-
ton at the shoulder joint.
J. c. Nat Nil. Home O.-I. Soldier enlisted Sept.
D. 1864, for three years, and got 500 bounty, which
he thinks was all given by the ward in which he
lived i'll order to fill its quota. Was lie not entitled
to slOG from the Government at enlistment as first
lnsalment of $500, and if is 1t not likely that
500 of the 500 received was that insalimeut? .,
Officer discharged for disability February. 1868, is
not certain that he paid for travel and allow
anccs to place where he entered the service. To
the bnst of his belief he was not Has he to make
formal application for if he has he cannot swear
that hc was not paid? What is he 20 DO under tine
circumstances, and to what Office make appiica-
application TO the Second Auditor of the Treasury.
The records will show whether lie WAS paid such
travel pay and he need not state i'll his application
that he not paid such allowances The require
ments of the Auditor AS communicated when tie
claim is taken up for examination will indicate
what he has to swear TO, and he can govern HIM
self accordingly.
j. f. T. p Pratt Kan--As there is now q contro-
versy on the land question, ami you have answered
of IN of Is!
other part. If u man proves up on a Pre-euptIon
in the Indian trust land, and then lives with an
other another quarter section for II months,
the party first mentioned legally take a home
stead in The same State? AnSiCCr Yes; the pre-
emption laws 10 not apply To honesteaGs. man
cssnuot remove from his own land III the same Stale
Territory and pTs-eutpt land, but lie can enter
homestead even if he removes from land of his
in the same Territory providing, of course,
that lie has never used his homestead privilege.
+. n, San AndrGdS, CdI.-'The city of Mexico is
7469 feet above the level of the sea- according to
Humboldt and COZ feet according 10 Iaicott
H. II. a., HeSt NcHet,ry, N.--i enlisted in Aug,
1861, for three years during the war. was dis
charged July, 1860, by order of tie War Depart
ment. In July, 1868, received eIGO from the Gov
ernment. Now, if the arrears pension act should
pass, how much bounty Of any would be entitled
to? 1Rstcer. None ut all. The arrears of pension
legislation has nothing to do with bounty.
C., Spcdrfsh. DGk.-l is pensiUner free from
paving poll tax iii the United States? = Canany
state or Territory i'll the United States make a law
to make pensioner pay "a poll tax? AnS'eer: l.
No more than any other male citizen. 2. Yes.
incrG - states where pOiI ta% Is leVled upon
their citizens 4 pensioner is Il citizen.
c. d., DuHcjien, " If q man served over two
years anu half then discharged for disability,
and died in 1863, and the widow put in IL claim for
bounty under the law which passed in 1866, receiv
ing $50, is she not entitled 10 the other 500? An-
SiCer. No; because I've did not serve three years.
4. r. g., UditOH, v IL was ,iruited Sept y,
1868 and discharged Jan. 30 tS65 for paralysis
contracted in line of duty. Ain entitled to 500
bounty? AnSjCer. No; because you did not serve
two years
Z. " B. Puliman " Fd.--A soldier enlisted
1861 and vctcranzed 1861; wen. West with his rCg
nent III 1868. and was never heard from since; his
wife died in 1850 and left four small children, who
are Of age. Can these children get their mluor
pensions? If so, to whom should they apply
inSCer If they prove that the soldier died in
service, since of disability contracted in the
line of duty the service, thcy entitled To PEN
sion; but they will have to prove date and cause
of death if it is not shown Ly record. All appIi-
cations for pension should be made 10 the Commits
siouer OF Pensions.
j. ". r., Princeton IH.-Who las the right to |
sub titute claim for pension, of the death
of pension attorney-the claimant, the Commits |
sioncr the administrator OF deceased attorney?
One of us says the claimant, the otherslys the Com
missioner of Pensions. dn%'ccr. Ou both |
wrong. The attorney himself was the only person |
vino could substitute. In of death OF the !
attorney, the claimant can cpp0iRt another attOr
ney.
t. j. G.. Grccntop, Mo.-Was John Wilkes Booth |
the assassin OF President Lincoln buried III the /
Potomac River? If SO, why? <inslrer. No. lie is |
buried i'll Baltimore.
~ d. Chicago, M-Please let me know if Il man |
lnr,