St. Paul daily globe., 1888-08-30

tions looking to improvements in exist
ing laws. which action was approved by
the president. The majority of these
officers-Brigadier Generals George
Crook, Thomas Ruger, Gibbon and
Merritt. and Colonels commanding
Thomas w. Anderson, p. T. Swain and
a. q. Brack e.t, in their responses, eX-
pressed the opinion that the present
pension
LAWS ARE AMPLY SUFFICIENT
for every emergency-and nearly all
were OF the opinion that rigid physical
examination should be conducted at dis
charge, which should be certified to by
a council convened for the purpose, and
made part of the military history of
each soldier, the government being
thereby protected from fraudulent
claims. A new feature of the report is
the discussion of special pension acts
and their relation to the administration
of the general pension laws. 1t shows
the various stages through which a
special act passes, from its receipt at
the executive mansion to the issue of
certificates. In addition table is fur
nisbed showing the total number of
special pension acts which have become
laws since 1861. as follows:
From 1861 to 1865, Al, Uineoln).
From 1865 to 1869. 431, (Johuson).
From 1869 to 1877, 490, (GranD.
From 1877 to 1881, 3u3, (Hayes).
From 1881 to 1885. 736, (Garfield and Ar
thur.
Total, 2,OO1.
From 1885 to 1888, ], 1869. (Cleyeland).
Grand total, $40.
1t appears that, while during Presi-
dent Cleveland'S administration 1,369
special acts became laws, 191 were
vetoed. Of this number seventeen were
vetoed in the interests of claimants, be-
cause they would be entitled to greater
amounts under the general law. The
seventeen cases were afterwards allowed
by the pension bureau and saved the
beneficiarieS S17,249 more than they
would have received had the special
acts become laws. Twelve were vetoed
because of charges of deSertion or dis
honorable discharge. Two dependent
fathers claims were vetoed because the
fathers abandoned their sons in infancy,
and never resumed their care and Gus
tody nor manifested any interest in
them until their death. Two cases be-
cause
THEY WERE DUPLICATES
of precisely the same special acts
already approved by the executive and
in full force. Seven because the death
was suicide, and had no connection
with the military Srvice, 12l because
soldiers disabilities were in no wise
due to the service, but arose from
causes entirely distinct therefrom; sew
enteen because the eases were pending
in the pension bureau, where they were
being properly investigated. These
cases also involved arrears. Nine be-
cause the special act fixed no rate, and
the claimants were now receiving pen
SiOns commensurate with the disability
found to exist by competent boards of
surgeons, and special act would be
no benefit. Two more alleged
dependent cases because no de-
pepdence was shown by the
eviden ce. One because the president
refused to set aside the limitation fixed
by the law of 1879 governing arrears and
one because the beneficiary was dead at
the time of the passage of the special
act. Ninety-three of these vetoed
claims had been rejected by the pen
sion bureau prior to July l, 1885, and
ffty-four prior to that time: thirty were
pending unsettled in the pension
bureau, and no applications under the
general law had ever been filed in
eleven. In this connection it may be
interesting to state that in the fiscal
years from July 1, 1862, to June 30, 1885
there were issued 191, ,221 certificates OF
all classes, and during the three follow
ing fiscal years from July l, 1885, to
June 80, 1883, 359, ,537, making an in
crease for the last three years of 16S,316
certificates.