The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-10-24
UNCLE SANS PENSIONERS.

What 1t Costs tO support Wounded Vete
ernns-Ex,racts from Comm: ~.i0ner Tam
ner's Report Eetnrc His Connection with
the Administrations Ceased
WASHINGTON, Oct 70 - The annual report
for the fiscal year lsss-sg of the Comm;s-
sioner of Pensions has been submitted to
the Secretary OF the Interior and is now in
the hands of the Public printer The fol-
lowing summary Of the report will show
the more ilnpor. ant details OF the work OF
the Bureau Of Pensions during said fiscal
year:
There were at the close OF tho year $50 7o9
pensioners. There were added to the rolls dur.
ing the year the names Of 81 .92l new pensioners,
and the names Of List whose pensions have
been previously dropped were restored to the
rolls, making an aggregate OF 53.675 pensioners
added during the year. There were l6.Df pen
soners dropped from the rolls for various
Causes leaving o net increase to the rolls OF 81.
l6s names
The average annual value Of each pension at
the close Of the year Is shown to have been
s13l.Is The aggregate annual value Of pen
sions is s64oi6..s2.3a
The amount paid for pensions during the
year was sss.275.I13.2s. The total amount dis
bursed BY the agents for oil purposes was $50
13l .aGS.H.
i Amount paid as fees to attorneys, si.a6a.5sa47.
There was disburse merit OF &1a5I5. s2 for the
the original pension was granted prior to Janu-
AIRY - ls1a and the date OF commencement OF
pension was subsequent to discharge or death.
In the agrre gate i.o4s. i46 pension claims have
heen filed since 1861. and In the same period
ssQ121 have been allowed.
i The amount disbursed on account OF pensions
since 1861 has been 81 G,2.oiS 4i3.l7.
4 le issue Of certificates during the year
shows grand total OF i45, ,an!H. OF this number
5l.?o1 were original certificates.
! The report shows that at the clio Q OF the
year there were pei ding and unallowed
479.WO claims o! all ciasses.
Commissioner Tanner recommends that
Congre bo asked to amend the net Of
June &, 1874, 70 a. to extend the ben
to all pens oners whose pensions have
been granted by special acts passed
subsequent to said date. and that
the benefit of pensions he granted to
1 the widows OF soldiers who died from
| causes originating In the service prior to
March 1. 1851, during the time OF peace
lie further recommends, rs did his prede-
SCISSOR. that the act of March 3. 1877,
he amended 80 Al to grant pensions
/ TO those who, having partici-
pated in the rebellion against the
! United States, subsequently enlisted In the
navy and were disabled therein. The act
referred to confines its operations to those
i only who. under the same conditions, en-
listed in the army Of the United StateA
The commissioner asks attention to the
| fact that the act Of August 2, lsS.. whi Ii
| te inmates the pension of n widow be-
cause of immortality. makes no provision
! for continuing the pension to the minor
! children o. the soldier when the widows
pension is terminated He asks thnt Con-
gress be requested to correct this palpable
Injustice.
The Commissioner ia also OF the opinion
that the act OF Congress approved Feb
rnary L. lSSt providing q rate of eioD for
the loss OF both hands unjustly discrim-
mates against those pens oners who have
lost both feet or the sight of both eyes
1 The Commissioner earnestly recommends
| that whenever an Invalid pensiouer dies
the usual pension bc granted to his widow,
or. If he leaves no wiaow, then to his minor
children, without regard TO whc her or not
his death was due to anv cause incident to
the service and line oil duty
The Camini sioner f:ssocs granting pen
sions to ali soldiers who sre disabled He
SAYS:
As the war period recedes from US and age
and Its attendant inflrmi1les affiict the veteran
who served his country faithfully and well d
quarter Of ii century ago II Is serious question
whether the Government doe, hun JUS
ticc III limiting the application of ;he
pension laws TO those disab:litie. only
which were contracted In tie service and
line Of duty I earnestly recommend that ,
pension be granted to every honorably dis
charged soldier and sailor who Is now or who
may hereafter become disabled, without re-
gard to whether such disability is chargeablc
to the service Of the United States or has been
contracted since discharge therefrom.
! The Commissioner also favOrs \ pension
for army nurses and makes an earnest APP
peal in the. behalf.
A QUESTION OF AUTHORITY.
Why Secretary Mob Dispensed with
!. tanners Ssrv Ices.
I WAsHIS6ToN, Oct - Secretary Noble
has made public copies OF his letter OF
July lass to the then Commissioner of
Pensions Tanner. ordering an inves,iga-
tion into the workings of the Pension Office
The letter Is . very lengthy document Il
shows, what generally has been under
stood all along. that tho trouble
between Noble and Tanner originated
IN question OF authority Tan
ner claimed that the Secretary Of the In
| terror only had power to reverse the d acis-
ions Of the Pension Commissioner when he
had dec.ded against an applicant Tor pen
sion, but hal not the power to call
halt or redlce tho pensions anted
by the Commi ssioner. and that the Vice
Commissioner only could do this.
Secretary Noble disagreed with this. and
| quoted the law to maintain his point
After disposing OF this que ,tion the Sccre-
tary takes up the cases Of ten employees OF
the Pension Office. who were draw Ing
salaries ranging from slGD to s2.UOJ
per annum, each Of whose applica-
tion for re-rating Tanner had made
special and granted. e-ides arrearages
! aGgregating in all $l7.vN0 Secre-
tary Mob e upbraids Tanner for making
these cases special, and that. too, in ad-
vance of hundreds of thousands OF pen
doners who eally needed pensions and
had no Cove nment positions to support
them He then takes UP each case sep
arately and shows wherein they were not
emitted to rerating In conclusion he
states that he had ordered AN investigation.
In order to get ut the true history of Pen
sion Office methods.
Four sudden Deaths.
CHICAGO, Oct l9-ln this city Friday
Joseph Basel, q boy Ii years old. was
/ caught In fiv-wheel in Taylor's factory ut
2l4 Clinton sNleet and killed; Fred sobcr, \
farmer from Lombard, aged - years, fell
3
Mary Davis. OF .!7 West Jackson street,
| dropped deal in front OF her home, aud the
hose-cart of Engine Company No. Is ran
over and killed q 3year old boy named
Isaac Lsvi at Union aud Maxwell streets
! A Rule Of Anarchy.
ATHENS Got. l9-Ths mutiny among tho
! Turkish troops in Crete is spreading rapid
~. In Canea the soldiers have thrown OH
all semblance Of sui. .,rdination, and in
many Cases have beaten and abused their
officers. chakis Pasha. the Turkish Gov
! cfnor OF Isle. is at Canea. but utterly help
less, his soldiers refusing to obey his or
ders. The island IL threatened with rule
OF anarchy
| Indicted for Murder.
CHICAGO, Oct ~ An indictment has
been found by the Cook County grand
Ssnvw, vbn m