The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-07-13
PENSION OFFICE NOTES.

There is such thing as going backward for
improvements The following serves as an il
Iustration: Up to July f. 1864, decla rations
for original pensions could be executed before
any officer authorized to administer oaths for
general purposes On the above date a law
was passed requiring that original declarations
must be executed before a court of record or
some officer having custody of its seal. Con-
gress has now passed a law, approved July /,
1890, which virtually reGnacts a law that was
repealed twenty-siX years ago. This law might
properly have been entitled "Looking Back
ward" The law of July l, 1890, referred to,
authorizes any officer who has the authority to
administer oaths for general purposes to exc
cute declarations, and If such officer has a seal
the certificate of the clerk of the court or pro-
thonotary is not required. If, however, the
officer has no seal, it will be necessary to fur
nish certificate of his official character, which
certificate must be attached to each paper
filed. The fact that the officer has general
certificate on file in the Pension Bureau is not
sufficient. 1t is understood that the Pension
Bureau holds that the law is not retroactive; in
other words, all declarations for original pen
sions filed prior to July l, $780, must have been
executed before a court of record, or be
amended by new declaration conforming
with the recent law.
Gen Raum is to be commended for the
promptness in which he issued copies of the
new pension law Three days after its approval
uc udu JIepdTtu anu yTluIeu d pdlllpuleL Oh III
shuctions containing a copy of the law and all
forms necessary for applications. The claim
ants and attorneys have, however, been equally
as prompt in responding Each day adds a
number of thousand to the large number already
on file. Up to the present time it is estimated
that there are about $4,000 on file. 1t will be
some time before the present force will be able
even to jacket, record and acknowledge the
receipt of these claims. The forms for the
Jackets and records are in the hands of the Pub
is 1niDD II nSt IN rusb he
work. 1t will be useless for claimants under
the new law to expect any communication
from the Pension Office regard to their claims
for some weeks. After the office gets fairly at
work on this class of claims they will be dis
posed of much more rapidly than claims under
other laws, Commissioner Raum has recon-
mended an increase OF the cleric al force, which,
it is believed, Congress will soon grant
The weather during the past week has caused
the clerks to figure uD their cash account and
compare it with the number of days leave that
they have to their credit, Some found more
leave than dollars, Others more dollars than
! leave
There were more pension claims adjudicated
during the past fiscal year than any other pre-
yious year in the history of the Office Th
speaks well for Gen Raum's administration.
Who is the sensible man? The man VII,
/ adHerllseS III me Sunuay heTalu' because
it is the most thoroughly read Sunda,
paper in the District of Columbia.
-. ~
More Dyspepsia in England than Here
From the Herald of Health.
Doctors say that Americans rush too mucl
and eat too fast, but when they are asked 70
figures they can't show em, On the contrary
the English, who never rush, and who eat a
though they had all day to meal, suffer will
dyspepsia 2S per cent. more than Americans
and the average age at which BUSINESS men di,
is per cent. below the hustliHg Yankee.
-Heurichs Extra Pale Lager. Ask for it.