The National tribune., 1890-11-20
OUR CORRESPONDENTS.
Replies to Questions on Variety or Intsrestin
Subjects.


/ Our readers are requested to incl0se stamp for
I reply to their inquiries. Postal cards will be
replied To by mail oHlV. Replies by mail will ord-
\ nITily be made within week, and IL i'm this col
/ umn within three wccks.i
| J. w., indianapolis Iad-1. Where can obtain
report OF the late giving the population OF
All the States, Counties and towns Of tho United
states? : IL there a paper printed in the United
States that prints all patents granted each week and
the names and pOsOice addresses ofall patentcess
ahsuer- J. You should write to Hon. Robert
1 - Porter, Superintendent OF Census. Washington,
| ID. C. The book referred to is not yet completed,
/ but VIII be In a short time. .. Yes. The u. ;.
OIiclal Patent Office Gazette gives the Information
/ referred to. IL ia published weekly under the
supervision Of the Patent Office. Price, s. per year
| OF % numbers
H. r., Fort Scott, Ean-A soldier who Is drawing
pension for total blindness Of both eyes, - also a
physical wreck 90 such extent that even had he
his sight he would still be totally unable 10 perform
manual labor. Can he not be pensiOncl in addition
Tor these other disabilities dHStrcr If the PEN
sloner Is receiving So which we have reason to
doubt, he cannot be increased, for the that
the law does not allow larger rating than this in
any case, except where pensoner hR5 lost both
hands when he could get 500 per month But
there - no other rating S42 and the pensiOner
ceivng said rate.
4. b. r., Falmouth Mags-yyhat Is the rate Of
pension for totaldeafness OF one and severe Of
the other? AnslGer. S2j per month.
- ". ~, Ricllfeld, N. I'll What proof does the
Commissioners Of Pensions require In n claim under
act Of June y. 1890? . Where applicant under act
81 June q, 1880, already has n claim on file under
the oId law what testimony will be required? An
seer. l. Assuming service for 20 days more In
Use army or navy Of the United States during
the war Of the rebellion. and an honorable dis
charge therefrom, there will be required proof
tht the claimant Is suffering from mental physi-
cal disability, not the result Of his own vicious
habits which incapacitates him from the perform
ance OF manual labor 10 degree which would
entile him TO rating under the old law Of NJ least
20 per month 2 That depends altogether upon
the condition Of the claim under the old law. II
ihere Is record in that claim tina. the soldier was
honoTabiy discharged after 90 days service and Is
disabled, as above, the law claims may require
ntll9 more testimony; evidence that the existing
ordered.
". H., CiaHbersbirg m-where an applicant
under The act OF June q, $780, has filed the affidavit
OF his ianiiy physician who IL Of the Board Of
Examining Surgeons, stating that he has known
claimant for 40 years and that by reason of disease
OF lungs and other affections, claimant is and has
Deenior Two years unable TO perform manual labor,
WI claimant have TO stand medical examina-
tlon? AHSlger. Wethink so. ?. We cannot comply
with your request, for lack OF space.
4. ". O., PTovidence, II. IL A soldier IL being
pensoned at Sl2 for partial loss OF eyesight, the
result OF gunshot wound la the head. He be-
comes totally blind and makes an application for
Increase of pension, furnishes all the testimony
required, and had his claim placed upon completed
MES III months ago. His claim has not yet been acted
upon. When will 1t be reached? 2. A friend Of
The above soldier flied claim under the act Of
claim on file under the old law. his case has been
numbered, considered and allowed at Sl2 per
month while the former soldier is still waiting for
his claim to be acted upon. Why this difference
ARstCer. l. He should have heard from his claim
before this IL may have been overlooked. He
should write 10 the Commissioner, calling attention
70 the long delay In the claim, and requesting
speedy action His request will probably be COM
Piled with. ?. The only explanation we can give
Of this y that the claims under the law require
much less time To examine; in fact, they eau be
examined in Oue-tenth the time it takes 10 ex-
anime an old-lRw claim, and in o case where an
applicant has a claim under each law the two
md 4 ea8 fhar ka ~
a mere glance whether the new-law claim is al
lowabe, with the testimony already file. On
THIS account the Commissioner has given orders
that when 1t Is manifesGly apparent, in numbering
and comparing the two claims that the w-laW
claim Is allowable as II stands, j; shall be imme-
diateiy allowed; while the old-law claim will 20
back 10 the files 10 be acted upon in its turn.
SiEbscTiber. Eden, M.-Tbe Commissioned Of PEN
sions IN iis annual report says: There are prob
ably 100000 claims properly allowable under the
regulations approved Sept. 20, 1890" under the
new law. Now there have been over 10000 cl aims
filed under the act OF June q, 1890 Does he mean
that only 10000 OF these are allowable2 2. Is it
true that claimants under the act Of June q, 1890
VIII be rated the same as under the old law, in
cases where the degree Of disability calls for n rate
between % and sl2 per month? Aasrer. l. No.
He refers to the number Of claims under the new
law where ali the necessary evidence for the new
Law claim was already file in the old-law claim
and which Eew-aw claims therefore practically
allowable ~ this time. 2. Yes.
u. H., Wilmington, GA man enlisted in the
Regular Army Aug. l6, 1870, and was discharged
in 1870. He was overcome by heat or sunstroke
while on the march from one fort TO another
caused by lack of water He Il RtiII disabled by
reason OF said sunstro<e. Is he entitled TO pension
under any existing laws? AHStCsF. les upon the
production of satisfactory testimony.
H. u, AaTiHette Wis.-Has the act OF April g.
1872. relating TO soldiers homestead entries been
repealed or amended? 2. Can soldier enter over
flowed land in Michigan before Dec. 81 when it Is
opened for settlement? 3. Can soldiers claim be
located by agent? AnSCsr. There was no act
Of April 3, 1872 relating to soldiers homestead
entries. You probably refer to the act OF June g.
KUNuf aN..NI n
Revised Statutes. 2. a soldier has more rights
ia this regard than a civilian. g. No; but he can
have his claim filed by an agent.
r. IL e.. CyHGiiaHd Ky-A soldier dies In the
u y service, leaving = widow; in about Is67 the
mother Of soldier made application for pay and
bounty, which was paid. In 1885 the widow made
application for pay and bounty; the Controller Of
the Treasury Department disallOws widows
claim on tho ground that the claim paid
mother Of soldier, widow having been guilty Of
laches. Is the Government responsible, and can
widow recover money! the Government having
wrongfulIy paid money. To whom should such
claim DO appealed? ARssoeT. No; the claim Is
ended and cannot be appealed.
SubScrtbsTS.-TheTe seems to be some misappre-
hension Of the meaning of the phrase, 4" No person
draw two pensions for the same period, - In
connection with the new law. What Is meant may
be illustrated by the following example: soldier
who Is already receiving pension under the old
Law can file aud prosecute To completion Rppli-
cation under the law without in any way interfer-
ing with his old law pension. But when the pen
sion under the new law Is allowed, he cannot re-
ccyc both this and the old law pension at the same
time. lie must give up one 81 them in order TO
draw the other. In other words the new law does
not provide for pension in addition to- that already
rCCeivcdi II only provides for pension which
be substituted for that under the old law A sol.
der who has "A pension allows under both the old
and new law can choose which one he viii receive,
and can Afterwards apply under any law that he
desires but cannot receive two pensions at once.
The new law was simply intended to give n PEN
sion To those who were disabled and could not
prove their disability to have been contracted in
the line OF duty in the service. etc.
j. s., BIKES Barre, Pa, and othsTs-If you will
read the notice at the top Of this column In regard
TO anonymous letters, you will understand Why we
do not reply to your communications. The notice
distinctly states that no attention viii be paid to
comm unications unless accompanied with the full
name and address OF the writer. As we never pub
lish tie names Of correspondents. there can be
no valid excuse for Withholding IL from us.
~. ". b., BediS0n, MO.-Has Congress made an
appropriation this session for Communication for
lImbsg duSireT. Yes.
r. A. s., Chester WdSh.-There II such law as
the new service pension law What you refer to
l. the act of June "a, 1880, which provides that
pension shall De paid to all honOrabiy discharged
soldiers who served 90 days or more during the
war of the rebellion and who now disabled ia
such IA degree would eniitle them at least Sc
per month under the old law. Under this act IL Is
not necessary that the disability be proved to be
due service. The rate is from s. TO Si2 according
To the degree Of inability to perform manual labor.
l. ". r., Rye, Coi0-i. A boy, not subject to
draft entered the army substitute, served
faithfully until the close of the aud honor
ably discharged. He Is now unable to perform
manual labor Is he entitled to pension under act
of June q, 1890? 2 Is he eligible to membership
in the GAR? AItSIger. Yes TO both questions.
j. ID. 3, antiquity. GA widow made application
for pension for herself and minor children ia 1863.
The claim was allowed in $500, after all the chill
dren were of age. Which is entitled TO the minors
pension, the children the mother? Anslrer.
The mother is entitled 10 the minors pension as