New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-07
GOOD NEWS FOR VETERANS.
rryrrICrAL RESULTS OF THE NEW PENSION
LAW.

PENDING CLAIMS May DE SETTLED by
JUNE 80, Isa2-FEARs WHICH WE'RE
GRoUNDLESs AND ASSERTIONS
WHICH ARE BASELESS.
tBY TELEGRAPH 70 THE TkIBUSE-l
Washington, Oct 6.-TIe beneficial results Of
the Dependent Pension Act, approved June "a,
1890 are already seen. The experience of the last
wear shows that thousands Of disabled Survivors
az the war and widows of veterans who nave
died since the war, whose claims had been PEND
ing for years under prior acts have received pen
sions under the new act. In thousands oil these
cases claimants had been unable to furnish satis-
factory evidence that disability was the result OF
service in the Army or Navy or that death hao
resulted from such service. Moreover, the Pen
sion Bureau was in a condition OF congestion
which could not have been reNeved in many years
except by the enactment of the new law, unaer
which claimants, IL survivors, are required to
prove only that they served three months or longer
in the Army or Navy that they were honorably
discharged therefrom, and that they are physi-
cally unable 10 perform manual labors The
first two items are shown by examination of the
muster rolls of the organizations in which claimants
served, which examinations were made in the war
Department by strong and well-disciplned cierF
cal force, or in the Navy Department if the claim.
ant served in the Navy The fact and degree %
present disability are established by meupa
board, of which there are now 1900 dlsIi0 u'eo
throughout the country at convenient an, 80
sible places besides $50 single surgeons au'i-O :,
10 conduct examinations, making an axe
$500 physicians engaged in the medioa' ooo
ton of applicants as compared WIN So -
in November, 1889. The WIDOW u = H'''.- -.
had received an honorable discnarse "i'e, az -
ninety DAYS service is required 10 oiiIS
the fact of widowhood unoer iesu'" 'i'H' P''
scribed by the Interior Department
.ioino.ion of a large increase in the volume
-. ...I,cations under the new law, Congress au-
s,~i,od an addition of ass persons 70 the clerical
60. =, about 30 per cent. The ease and rapid
49,, with which claims can be adiudicated under
,be new law with the large additions to the mum
Der of medical examining boards and clerks, and
the active cooperation and aid OF the War Depart
ment. upon which falls a large proportion Of the
work under Tie Act of June -, $780, are shown
bv the fact that no less than 1l4757 of the ESQ.,
565 claims allowed and certificates issued in the
year ended June 80, 1901, were under that law.
This was only 36,s9l less than the total num-
Der of certificates issued in the year ended June
30 1890. before the new law enacted. How
many of the lI4,757 claims referred TO were filed
by persons who were applicants under prior laws
ones in order TO obtain more speedy adjudication of
their claims is not dlsslosed by the report of the
Pension Bureau, but it is evident that the pro-
portion was large, because, out of 94l ,056 appli
cants whose claims under prior laws were pend
ing June 80, 1891, no less than 93,63s. or nearly
40 per cent, had filed applications under the act
of June 81, 1890.
OF course it will be understood that person
who receives a pension under the latter act is
not entitled to one under any prior law.
OF the scoops claimants whose names were not
on the pension rolls June 80, 1891, no less than
3,s46 or more than SO per cent, were applicants
under the act of June 81 1890. This number
included 21,l78 persons who had been unable TO
establish their claims under prior acts, and
3, O65 widows whose names had been dropped
from the rolls. OF the persons whose names were
on the pension rolls June 80, 1891, no less than
"a. G07 had nled claims under the new law. 1t
appears, therefore, that in ALL 4s2,1s1 claims
which had not been adjudicated had been filed
under the new law. There were also on the
icS Of the Pension Bureau claims rejected under
rriur laws 10 the number of 1886 many Of
which, doubtless, will be revived under the act
Jf June 81, 1890 1t is estimated that 100000
claims will be adjudicated during the current
fiscal year; probably at least two-thirds of these
Jr 233 0O0 will be- on applications filed under
lie new law despite the fact that 50 many old
sases under prior acts which have long been pend
ng have reached stage, after years of efforts
By claimants and Investigation by the Govern
nent which will permit of speedy action.
II appears that the average period covered by
TIE cases allowed 10 June 80, 1891, under the
act Of June 81, 1890, was three and one-fourth
months. The number of claims allowed unICr
that act in the last four and 4 half months of the
fiscal year was 7l,004, or at the rate of about
100, 900 year. The number, of course, should
be, and will be, much larger for the current year.
AS all the preliminary work has been done and
The machinery of adjudication is now well adj
justed and Congress has made liberal appropria-
tons keep it running to its full capacity, there
would seem 20 be difficulty in dlsposlnG or
al least 100000 cases under the new law before
June 80, 1892, without neglectlng the claims
Of applicants under prior laws. AT that rale
virtually all Of The claims under the new law
which were pending June 80, 1891, Will nave
been adjudicated by June 30, 1893.
The fear expressed by many persons that inc
minimum period OF service 70 entitle an appncanu
70 the benefits of the act of June p, lsD0-nlnety
days was too short, and would swell the pension
rolls by the addition thereto OF the names OF thou
sands of men who saw little or no actlVe held ser
vice during the war and the assert tons which are
made by opponents of the law that such has oeen
The case have not been justified as yet, at least by
experience, IL the figures given In the report OF
The Pension Bureau are accurate. Or the 1l,0O4
certificates granted from February - TO June So,
1890, only 63s represented service OF three
months; 1928 service of four TO six months, both
inclusive: and 1926 service Of seven TO twelve
months: making a total Of 25,449 which repre-
sent service Of one year or less. The oertncatcs
which represent service Of more than one year and
lot less than two years numbered 1926 the
certificates which represent more than two years
and not less than three years of service numbered
1874 and those which represented longer
PERIOD than three years numbered l2,545.
There has been some unfavOrable criticism De-
eansA the pressure and eXigence of his private
Affairs have caused the absence Of the Commits
aoner from his official duties nearly one-han
q, the time since his appointment. His absence
ioS'snatey has not impaired in the least the
sMeiencr Of the service which has had the bene-