Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-06
APPEALS In PENSIONS.
Assistant Secretary Bussey's Report
Made to Secretary Noble.
AMENDMENTS THOUGHT NEEDFUL.
Hawaii Protests Against the Reciprocity
Nog Furnished Her.
HONoLULAyS TALKING OF ANNEXATION

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5.-Assistant Sec.
retary Bussey, of the Interior Department,
has fled with Secretary Noble his annual
report for the last fiscal year. The
Assistant Secretary has appellate jurisdic
tion of all cases arising under the pension
laws, and his report is confined 20 review
of the work of the Board of Pension ap
peals under his supervision.
The report shows that January 1, 1891,
there were 5,02s appeals pending before
the board, as against 5000 July l, 1891 In
the interim, however, there were l, ,S96 new
appeals filed, and therefore ], 1,S94 were dis
posed Of OF the cases disposed of in only
210 were the decisions of the pension office
reversed
Mr.. Bussey points out several defects, as
he regards them, in pension legislation, and
makes number of recommendations look
ing to their correction.
An Amendment to Be Asked For.
He asks that Congress be requested to
enacta law that shall e1pressively author
ize the Department to treat all improper,
illegal and excessive payments of pensions,
whether caused by fraud or by mistake, as
prepayments, to be charged against the cur
rent pension, with a view 70 readjust or
equalize current pension payments, within
the discretion of the Secretary.
Heretofore, he explains that in the ab-
sence of a clear legal provision on the sub
ject, the Government having no authority
TO plead past oyerpayment as an offset to
current payments of pension, has been COM
PEELED to submit to serious losses of money
Hr-h1 oh haor, Ir1arar rlx-
either to claimants or to pensioners. were
irrecoverable under any established rule of
departmental practice.
Pensions That Have to Be Denied.
Mr. Bussev calls attention to the first
clause Of section 3 of the act of June q,
1890, and says that his attention has been
drawn to a number of cases wherein, ac-
cording to the law, the claimant has been
necessarily denied a pension because the
soldier on whose death the claim was based,
although serving 100 DAYS or more in the
army or navy" as shown by the evidence,
had not been honorably discharged prior to
death, but had died, while, for instance. on
individual furlough and absent from the
technical line of duty in the service. 1t
seems, he saws, that both the spirit and the
object of the act of June q, 1890, would be
emphasized and subserved by an amendment
of this section that would be applicable to
such meritorious cases of dependence and
distress
He also suggests that in cases of ''insane,
idiotic or otherwise helpless children" of
deceased pensioners, the pensionable age
limit be abolished so as to admit such
children a. any date TO the pension roll
Tne Assistant Secretary also recommends
that persons who served in the Confederate
army and afterward enlisted in the navy of
the United States be given The same pen
slonable rights as are accorded those who
served the Confederate cause and then en-
listed in the army of the United States
The Treasury Department has disbursed
s., 125, 600 on account Of pensions SO far this
month and will pay out an additional
SS,000,0 600 before the end of the month.