The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1892-12-01
THE PENSION OFFICE.
Annual Report Of the Work Done
by the Bureau.
There Are Now on tho Rolls the Names
of $685. Pensioners-A Number
Of Changes In the Laws
Are Recommended.

WASHINGTON, NOV. A.-1ne annual
report of Cyrus Bussey. assistant Sec
rotary of the interior. has been re-
ceived by Secretary Noble. The re-
port is summarized as follows:
July 1, 1891, there were 5.03O appealed pension
cases on file with the board, and this number
June 80 1892, had been reduced to 4,340. There
were ,258 appeals filed during the year. OF the
1889 cases acted upon during the year the de-
1886. Action was reversed in 484 cases, 2O1
wero dismissed and 40 cases were reconsidered
by the commissioner pending appeal.
There are several defects in pension legisla
ton. From an early date in the history OF our
pension system there have prevailed under diff
ferent administrations conflicting opinions as to
the power to enforce the reimbursement Of
money paid in excess for pensions in con-
formity with either inaccurate or illegal cor
tidcates issued through mistakes. either
OF fact of law, in the adjudica-
ton OF claims by the bureau of.pensions. Con-
sequently the government has been compelled
to submit to serious losses Of money. which,
having once been improperly paid either to
claimants or pensioners, were irrecoverable
under any established rule of departmental
practice
In the list of applications for widows pen
sions under section Of the act Of June -. 1890,
my attention has been drawn to a number Of
ant has been necessarily denied pension be-
cause the soldier on whose death the claim
was based, although serving ninety days
or more in the army or navy as
shown by the evidence. had not been
'honoraby discharged prior to DEATH but had
died while. for instance. on individual furlough
and absent from the technical line of duty in
the service. It seems that both the spirit and
the object of the act Of June -. 1890 would be
emphasized and observed by an amendment of
this section that would be applicable to such
meritorious cases of dependence and distress.
The third section Of the act Of June p, $780,
which provides pension tor minor chill
dren who are ''insane. idiotic- or otherwise per-
manenty helpless properly provides that the
pension granted to such children shall continue
during the life of said child or during the
period of such disability: but under the
law as it stands, in order that such
children shall be pensioned during life
during the period of such disability.
it must appear that the father or the mother
died prior to the expiration of the limit affixed to
the reasonable minority period. viz IL years
of age, and therefore if, when the parent
dies. the insane idotic otherwise perma-
nently helpless child is more than instead of
under 10 years OF age, q minors pension cannot
be allowed. In view of this fact respectfully
suggest that the act should be SO amended as
to admit all insane. idiotc. or otherwise perma-
nently helpless children to minors pension
CARELESS of the date of the parent $ death or re-
marriage. at any period prior to and including
the age OF u years.
1 am gratltied to be able to say that the
pledge of the nation expressed century ago.
that ''if any person. whether officer or sol
der, militia or regular. called into the service
OF the United States, be wounded dis
abled while in actual service, he shall
be taken care of and provided for at public
expense has been redeemed with tidel-
ity. In compliance with the provisions of the
various pension laws June 3d. 1892 there was
borne on the pension rolls the names of $50 087
pensioners, 1923 more pensioners than were
carried on the same rolls at the end of the pre-
ceding fiscal year, and $1,000 more than were
on the rolls June 30, 1887.
Gen. Bussey calls attention to the
fact that the appropriation bill for the
Indian service is usually passed so late
in the year that it seems impossible to
let contracts for supplies in time for
delivery before winter sets in, and
this, especially as to blankets and win
ter clothing. has caused much suffer
ing. He recommends that the appro-
priation for these supplies be made one
year ahead.