The Globe-republican., 1893-03-31
WASHINGTON.
Some News Of Interest From the
National Capital
Queer Discovery In the Pension Bureau
"A Number Of Political Plums Fall
Into Willing Hands-Nominations
and Combinations
Pouslo, Omce Dtscoyerv.


ever made in the administration Of pensions
, has remained unpromulgated, so far the
public knows, for more than five months. and
that this decision reverses q ruling under which
fully s. OOO 0OJ has been wrongfully paid out. as
| it would now appear The facts are so impor-
| tant as to reQnire statement at length. 1t IS
! learned that on September y last Assistant
| Secretary Bussey made pension decision, here
tofore unpublished. which radically changed
| the practice Of the department as to the dispo-
sition Of accrued pensions in certain cases and
| established new and important rule as to re-
! imbursment Of expenses last sickness and
burial under section &7ls revised statutes
Heretofore it has been uniformly held that un.
der sections 1892 1893 47O2 and ais Of the revised
| statutes minor grandchildren of q deceased
| soldier, who at the date Of his death was either
| pensioner or a lawful claimant for invalid pen
| sion, could hold a reasonable status as minors
OF the soldier so far as to receive accrued pen
| sion in case Of his death and the death Of the
| parent of the children. thereby constituting the
words Of the law, ANY person entitled to q
pension" to apply not only TO the soldier, but
| to his widow. his children. dependent brothers
and sisters, or to dependent parents
In his decision Assistant Secretary BuSsey
| says that the words OF the act ANY pension
| err" and ANY person entitled to a pension
| evidently mean the sgme character or class Of
persons-persons who had incurred disabilities
| in the military service-the only difference be-
| ing that the first words quoted apply to q per
| son to whom a pension has already been
| granted, while the words secondly quoted apply
| to the same sort Of person to whom q pension
| has not been granted but who under the law is
| "entitled to a pension" having application
| therefor pending, based upon a wound, injury
or disease which under the conditions and linn
| itatiOns of such sections" 1922 and 1893 would
| have entitled him to an invalid pension had he
| been disabled. And, furthermore it is obvious
that the after quoted words ("any pensioner
| and any person entitled to a pension, having an
application therefor pending') referred exclu-
sively to person Of the masculine
gender, inaSmuch as the accrued pen
sion that shall result from the death
of such person." as may leave o widow
who shall be entitled to his accrued pension, or
| 'if there is no widow, may leave q child or
children, under Is years Of age" who. by rea-
son of the widows death, shall take the accrued
pension that would otherwise go to the widow
during her widowhood The assistant secretary
holds that accrued pensions can be fully paid to
grandchildren
AS to reimbursement for last sickness and
burial the assistant secretary concludes that
while only the widow or minor children Of the
deceased soldier can take the accrued pension,
the only person to whom the expenses of the
last sickness and burial can be allowed is the
soldier himself. From the date of and under
| the authority of an opinion by Solicitor General
Phillips, rendered August TO- 1876 until now,
| last sickness and burial expenses have been
allowed in all cases where the deceased was an
impecunious pensioner or entitled to pension
| whether soldier minor children, grandchildren
or dependent parents.
1t is stated that fully s2,00o,OO) has been
wrongfully paid to claimants under the Phillips
opinion endorsements for last sickness
and burial expenses for which section 41lS
vised statutes did not provide
Nominations.
WASHINGTON, March 23-The presi-
dent sent the following nominations to
the senate:
John S. Seymour, of Connecticut. to
be commissioner of patents
Silas w. Lamour, of Wisconsin, to be
William FL. Simms, of Mississippi, to
be first assistant secretary of the in
terror.
Edward w. Bowers, of Washington,
d. c., to be assistant commissioner of
the general land office.
Henry C. Bell, to be second commits
sioner of pensions
Horace H. Lurton, of Tennessee, to
be United States circuit judge for the
Sixth judicial circuit
Max Judd. of Missouri, to be consul
general of the United States at Vienna.
More Plums.
WASHINGTON, March 2S.-The presi-
dent to-day sent the following nomina-
tions to the senate:
State-Samuel E. Morss, of Indiana,
to be consul-general of the United
States at Paris; C. w. Chancellor, of
Maryland. to be consul at Havre; Allen
b. Morse, of Michigan, to be consul at
Glasgow; George +. Parker, of New
York. to be consul at Birmingham.
Treasury-Seaton Norman, of In
diana, to be an assistant surgeon in the
Marine hospital service.
Justice-Felix A. Reeves, of Tennes-
see. tn be solicitor of the treasury;
William H. Seaman, of Wisconsin, to
be United States district judge for the
Eastern district of Wisconsin: Albert E
Fall, of New Mexico. to be associate
justice of the supreme court of the ter
ritory of New Mexico; George j. Dennis,
of California, United States attorney for
Southern district of California; Joseph
S. James, of Georgia, United States at
torney for the Northern district of
Georgia; William L. Gary, of Georgia,
United States attorney for the South
ern district of Georgia; Frank L. Ev-
erett of Georgia, United States mar
shall for the Southern district of Geor-
gia: James Blackburn, of Kentucky,
United States marshal for the district
of Kentucky.
Interior-Samuel 7. Fisher. of Massa-
chusetts, to be assistant commissioner
of patents; Robert E. Wilson. of Mis-
sissippi, to be register of land Office at
Jackson, Miss.
Confirmed.
WASHINGTON, March 24-After spend
ing three-quarters of an hour in execu-
tive session yesterday the doors we're
opened and the senate adjourned until
Monday The combinations announced
were as follows:
Theodore Runyon, of New Jersey, to
be minister to Germany.
Walter D. Dabney. of Virginia, to be
solicitor for the department of state.
Edward Whitney, of New York, to be