The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-08-29
OUR CORRESPONDENTS.

| Correspondents should write each question on
separate sheet OF paper. give fun name aud al
| dress and mark t Correspondents Column" Nc
attent ton viii he paid to communications not sc-
| companied with name and address OF writer IL il
| requested that a stamp be incosed for reply by
| letter. Postal cards viii he replied to by mail
| only. Replies by mail will ordinarily be made
within week. and ii in this column within three
| weeks.l
| r. 4. H.. Piffs5Rrg. Pa.-On Sept. ID. 1862,
| was wounded, necessitating the amputatiOn Of
| leg below the knee and after many years
effort, having TO contend with an adverse rec
ora, succeed in obtaining pension. Then
applied for bounty and the claim was re-
| jected on the ground that the wound causing
| my discharge was received while stealing
apples. / satisfied the Pension Bureau that
the wound was received in lime of duty. Am
not entitled to bounty2 An0,rer You are il
the Auditor of the War Department will con-
cede that you were in line of duty when
I wounded. He is the officer charged by law
! with the settlement of bounty claims and in
| pursuance of that duty he passes upon the suf-
\ fciency of the evidence adduced to prove any
/ point i'll issue. 1t not infrequenty happens
\ that testimony that will suffice in the Pension
\ Burean 10 establishing given point is held by
/ said Auditor to be wholly inadequate TO prove
the matter in issue, and If the adverse action of
/ tho Auditor was taken after considering the
/ testimony filed in the Pension Bureau then the
/ case is closed
! j. T. w.. NeU Milford Conn.,. Suppose that
n DensiOner under the act of June 81 1890 at
| S12 n month, received notice last December that
/ he must furnish additional evidence or be re-
| duced to IS month, and instead OF so doing be
writes upOn his word OF honor, that be is no
better than when he was examined and found
entitled to Sl2. and after passing over three
payments. new certificate ut IS is issued only
| q days days before tire 4th Of September; can
he be obliged 20 accept the reduced rate? .
If a pensoner thus reduced should retain the
Sl2 certificate and not draw any pension, could
lie, when a new Administration comes in. draw
the Sl2 rate back to time he was last paid? 3.
in giving up his Sl2 certificate is he not ad-
mitting that he is not entitled to that amount
and in accepting the 50 one is he not conceding
that he Is not entitled to a rate in excess of
IS? 4. Does Sec. 4745, Il. 5. u. s., providing
penalty for the withholding Of pension GER
tffcate, apply TO the pensioner refusing to give
mp his own certificate? D. In fact, has a PEN
siOner any rights whatever? Answer i. 1t
will be either that or nothing so long as present
practices prevail. The claimants own state
ments are, III such case, given no weight, but
his contention that his physical condition is no
better than when his claim was originally adj
Indicated. even iftrue, would not. under present
practice, help his case, as it now takes a much
greater degree OF disability to get the same
ratings under the act OF June 81 1890 than it
did when Gen. Raum was Comm issiOner of
Pensions. One cannot now draw S12 under
the act of June q, 1890, nnless lchoLy unable to
obtain a support by manual labor Under the
former Adm Illustration such degree of dis
ability had to be shown, but it must now, or a
reduction from the Sl2 rate will follow. q
That is matter of conjecture. 3. We are of
the opinion that he loses rights by the ac-
ceptanee OF the certificate at the reduced rate
4. We are of the opinion that it has no applica-
tion to the real owner of the certificate. ;.
They seem to be somewhat abridged at present.
i. g., North McGregOr, IOira.-If the Com
missioner of Pensions determines to specially
examine the merits of n pensioners case, does
he order the pension suspended and place the
case IN tho hands of Special Examiner and
order the pensioner before Board of Surgeons
otherwise? 4Hswer. No general rule can be
laid down. as the circumstances of each partcu- /
lar case govern the course to be pursued in that
instance. 1t would depend upon the grounds |
for the special exam natiOn If fraud were sus- |
pected ii is probable that payment would be !
suspended and the general merits of the claim 1
investigated; il the question were az to the de- |
gree of disability, then it is likely that a medi-
cal examination wonid be ordered
j. p. d. New HaUeR. CO,m.-Is soldier upon |
attaining the age of 10 years entitled to PEN
sion of S12 month? ARSWer. Yes, under the !
act of June 27, 1890, providing he meets the /
requirements of said act as regards service 100 |
days or more and an honorable discharge from |
the war of the rebellion). This is by virtue of /
q ruling of the Commissioner of Pensions dated |
Sept. 2, 1893.
Mrs. ID. f., Cedar Rapids, I0wa.-A soldier
was divorced from his first wife, and she has