The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-02-13

Correspondents should write each question on
. separate sheet OF paper, give full name and adj
dress and mark it Correspondence Column" No
atten ton will be paid to communications not ac-
companied with name and address of writer. Ii is
requested that stamp be incosed for reply by
letter. Postal cards will he replied to by mail
only. Replies by mail will ordinarily be made
within week. aud II III this column within three
weeksl
j. +. C.. Charleston, Tenn.-1. When Texas
was engaged in war with Mexico for her indie
pendence, she (Texas) had cavalry force in
the field called the Texas Dragons" and
were paid off for their services in Texas scrip.
Are those old dragons entitled now TO a PEN
sion? g When Congress passes an act pen
sionng an old soldier. how and by whom
and how long until said soldier is appraised of
it? AnsUer. /. Not by virtue of any United
States law, as Texas was not then in the Union.
2. BY the public press immediately, if you
refer to general legislation; if you refer to
special act. then the person so pensioned will,
in due course Of business, be advised by the
Commissioner of Pensions.
Old Soldier, Harrison, Ark.-1. Does the ha-
bitual use of morphine by pensioner, ON &C
count of great bodily suffering, endanger his
pension? 9 Is it considered vicious habit
by the Department, and just ground for stop
ping his pension? Ansuer. 1. We believe it
might, unless such drug were administered by
the order Of pensioners physician. 2. We
think so, unless it was given under the eye of
aud by express order of the attending physi.
clan.
T. A. r., National Military Home, OIio.-I
made application for a disability pension sew
eral times, but rejected each time on ac-
count, as Commissioner of Pensions Lochren
stated, not being disabled 10 pensonable de-
gree, Notwithstanding had the best medical
certificates acknowledging the same. Please
inform me whether there is any law wherein
the renewal of any application shall be rated
from the first application, when / was rejected.
AnS,rer. The only law on the subject is the act
of June q, 1880, which provides: Such pen
sion shall commence from the date of filing the
application in the Pension Office after June 27
1890. upon proof that the disability then e1isted"
This leaves to the discretion of the Commits
sioner of Pensions the question as TO whether.
in fact, pensionabe disability existed at date
of filing the first or any subsequent applica-
ton.
G. A. d., Seattle. Wash.-Shortly prior to fail
ure of a savings bank l deposited in it $500
pension money. | believe that when my de-
posit was accepted the bank officers knew their
institution to be insolvent. Am / not pre-
ierred creditor because the deposit was pension
money! Anstrer No; not by virtue OF any
United States law. since the moment you de-
posted your pension check it went into the
general funds of the bank and lost its individu-
atty as pension money and ceased to enjoy the
immunity from levy, seizure, etc, that attached
to 1T as pension money. If you are preferred
creditor it is because of some law Of your State,
and this We cannot answer.
w. A. r., Martin, RaH.-l. How and to whom
should a soldier apply for a duplicate for his
lost discharge? 2. LII he employs an attorney
to get it for him, what fee would the attorney
be entitled to? Ans,rer. !. To the officer in
charge of the Record and Pension Office, War
Department. 9. There is no law on the bject.
Most attorneys charge So for obtaining GER
tificate of service in lieu of q lost discharge.
r. r. NJ, McLane. Pa.-If q soldier dies, who
served less than 80 days, from disease not con-
tracted in the service, would his widow draw q
pension? Answer. No.
j. III. l., Windsor, Ont.-Please inform me of
Representative 0wens's bill, introduced in
Congress years ago in reference to arrears of
pension TO all old soldiers whose pensions have
been granted on applications filed after July ],
1850, providing they should be paid from the
time of discharge If such bill were to pass
would it have any good effect upon those vet
Grams drawing pensions under the act of June
%, 1902 AHsger. 1t failed TO become law,
and we are of the opinion that no such measure
will be enacted, for the reason that it would
take more than thousand million of dollars
to pay arrears SO granted.