The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-07-09
OUR CORR ESPONDENT5.

Correspondents should write each question on
separate sheet OF paper, give full name and adj
dress ana marx 1t corresponding Column" No
attention will be paid to communications not nc
companed with name and address Of writer. 1t Is
requested that stamp be iuciosed for reply by
letter. Postal cards will bs replied to by mail
only. Replies by mail will ordinarily he made
withina week. and II ia this column within three
weeks.l
A. j. C.. National Soldiers Home. Va.-Plesse
state whether Congress has recently enacted any
laws emitting sailors to bounty. | have seen
something on the bulletin board of the Home
that has caused the belief that such legislation
has been had. AaSWer. There has been no such
legislation. What was done during the last ses.
sion Of Congress was to pass law relieving
those Paymaster5 OF the Navy who had go iu-
terpreted former statutes as to hold entitled to
the three months pay those enlisted men of the
Navy who, within three months of a former
term of service, re-enlisted, and to correct the
effect of recent ruling of the Assistant Comp
trolier which had reversed the action Of the
Navy Department for more than 40 years, by
applying technical rule to the construction Of
the statute. For upwards Of 50 years il has
been held by said Department that an enlisted
man of the Navy who enlisted within three
months from prior discharge should be paid
for the interim as an inducement to retain
perienced men in the service, and this was OK
tended to- all classes of enlisted men. For many
years some Of the enlisted men of the Navy
have been rated as yeomen stewards cooks,
landsmen, etc, and other designations not set
forth in the original statute that authorized the
payment of the three months bonus, and because
they were not specially mentioned in said stat
ute. the Comptroller held that they were not
entitled to the pay in question. and that the
Paymasters who bad 80 paid were in error.
To remedy this narrow construction of tho law
and to relieve the Paymasters. Congress passed
the act referred to on the bulletin board. 1t
will be observed that this does not entitle any
class that havo not heretofore been held by the
pay officers of the Navy to be entitled, aud i'm
no degree enlsrges the original bonus offered
for re-euIistement; and it is improbable that
any ex-sailor will be entitled to anything under
it. since those having title have long since been
paid. There u.s. popularity speaking, no bounty
about it; but in discussing the matter in the
House, n Member referred 10 il as bounty"
using the word in its broad sense, and intend
ing it to mean that in this instance it was syn
onymons with three months pay.
G.. B.. Nina, " K.--Please state what is the
law exempting soldiers homes purchased with
pension money from taxation. And does the
property have to be wholly purchased with
pension money and can it be in 4 name other
than the soldier and be exempted? Ansrer.
We have often stated in this column that by
virtue of United States law there is no such ex-
mption. The Federal law does not go beyond
protecting the pension up to the time that the
check is cashed then it loses its identity as
pension money, and any further exemption that
may attach is because of the laws of the partcu-
lar State in which the pensioner may reside; as
to these particular exemptions, if any, we are
not sufficiently familiar to advise, and legal
questions involving an intimate knowledge
Of the laws Of a State, and an acquaintance
with the decisions Of the courts thereof should
he referred 10 good local lawyer. We know
that your State has made some exemptions as
regards property bought with pension money,
but we do not know whether the court of last
resort of your State has declared those laws
constitutional. or how the law has been authori-
taiiyely interpreted; nor have we a copy of the
law.
j. w. g., BeDtonriHe, Of soldier who is a
pensioner has married since 1890, will his widow
get pension under any law? AHsUer. This is
another questionthat has frequently been an
swered this column. No widow who was
married to the soldier after June 81 1890, is
entitled to pension unless the soldier happens
TO die from cause directly due to his military
service and line of duty therein
Us. b., Marshall, Mich.-What is q "reissue"?
And is pensiOner who has such liable to be
reduced thereby? AHSlrer. A reissue is an
issue made for various reasons; sometimes to
reduce, but more frequently to increase on
some additional disability, or to change to
another law or TO correct the service or the
name Of the disability; it may increase or it