The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-11-11

secured in the public buildings the agency
should be transferred there. | call your at
tenton to the fact that the most of the agen-
eies to be abolished under the Executive
order are occupying public buildings.
PENSION LAWS.
| domost earnestly recommend the passage
OF law to the end that no pension he granted
to the widow of any soldier that shall marry
hereafter As the laws are now, the woman
that marries soldier who is peDsioned I'M
der the act of June p, 1890, can get no pen
sion as widow unless she was married to
the soldier prior to the passage of the act of
June q, $500; the woman that marries
soldier who is pensioned under the general
law and becomes widow is entitled to a
widows pension There should be no dis
elimination, and woman that marries a SOL
der now t32 years since peace was declared)
takes him for better or for worse She was
not the wife of the soldier during the war
see experienced none of the hardships, depriv-
atoms. and anxieties incident to the life of
the wife of soldier, and should not be placed
on the roll as such
PENSIONERS
l respectfully recommend that complete
list of all pensioners be published. This
would be particularly valuable for the use of
the Special Examiners in the field. Such
publication should give the service of the
pensloner and present residence.
Your attention is invited to Summary of
Tables submitted herewith
Very respectfully,
III. CLAY EVANS,
Commissioner.
THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.
SUMMARY OF TABLES
Some of the tables in Commissioner Evanss
report contain interesting statistics. One
shows that there were at the close of the year
916, Ol4 pensioners, classified as follows:
Widows of Revolutionary soldiers. ..... 7
Daughters of Revolutionary sodiers......... 0
Survivors OF the of iSi 2....................
Widows of soldiers of the of lslZ.-..... 2sl0
Survivors of the Indian wars tlS32-lsl2:.... 1913
widows of soldiers of the Indian
Survivors OF the Mexican 10 %
Widows of soldiers of the Mexican war. s072
Army invalid pensioners 336 294
Army widows, minor children, elc.-.-........ SI603
Navy invalid pensioners ...................... ass
Navy widows, minor children, etc...-........ 2,375
Army nurses. ............ 653
Act of June 81, 1890:
Army invalid 37S 600
Army widows, minor children, etc 1l0.593
Navy Invalid pensioners 1881
Navy widows, minor children. etc. .....-.... 5,765
There were added to the rolls during the
year the names of 50101 new pensioners,
and the names of 1871 who had previously
been dropped were restored 1t is proper,
however the Commissioner says. to state that
of the number added TO the rolls during the
year, 1852 original cases and 762 restoration
and renewal cases were held in the Bureau
until July |, 1897, and are therefore not in
cluded in the tables submitted in this repn-G.
During the same period the names of Al, 122
persons were dropped for various causes.
The average annual value of each pension
at the close of the year was 1888 IL the average
annual value of each pension under the general
law was Sl6204, while the average annual
value of each pension under the act of June
81, 1890 was S109.25. The aggregate value
of all pensions at the close of the year was
1929, 795, 428.
One table shows the amount and number of
first payments made at the pension agencies
during the year in each class of cases 1t will
be seen that 90, 1873 first payments were made
during the year, and they amounted to S12,
SIS, COL. The average value of all original pay
ments made during the year was $lS1.77;
the average value of original payments in cases
allowed under the general law was 1888. II,
while the average value aboriginal paymentsin
cases allowed under the act of June 81, 1890,
was S160.07. The amount paid as fees to
attorneys during the year in all classes of
cases was 1894, 348.19.
This table also shows that there were in
the hands of the Pension Agents at the close
of the year, unpaid, ,287 cases, and in which
there was due, as first payment, the sum OF
1896, 429.77. Fourteen thousand six hundred
and seventy-one certificates of various classes
issued during 1897, but held in the Bureau
until July /, 1897, required first payments
amounting to 81, 191, 694.63 making a total
amount of first payments due, but not made,
at close of year Of 81, 518, 1910.
The net increase to the rolls during the
year was 5, 336, excluding cases held until
July /, 1897
During the fiscal year 1897, 1924 claims
to pension of the various classes were re-
jected. This number does not, however, in
clude merely the number of reflections in
claims for higher rates of pension.