Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-09-01
NO END TO TIE PENSIONS.
THE SPANISH WAR WILL ADD
TO A LIST OF OVER ONE
MILLION.
Fewer Than 100 New Claims Have
Been Filed So Far, But More Are
Expected Pensions Already
Cost Sl50,0O0,OO0 Q Year.


WASHINGTON, ID. c., August "a
With a disbursement last year OF loo
million dollars on account Of q war
concluded thirty-five years ago and
with a war just o closing, the PEN
sion list assumes gigantic proportions
and no one dares to venture an opin-
ion as to when it will stop growing.
In the forthcoming annual report Of
II. Clay Evans, commissioner of PEN
sions, it will be shown that on June
80, 1897, there we're on the rolls of the
pension bureau 976, Ola pensioners. To
this must be added 6,S52 original
claims granted, but not recorded, and
1852 reservations which were not en-
tered at the time on the books.
Commissioner Evans granted 49,
64s original claims during the past
year and restored 4,Os9 pensioners to
the benefits of pensions. The PEN
sioners now aggregate 1,040, 1856.
THE CLAIMS NOW IN.
There is no way of even approx
mating what the claims will be under
the recent war. That 1t will not equal
ever the number of pensions granted
last year seems certain. The pension
office has done nothing with the
claims that have up to this time been
fled. They do not aggregate q hum
dred and are for the most part claims
of widows and next OF kin of the SOL
diers who fell before Santiago.
Before a claim can be perfected 1t
must contain the full record of the
soldiers service, and this information
has not yet been complied by the war
department. When this is done the
claims will be speedily taken up and
proved and granted.
The majority of the claims will be
for wounds and sickness, the latter
leaving the soldier more or less dis
abled.
No additional legislation will be re-
CURED to deal with the cases arising
from this war. The present laws, the
authorities say cover all that is neces-
sary, and claims will be adjudicated
on the same lines az those of the re-
bellion. There will be q separate
division at the pension Office known
as the Spanish American war divis-
ion, and claims arising hereunder will
be taken up not according to serial
number, but to date of filing.
The expenses of the pension bureau
for 1898 were, in round numbers, $50
million dollars. OF this vast sum
s144,651, SITS so were actually paid for
pensions. The remaining s4,613, s61. 26
was divided as follows: Fees paid
examining surgeons, 1884, 249. os;
agencies, including salaries and ex-
expenses, $685., 620. "a; bureau, includ-
ing salaries and per diem expenses,
ss,1s2,s 1884, "a.
CARE AGAINST FRAUD.
Care will be taken in the mastering
out Of the army to guard against
fraudulent pension claims hereafter.
Under the orders issued by the War
Department blanks are to be furnished
the troops upon their return to the
state camps containing questions
which each man will be required to
answer over his signature and attested
by the captain Of his company. The
soldier must state whether he was
wounded and II 80 where and charac-
ter of the injury, whether he has con-
tracted any disease OF disability In the
line of duty and whether he is as
sound physically at the time of dis
charge as at the time of muster, etc.
These answers are to be certified by
commanders in accordance with their
personal knowledge and the facts set
forth on the company rolls.
If s.ny disease or disability is claimed
the mastering officer will cause an
examination to be made by q medical
officer of the regular army, when
available, and when not, by q medical
officer not of the organization to
which the soldier belongs. Under
this examination 1t will be impossible
for men who served in the war with
Spain to base future claims for PEN
sions on any but substantial grounds,
the evidence OF which will be found In
the record of the soldier made by
himself. As all soldiers of the present
war YER physically examined before
entering the service and passed az
sound, all statements made now to the
effect that no physical disability has
been contracted during the war will
be q bar to q claim for a pension In
future on account Of disability alleged
to have been contracted In the SER
vice. Had such an examination al
that now proposed been made upon
the muster out of the troops who
served in the war of the rebellion the
government would have been saved
hundred of millions Of dollars.
CONDENSED WAR CALENDAR.
Jan. 24-The Maine ordered to Ha-