The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-18
NEW RULES ARE ADOPTED,
WHICH SHOW A TENDENCY TO BE
MORE CRITICAL IN TREAT
MENT. OF CLAIMS.
} MORE PRIVATE
BILLS,
by the Pension Bureau-The
New Rules.
WASHINGTON BUREAU ST. PAUL GLOBE,
CORCORAN Bull DING.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-THE con-
gressional committees on pensions In
the house and senate have reached an
agreement, which has been expressed
in seven rules recently adopted for the
treatment Of pending claims. These
are significant as showing the growth
Of critical spirit, in hopeful contrast
with some Of the doings Of the last
congress. 1t is related that Mr.. Hardy.
Of Indiana, then a representative, said
with great earnestness to the pension
committee, Of which he was g. men,
Der. when they were considering some
shady claims: IT have never yet In
my life voted against private pension
claim, and, so help me God, I never
will" Representative Sulloway, Of
New Hampshire, a member Of the COM
mittee on invalid pensions, gave ex-
preston to a similar sentiment at the
first committee meeting of this session.
Turning to MI Ray, the chairman, he
asked: How many claims do I I'M
derstand have been filed with this COM
mittee?" After little calculation, Mr..
Ray said that there were between $500
and $500. To this Mr.. Sulloway re-
sponded: 81 would like to give notice
right here that I am now ready to
vote to report favorably every one Of
them"
The first Of the new rules, which
indicate that the Sulloway idea IS no
longer dominant, Is this: "Considera-
ton will not be given any bill which
has not first been presented to and
considered by the pension bureau, I'M
less 1t should appear that the claimant
has no pensionable status under any
general law" 1t had become to some
slight extent the practice of women
of high social position and influence,
especially in Washington, instead Of
going to the pension bureau in regular
way when the death of a husband
made them pensionable. to ask con-
gressional committee to pass q private
bill for their benefit. Where the claim
ant possesses sufficient influence this
is obviously an easier and quicker way
than to wait the slow motions Of the
pension Office. But this practice must
stop henceforth. Where the claimant
has any chance whatever under gen
eral law, he or she must first have the
claim either allowed or disallowed by
the Office before the committee will
consider it.
A second rule is that, except in the
cases Of invalids, soldiers and sailors,
by special act, where the existing pen
sion was so granted, will not be con-
sidered." This means that any widow
who has received a pension by special
act cannot have 1t increased in the
same way. The door is still left open
for invalids. soldiers and sailors them
selves, whose needs and deserts might
be changed by the appearance of new
testimony or by the development Of
graver disa abilities.
Rule No. recites that "bllls pro-
viding for the payment of arrears will
not be considered" There Is a very
prevalent misunderstanding on the
subject of arrears which finds It's way
into the requests presented to the spe-
cial committees. 1t will be recalled
that congress passed an act on March
8. 1879 providing for the payment of
certain pensions in arrears in case the
claims were filed before July 1. 1880.
To this limitation some exceptions were
made, particularly that in favor of mi
nor children, the insane, and persons
otherwise legally incompetent Since
the passage of the original law fur
Their exception has been made in the
case of widows. They can at any time
file claim for a pension In arrears,
even if at the time Of filing married to
a second husband. If their claim Is
substantiated, they will receive pay
ment for the period from the date of
date of the second marriage Under
the death CT the first husband until the
the arrears act, pensions were granted
from the date of discharge from the
army. in case the claimant was then
pensionable, or from the date at which
his disability, growing out of the mill
tary service, reached a pensionable de-
gree, or from date of death Of a prior
claimant, as in the case Of a woman
becoming pensionable upon the death
of her husband who had been a pen
sioner The pension office had long ago
acted upon all the claims filed In the
sixteen months allowed by law, and the
number was tremendous. The arrears
act alone, it is said. disabled more men
than the shot and shell of all the
armies Of the ConfederacV combined
But the pension Office will not TODAY
receive any such thing as an original
application for a pension in arrears,
except In the peculiar cases specified
Sirce the office is not considering svch
cases, the congressional committees
have decided that they will not Re
ports frequently find their way into the
public prints to the effect that Mr. So
and-SO has been granted a pension in
arrears amounting to a handsome sum
Such a case usually comes about in
this way His claim was filed before
but has been recently reopened upon
presentation of new testimony re-
jected pension claim is practically a
pending claim, so the experts say. 1t
all depends upon accommodating strong
er testimony, and the energy exerted
in that direction Is something marvel
Gus. The pension bureau is at all times
subject to a tremendous pressure of a
reopening of rejected cases, and in
stances of the reversal of an earlier
adverse decision are abundant.
A fourth rule is that "bills for those
persons not enlisted will not be con-
sidered, except for disability incurred
in action" This means that no more
civilians employed as army teamsters.
in the quartermaster's department, as
paymaster's clerks, and the like, will
be granted pensions unless they were
actually injured in action. The posi-
ton of these civilian employees was
vastly different from that of the regu-
lar soldier They received higher pay,
were generally in less dangerous posi-
lions and, whenever the work got too
hot for them, were at liberty to re-
sign and go home. The soldier was
obliged to stay under fire till his term
expired It frequently happened that
these teamsters and other non-enIisted
men would take guns in hand and
stand emergency service. In such
cases the government is still willing
to hear their claims for disa bility, and
will probably act favorably upon them
in most cases. But where the team
ster met with some ordinary accident,
such as falling off his wagon forty
miles from the firing, he must Shout
der the same responsibility for his