The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-01
Reimbursement of States for Ex-
( penses Incurred Before the Mus
tering In of Volunteers.
LEE AND WHEELER TO TESTIFY
WILL APPEAR BEFORE THE ARMY
INVESTIGATION COMMISSION.
Editor Asked to supply Proof of Sem
satiOnal Charges-NOtes from the
Camp of the 161st Indiana.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30.-A P. Mitchell,
acting controller of the treasury, has rem
dered decision on the question of reim-
bursement of Governors of States and Ter
ritories for costs and expenses which they
may have incurred in aiding the United
States to raise a volunteer army. He holds
that 'if upon the call of the President for
volunteers, the Governor of any State or
Territory, in aiding the United States to
raise volunteer army, called out any part
of the militia of his State or Territory, In
order that it might be enlisted as such into
the volunteer army, and any of its organ
lied militia were afterward accepted into
the volunteer army of the United States,
such Governor may be reimbursed under
the act of July s. 1898. for reasonable costs,
charges and expenses which he may have
incurred by making proper payments to
them for service from the day they en-
tered the service as such militia in response
to the call of the Governor to the day on
which they were afterward accepted into
the volunteer army. and the rate of pay
provided by the laws of the various States
for their militia must be held to be reason
able within the meaning of said act of July
s, 1882
1t is further held that "for all payments
made by the Governor to such militiamen
pay for service rendered by them prior
to the time they had their names enrolled
for service in the volunteer army and Joined
for duty therein, no charges or deduction
should be made by the pay department of
the United States against their pay. For
all payments made by the Governor to such
militiamen for service rendered by them be-
tween the day on which they had their
NO. cd for in fbo inf or.
army and Joined for duty therein, which is
the day their pay and allowances shall be
deemed to commence by the United States.
under the act of July T. 1898, and the day they
were afterward accepted into the army of
United States, deductions should be made
by the pay department of the United States
from the pay that would be due the soldiers,
except for such payments by the Governor
in order to prevent double payment to the
soldier, which the law does not contemplate.
IF the Governor made payments to men
who had their names enrolled for service
in the volunteer army and joined for duty
therein, and who were afterward accepted
into the volunteer army, but who did not
enter the service as part of militia organ
ization, as above mentioned, the amount for
which the Governor should be reimbursed
in such case should not excesd in amount
the pay allowed to soldiers by the laws of
the United States and in such cases such
reimbursement should only be for payments
for service from the time the soldier was
so enrolled and joined for duty to the time
when he was afterwards accepted into the
service of the United States. The Governor
in no instance is entitled, under said act of
July s, 1898, to be reimbursed for any pay
ments made by him to volunteers for serv-
ice by them after their acceptance into the
service of the United States"