The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-05-26


F. NJ. B.. Rockford, O.-All claims fo
arrears of pay on account of milltar,
service during the late war are cOnSidere,
by the Auditor for the War Department
Washington, ID. C.. Consult an attorney
if you are not familiar with such matters.
w. Moo, StTeator, lll.-An invalid pen
sioner drawing $50 per month for ina bilit.
TO perform manual labor, in consequence o
disablement from a wound might obtain ;
re-rating of his pension If as a matter o
fact he has been disabled in the same
degree continuously since the commence
ment of the pension. The rate for this
degree of disability was total of rank
(SS for an enlisted mani until June 6, 1866
when the rate was made $50 and continued
such till June 4, 1872, when il was in
creased to S24. The rate has been S3t
since March s. 1883.
j. II. d., Somerdale O.-All invalid pen
sion granted under the general law COM
mences from date of discharge, if the dis
ability was formally alleged by application
filed in the Pension Bureau before July /,
1880. There is no way of determining
within what period an order for medical
examination will issue after a claim is
filed, or within what period after examina-
ton the claim will be allowed. Six months
in either case would ordinarily be reason
able time.
T. H., Perry, O.-See reply to j. III. D.,
above.
S. Y, Banksville, Pa.-Three years
volunteers enlisted in 1861 and discharged
in 1864 were entitled To only S1G0 original
bounty, and To an additional bounty of
S100 under the act of July %, 1866.
W. 5. H.. Baxter Springs, Kan.-As
already stated in The National Tribune,
pensioners who have received tic list OF
questions being sent out by the Com
missioner OF Pensions are not obliged to
choose Ia do SO.
T. r.. Lamasco. Tex.-If the soldiers
death is shown 10 be due Ia the service and
line of duty his widow would be entitled To
pension under the general law for the
period of her widowhood, whether she ap
piled before or after TemarriaCc. \ child of
the soldier under 16 at the date of his
death and insane, idiotic, or othe rwise
permanently helpless" tCfoTe becoming 16,
would be entitled To have the pension
continued on after the date of the widow 5
remarriage, without regard To age at the
date of the widow S remarriaCc.
j. c. c.. Brainard Minn.-Section IS of
the act OF March ). 1858. provided And
be il further enacted, That hereafter
enlisted men now or hereafter detailed to
special service, shall not receive any extra
pay for such service beyoId that allowed
TO other enlisted men. This included
teamsterS. For extra duty rendered as
such previous to March , 1862. the extra
pay allowed is coIlectable If not heretofore
received.
c. O. d.. Exeter. N H-A pension claim
ant is not obliged To prosecute his claim.
He may drop il at any stage, without
affecting his rights hereunder or his
rights to pension he is already drawing.
Even while the practice and decisions OF
the Pension Bureau are uniaVora BILE, 1t is
not always well To discontinue the prose-
cution of a good claim. 1t is generally
he "a II
able decision If necessary, rather than miss
o possibly favorable decision.
q. w, Newton. Iowa Tho National
tribune reports only such pension decis-
ions of the Interior Department as are
thought to be OF importance and general
interest. 1t is impossible To say how many
appeals are now pending in pension cases,
but the number is very great.
c. W. F., Bcntonville Ark.-EXcept in
claims for increase on penSIoned disability
there is no time limit as To the period
within which an appeal may be taken
from the action of rejection in the Pension
Bureau. Upon the whole, the decisions
rendered by or in the name OF Assistant
Secretary Davis OF the Interior Department
do not bear evidences Of greater liberality
than that manifested by the present Com
missioner OF Pensions
G. s. C, lonia Mch.-Therc is no law"
on the subject Of the frequency with which
a pensioner may file claims for increase.
A recent decision OF Assistant Secretary
Davis revokes the order Of the Commits
sioner of Pensions, OF December last, that
claims for increase would not be consid-
cred within one year after Il rior rejection
or allowance, and reinstateS the former
practice that a claim for increase shall not
ordinarily be settled within six months
after prior rejection or allowance.
W. II. D.-Ordinarily claim for increase
on pensioncd disa bility is established or
not according To the view taken 10y the
Pension Bureau of the medical examina
ton had in the claim, without other evil
dence.
J. C. s., Delaney, Pa.-All claims for
pension not covered by the general law
must represented to Congress for special
act. Consult the member Of Congress from
your district or Senator OF your State.
j. j., Brooklyn, \. Y.-lnvalid ension
under the general law is granted only on
account Of disability due to the service
and line of duty. Hence, age is not taken
into consideration in fixing the rate OF pen
sion under the general law.
ID. W, Council Grove, KAMA soldier of
the late war was entitled 10 Communication
Of rations at the rate of Is cents per day !
1or the period of absence on furlouch II
for any reason this allowance was not
paid in any instance, the money can be |
collected on application TO the Commits |
sary General OF Subsistence, L. S. A, |
Washington. ID. c." I'm general the original |
furlough must be filed. Section 1880 OF the |
Revised Statutes provides: when sol |
der is thonorablyl discharged from the |
service, he shall be allowed trans |
portation and subsistence from the place |
of his discharge TO the place OF his enlist |
ment, enrolment, or original muster into 1
the service. The Government may furnish /
the same in kind, but IN case il shall not |
do so, he shall he allowed travel-pay and |
communication Of subsistence for such time |
as may be sufficient for him to travel from |
the place of discharge to the place of his |
enlistment, enrolment, or original muster
INTO the service, computed at the rate of
one day for every 20 miles"
L. w X, Serena, Ill.-A three-years vol
unteer when discharged TO veteranize was
entitled TO receive then the 500 original
bounty promised on his original enlist
ment.
G. +. T., Glendale, H. 1.-The salary of
the Commissioner of Pensions is SIS 900
per year. The clerical force proper of the
PENSION Bureau numbers ,756.
q. n. IL, Hedfeld, S. D.-The law does
not specify the number of pension ex-
aiming surgeons, ard as they are paid
according TO the number of examinations |
they make, and have no fixed salaries, il
is lmpractcable 10 determine the exact
cost from year TO year Of this branch OF the
WORK OF the Pension Bureau.
l.. Nj. D, Builard, Minn-A legal mar
mage may be proven by evidence of con-
tlnuous cohabitation together as husband
and wlfe, recognizing each other and being
recognized as such, when there is no
pubic or church record Of the marriage.
and the testimony Of persons at the ceTe-
L.