Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-09-07
PENSION OFFICE REPORT.
Col. Evans In His Annual Messaee.
Presents Interesting Fact. Con- j
corning His Bureau.
PAYMENTS LARsER 1aAA EVER BEFORE.
-5--
The Total Expendttures During the
Year Were 413s,355, O52-Nanaber-
~ Pensioners IL 001, 5lO-The Con--
mission II Pleased with Condjtions
Of A1airs.

Washington, Sept. 1.-The annual re-
port Of Col. II. Clay Evans, the commits
sioner of pensions, for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 1899, presents someivery
interesting facts in connection with the
condition of the pension roll and the OPP
erations of the bureau. The report.
says:
The pension roll Is made up Of 1885,
Isl surviving soldiers and 237.415 widows
or dependent relatives, and 653 army nurses.
To them last year was paid $l31 6l7 ,961. being
$6l9,4 1856 more than ever before.
The average Of each class Of pensions L.
also higher. The cost Of bureaus, attor-
neys' fees etc. brought the total expended
up to $13s 052. being 948 less than the
appropriation.
Payments for the Year. M
The payments for pensions for the year.
are classified as follows:
General law, 81, 115,7O3; Spanish war. $zs.-
COS: act Of 1890, s64, go. 400. Fees paid to att
torneys were $476.969. against $4,000 in
1898. Total number Of claims fled during
the year, 1876; auowed. S7.077; restored.
1914: total allowances. including increases.
$685. Total claims pending June 30. 1889.
6s5.095; June 3d. 1899, 477,2s9
The total disbursements to pensioners
since 1856 were 81, 3S9, 910,974. During the
same period, $15, 490.9s6 went to examining
surgeons. 81. 092. l7S to pension agencies and
tOSszOts6ko LOT salaries ana Oluer expenses
OF the pension bureau.
Number Of Pensioners.
The number Of pensioners residing in for
eign countries Is 1906, to whom is paid
$685. 00. OF this number 2,139 reside in
Canada, 415 in ireland, COS in Germany, and
s21 in England. There are four surviving
widows and seven surviving daughters Of
the revolutionary war on the rolls. Hiram
Cronk. of northwestern New York. is the
only surviving pensioned soldier of the war
of 1872 He is SO years Of age. The NUM-
Der of pensioned widows of the war of
1872 is 1885, On account Of the Indian wars
1858 soldiers and 1889 widows are pensioned.
For service in the Mexican war there are
enrolled 9204 soldiers and 8179 widows.
June 80, 1899, the total number Of pensioners
was 991 .5l9, being 2.195 less than on the same
date in 1885,
Claims Rejected.
During the year 1O7.s19 claims Of air
classes were rejected in the bureau. A
careful analysis Of the causes of refec-.
ton OF so many claims is given, showing
that large percentage of reflections oc--
cur in claims in which ADDITIONAL allowances
Of some kind is claimed
stoppage Of Pensions.
Complaints have been made against the
bureau for the stoppage of the pensions of
those who enlisted or accepted commits
sions in the war with Spain. These pen.
sions ceased by operation Of law, and not
by any order or instructions from the bu--
reau.
Up to this date the number Of reenlist--
ments Of pensioners for service in the war
with Spain has been reported as Is Of the.
navy, A Of the regular army and 66 Of the.
war Of the rebellion
satished with Results.
The commissioner expresses his satisfac-.
ton with the results for the past year. No.
new rules Of evidence have been introduced
in the adjudication Of claims but the work
has been accomplished under prescribeda
rules Of many years standing.
In his conclusion the commissioner states.
that the pension laws are generous: that
their Interpretation by the department. has.
always been liberal, and their administra-
ton by the bureau officials has been and tss
now far more liberal than the generous
laws-always giving the benefit of doubt in.
favor Of the soldier