The National tribune., 1899-02-23
PENSION POINTERS.
INQUIRIES Answered and Sug.
gestions Made.

will hc marked as NAV be desired No attentio
Will Toe given TO anonymous inquiries. IL no re
J. NJ. b., Atchison, Kan.-As you wer
discharged after two years service, you
received 500 bounty under the act o
July %, 1861, and SO are not enttdieo ''
bounty under the act OF July 70, 1888.
J. L. b. l.. Hinder the fee law o
June 20. 1878, attorneys in pension case:
had right to collect their fees tS10in eacl
easel in advance. This law continued III
force until il was superseded by the act
July 4, 1884, the present fee law.
G C.-The practice of the Pension Blu
reau in the matter of acknowledging evl
dence filed appears not to be entirely UNI
form. AS a rule, the receipt of evidence
is not acknowledged until il is taken vi
for consideration. If you are acting as
your own attorney, and wish 10 be sure
that evidence you send in has reached
the Pension Bureau all right, the best
thing TO do is 10 attach sell addressed
postal, writing on the message side an
acknow ledgment of the receipt OF the evl-
dence The mail received IN the zen
sion Bureau is SO volumlnouS that IL Is
practically impossible to make formal &C
acknowledgement of the receipt of all the
various papers filed there.
S. j. R.-All pensions granted under the
act of June %, 1890, commence from date
of filing application. When widow draw
ing under the act of 1890 dies or remarrlesl
the children of the soldier then under 10
are entitled to apply for and receive pen
sion under the act from the date OF ming
application till they become is. III they
neglect to apply before becoming is, there
is no period for which they can be pen
stoned under the act of 1890. III, now
ever, the soldiers death is shown TO pc
due TO his service, they could OBTAIN pen
sion under the general law for the perioo
of their pensionable minority. In the case
you mention the child still under 10 may
apply under the act of 1890 and receive
pension from the date of application until
Ii becomes 10, at the rate OF $40 per
month In the other case you mention,
il the blindness of the soldier is shown
90 be due to his service and line of duty
the pensioner can obtain the S72 rating.
A. T., Aurora, Neb.-The rate OF
widows pension under the general law is
S12 per month if she were married TO the
soldier before March 10, 1886, or before OF
during his service, and If he were an en-
listed man at time OF origin OF the iatdI
disability. The widows OF soldiers VINO
were commissioned officers at the time
of origin of the fatal disability are entitled
10 from SIS in case of the widow OF a
Second Lieutenant, to $50 in cases OF
widows of Lieutenant Coloneis ana OH
GERS of higher rank. This rs only unoef
the general pension law, not the act OF
June q, 1890.
M. s.. Rawlins, Wyo.-The highest rate
of pension for a widow under the general
pension law is $50 per month. See reply
20 A. T., above.
Homestead.-N land warrants" were
given for service in the war OF the rebei-
lion, or for any service subsequent 10
March 3, 1855. You cannot acquire
homestead on the public LANDS without
actual residence thereon. For furthef III.
formation address the Commissioner OF
the General Land Office, Washington,
ID. C.
p. r., Cynthiana, Ky.-See reply to
Homestead, above. The actual pTactice
of the Pension Bureau in the matter OF
permitting the claimant or his attorney
TO examine the report of q medical e4,
animation in a case not yet aoluo!caleo
by the Bureau is not entirely uniform.
Usually the report may be examined
The Pension Bureau Will not INFORM tie
claimant or attorney whether or not the
report was favorable; the claimant or at
torney must determine that Tor them :
selves on examination of the report.
E. s. X. Rehrersburg, Pa.-H you wish
10 claim the commencement OF your pen
sion under the act of 1890 from the date OF
filing your first application therefor is
necessary under present practice 10 NE
an application in the Pension Bureau;
You might obtain reconsideration anu
reversal of the action OF the Commis-
eioner of Pensions in fixing the com
mencement of your pension from the date
of filing of the last application by taxing
an appeal to the Secretary OF the interior.
But il seems the better way to first apply
at the Pension Bureau, and thus ado one
more chance of getting 1t, especially as
you can still appeal to the Secretary IL
the decision of the Pension Bureau Is
again unfavordble.
Black Crow.-It is held by the pension
no. q
veteranize was not complete discharge
but conditional discharge, and hence
that a soldier is not entitled under the
general law on disability incurred before
he veteranzed, If he deserted at some
time after he VeteraniZed, and is refused
an honorable discharge by the War De
partment. Ii is expected that q decision
will presently be rendered covering TINS
class of cases.
+. w. X, Cornish.-It is held that if the
amputation Of a leg be above the mIddie
point between the knee and the hip, the
ampufation is TO be regarded as too near
the Joint 20 permit the effective use OF
an artificial limb.
ID. l. F.. Port Gamble, Wash.-The
only pension legislation OF late years with
reference to State militia is the JOINT reso-
luton OF Feb. IS, 1895, extending the act
Of June q, 1890, Ia the three years Mis-
sour Stale Militia organized in the Win
ter Of 1861 G.. and the provisional regi-
ments Of Enrol cd Missouri Militia or
ganized early in 1868. The provisional
companies OF Enrolled Missouri Militia
organized in the Summer Of 1864 are not
now entitled 20 pension under any gem
eral Law unless their claims were prose
cuted To "A successful issue before July
4, 1874. They are not entitled under the
act Of 1880
S. b., Rushville, Hit is not clear
what sort OF a case you have reference 10.
The delays in the Pension Bureau are
often very great. After n pension is
granted il is usually week or more be
fore the claimant receives notice thereof,
and il may be a week or longer thereafter
before he gets his check.
w. j. NJ, Phoebus, Va.-Honorable ter
mination Of every period Of service entered
upon during the war Of the rebellion is
required in claims under the act Of June
u, 1890. This applies 10 widows cases
as well as soldiers cases.
J.. n. f., North Yakima, Wash.-It is
not true that If pensioner has married
since 1880 his widow is debarTed from ever
getting ii pension" IL is true that she
could not obtain pension under the act
of June u, 1890, If not married TO him be-
fore the date Of the act. But If the sol
dier's death is shown TO be due 10 the
service and line Of duty, she can obtain
pension under the general law, irrespec-
tive of date of marriage.
j. G., Hillsboro, O.-Evidently the Pen
sion Bureau simply requires additional
testimony as 20 your condition since dis
charge, some of that on file possibly not
being entirely satisfactory. Of course, if
II is impossible for you 10 furnish ad-