The age-herald., 1899-04-07
IMPORTANT ORDER
 FROM WASHINGTON Received By Adjutant-General BrlndO1
 in Montgomery. THE WAR DEPARTMENT SAYS
Members of Volunteer Organizations Are
 Mt Entitled to Extra Pay.
DECISIONS OF SUPREME COURT
Proceedings in Head Case Interrupted By Report of Jury in Case of Mamie Richardson For Mur-
 der-Railroad Commission.

Age-Herald Bureau, Hotel Mabson, Mont gomery, April 6.-(special. .)-Adjutant Gen. eral Brandon today received a very inter- esting order from the war deartment, in- cooperating the assistant comptroller's ln- depreciation of the recent acts of congress which provides for extra pay to volunteer officers and enl sted men who served in the recent war with Spain. "The act of Jan uary F, 1S99,' says Assistant Comptroller Mitchell, makes no provision for payment of extra pay to the officers and enlisted men of the regular army. It makes no pro- vision for officers and enlisted men who belonged to volunteer organizations, but who had been mustered out, or otherwise discharged pr or to the date of the act
 l am of the opinion that the act can not be construed to include in its benefits officers and enlisted men who belonged to volunteer organizations until after the passage of the act, but who did not belong to volunteer organization at the time t was mustered out and discharged from the service. Volunteer officers and enlisted men discharged, either before or after Jan uary F, 1899, for disability contracted in service and in ne of duty, appear to have as strong a claim to favorable legislation as those mustered out with their organiza- tlon, but, however meritorious such cases may be, they do not appear to have been considered or provided for in ths act"
 A large number, if not all, the Alabama troops have applied to the auditor of the war department for their extra months pay as provided for in the act of March last, but whether their applications will avail them anything remains to be seen The assistant comptroller thus construes that particular act:
 ''The act of March 8, 1899, supra, applies 10 enlisted men in the regular army who enlisted subsequent to the declaration of war Tor the war only as individuals, and II such enlisted served honestly and faith fully grants to them the extra pay ora. Vded in the act to muster out and dis charge from the service. whether before or after the passage of the act, without re- gard to the muster out and discharge of the organization to which they belonged and 1 am of opinion, and so decide that the aDoVe proviso grants to enlisted men of volunteer organizations who have served honestly and faithfully the extra pay pro- Vided in the act on muster out and dis charge from the service, whether before or after the passage of the act of January 12 lS99, without regard to the muster out and dlscharge of the organization to which they belonged"
 It will be seen from the above construc- ton there is little if any probability that the Alabama troops will receive the extra months pay by reason of their having been mustered out and formally discharged rom the service prior to the passage of this act. The proviso is that the provis- ions of the act shall apply for the payment or volunteers as fully as though they form ed part of the regular army