The National tribune., 1900-03-15
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges=
lions Made.

Sofdier.-Thc action of the Pension Blu,
rcau in rejecting your claim for increase
over the rate allowed you, on the ground
that the evidence filed did not Justify a
higher rate than that allowed is iii accord
ance with the practice l0ng-eSia DiISfed III
the Pension Bureau. When clalman:
rests his ease on evidence fled, If is pre-
sumed 10 be as strong evidence as he can
get, and it is not customary for the Bureau
10 call for stronger evidence unless the
evidence is materially deficient in some
s. +. d.. Quaker City, O.-Ordinarily
cases in the Medical Division Of the PEN
sion Bureau are disposed OF within .. month
or so. The chances are that If a El1ard OF
Examining Surgeons recommended a
rating OF $50 for total inability 10 perform
any manual labor. the recommendation
would be disrngarded unless the report rs
10 the claimants physical condition be very
full and complete and is sustained by other
credible evidence filed in the case.
W. J. H., Phai1mr, O.-Al pension
claims filed rnGcr the general law by chill
dren of deceased soldiers and sailors, who
were over 16 at date of application. have
been held up in the Pension Bureau for
over two years past. awaiting a long-Ge-
ferred decision as 10 the status OF such
claims under the law. Commissioner
Evans and some others seem 10 think that
it is unlawful to allow these claims. and so
have sought TO have the law differently
cClSTupu lTOn tie WAY IL was COliSll uct
for some years before the present Admins
tration.
G. T. H., Indiana, Pd.-Thc following
are Rules % and 23, proposed by Com
missioner Evans and approved by the
Secretary of the interior on March 10,
1898: Rule %. Every attorney, agent, or
other person recognized by this Depart
ment as entitled TO practice before it or be
fore the Commissioner OF Pensions in prose
cutting claims for pension shall be required
to use due diligence in the prosecution of
said claims; and any attorney, agent, or
other person who shall, directly or in
directly, request of any United States
Government official or representative,
other than those whose duty it is under the
law TO supervise and administer the laws,
rules, and regulations governing the grant
ing of Army and Navy pensions, aid or
assistance i'll the prosecution OF pension
claim, or who shall, directly or indirectly,
request or advise a claimant to seek such
aid in the prosecution of pension claim,
shall be held TO have abandoned the claim
as attorney, and shall thereby forfeit his
aitorneyship in such claim. Rule 23.
Every attorney. agent, or other person
recognized by this Department as entitled
TO practice before it or before the Com
missioner OF Pensions in prosecuting claims
for pension who shall violate the provisions
of Rule % promulgated on the same date
as this rule, shall be held TO be incompetent
TO prosecute claims before the Bureau of
Pensions. within the meaning of Section )
of the act of July 4, 1884, and shall subject
himself 10 suspension or exclusion from
practice before the Commissioner Of Pen
sionS."
PeekSkiH, N. Y.-Of course, it is prac-
tically impossible to pay every pensioner
promptly on the day his quarterly payment
is due. Some must wait Il few days, some
a week or more, depending upon the dis
tance they reside from the Pension Agency
and the promptness with which they send
in their vouchers. Some pensioners find
it advantageous to avoid the rush by wait
ing two or three weeks after the quarterly
payment falls due. and then sending in
their vouchers, which they are apt TO hear
from much sooner than ii they sent ia at
the same time with thousands of others.
j. c., COopcrSriHe, Nich.-It would
seem that if the child has been legally
adopted by other persons, the 81 additional
per month allowed the widow, the child's
mother, should properly be paid TO the legal
custodian of the child
A. p, Salisbury. Mass.-As it appears
that you served less than six months OF
Your one-year term of enlistment, it would
seem that you cannot obtain the balance
of the bounty of 500, under the act of
March 3, 1869. Notwithstanding that your
discharge certificate indicates that you
Were discharged because of expiration Of
term of service" Evidently the statement
as to cause of discharge was error. and the
right TO correct the error. Your term of
enlistment vas for zone year unless sooner
discharged"
d. u. Marion, O.-It is hardly probable
that a child who is mute would be re-
garded as permanently helpless" from
that cause alone.
L. K s., COltocs, n. Y.-If the widow
can prove that the death Of her first husband
was due TO disability incurred in the service
and line Of duty, she can obtain pension
nd, al,. l.. a a.
tween the date OF his death and the date of
remarriage. This is her only chance TO
obtain further pension. as her title under
the act Of June q, 1890, on account Of the
service Of her first husband, was; terminated
by her remaIriage and cannot he revived:
and as her marriage 10 her second husband
was subsequent 10 June %, 1890, she is
barred from pension under the act of 1896
on account of his service, and from what
you say 1t seems that she cannot furnish
satisfactory evidence TO show his death due
10 service and lire Of duty, and so cannot
obtain general law pension on his account.
There IS no general pension provision for
dependent brothers and sisters of deceased
soldiers or sailors after they become 1G
years Of age.
ton is not plain. Your age would have
nothing 10 do with the commencement Of
your pension. Pension commences from
date of filing application.
ioidHloH.-l ne ice law OF j MY q, 1884, is
applicable TO all pension claims arising
from the Spanish war. Agreements for a
fee not exceeding S25 are admissible.
{. H., SoHthug'OH, O.-You have not
destroyed or jeopardiZed your general law
claim in which an appeal is pending by
accepting pension under the act of June y.
1890. Your wife's. title 10 pension would
not be determined by the law under which
you may be drawing pension at date OF
death. If your marriage was since June
26, 1890, she could not in any event obtain
pension except under the general law by
proving that death resulted from disability
incurred in service and line of duty You
are at liberty TO file whatever claim YOU
wish.
ID. s., EdrltOn, KGn.-A witness in a
pension case need not execute "A separate
affidavit TO cover each of several points on
which he can give evidence; he may make
one affidavit covering everything
j. k.-Under an act of March 2, 1889,
still in force. charges of desertion against
the records of soldiers of the war of the re-
bellion and Mexican war may be removed
in many instances. The first general law
authorizing the removal of charges of de
sertion was an act of August, 1882. which
Is merged substantially in the law of 1889
j. L., EliCOOd, Ind.-If it should appear
that, in the opinion of the Pension Bureau
the pensloned disability had permanently
improved, very likely the amount of III
gRa.a ,tnt -. "A.