The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1900-08-04
THE PENSION ROLL.
Nearly 100, 900 Certificates Were Is
sued During the Last
Fiscal Year.
Democratic Administration Reduces
the Amount Paid to Old Soldiers
by Nearly S17,OOO,OOO I'm
One Year.

AIMING $3.50
ers interested in the work of the bu-
reau as orders 225 and 229, issued dur
ing the administration of President
Cleveland.
Order 225 directed that all cases al
lowed under section 2 of the act or
June 27 1890, be drawn from the adj
united files as rapidly as practicable,
and that they be examined for the pur-
pose of determining whether the al
lowances were in accordance with law.
Under the operations of this order the
names of many thousands of pension
ers were dropped from the rolls and
great many pensioners had their PEN
sions reduced.
The revision of claims referred to has
not been done at all during the admin
istration of Commissioner Evans. On
the contrary. many of those who nave
been dropped under the former adj
ministrations have been restored to the
rolls and large number of those who
were reduced have had their pensions
increased.
Those who are familiar with the
workings Of order 229 will readily re-
call the difficulties produced in the
preparation OF testimony and the many
vexatious delays caused thereby. One
| of the first official acts of Commission
| err Evans when he took charge of the
| bureau was the revocation of said or
| der, for which action he received the
| thanks of the national encampment OF
the Grand Army Of the Republic.
| The number of unsettled claims on
| file in the pension bureau June 80 1897.
was 57S,099; the number on file June
| 30, 1899, was 477,230. With the advent
| of this administration many thousands
| of new claims Of all kinds were filed
in the pension bureau, the number of
| original claims filed during the years
1897. 1898 and 1899 alone aggregatng
F! 126,13G. The total number of all APP
| plications received during the fiscal
year of 1899 was 164,Ss1, while for the
| fiscal year ended June 30, 1898, the num-
Der was 21s,4S9.
| Notwithstanding this avalanche OF
claims, which was added to the half
million claims pending when Commits
sioner Evans assumed charge of the bu-
reau, the work of settling claims has
been prosecuted with such diligence
that at the end of the fiscal year of
1899 only 47723o unsettled claims re-
NAMED in the pending files of the bu-
reau. and only IL, 1917 of these are origi-
nal claims, the balance being claims for
increase or additional allowance.
In fact the work of the bureau IS now
SO nearly current that origina! claims
can be settled as fast as they are COM
pleted by the claimants by furnishing
the necessary evidence.
This result has been accomplished
notwithstanding the fact that about
10000 additional claims were filed last
year on account of service in the war
with Spain.
During the years of 1897, 1898 md
1899 nearly 100000 original pensions
were granted. while for the three years
preceding 1897, viz, 1894, 1895 and 1896.
only 1864 of the same class were al
lowed.
On June 30, 1897, there were 9T6,014
pensioners on the rolls of the different
agencies, while on June 30, 1899, the
number was 091,510, showing a net in
crease since 1897 of 1896
The increase in the number Of pen
sioners has grown steadily from year
to year, the maximum number being in
1898, viz. 9o3,714. In 1894 the number
was 069,544.
| Since the close Of the fiscal year 1894
there have been dropped from the rolls:
On account Of death. 1852
Other causes, remarriage, etc........ 10000
Total .................................2 55,572
| And yet the roll has continued to
increase each year until now it con.
taiDs nearly 100000 names.
| The amount paid for pensions during
1898, the last year of the Harrison ad-
ministration, was $3.50, sO6, 1874.
During the following year $500,
which was the first year of the demo-
cratic administration, the amount paid
for pensions dropped to s139.os6, 6o6.17,
being reduction in one year of &c.,
| S19,911.S7.
| During the present fiscal year up to
May 81, 1900, the pension bureau has
issued 90,91S certificates, and the num-
Der to be issued during the month Of
June will bring til, total nuL.if,cr Of
certificates issued for the year 1900 to
over 100000.
The payments for the fiscal year end
ing June. 80. 1900, on account of pen
sions will amount to over $40, 100000.
| The annual value of the pension roll
as IL stood on June 30. 1890, was $751;
619.061, and the average annual value of
each pension was $l32.74. The annual
value Of the roll is greater now than
| It ever was before.
Since April 1, 1897, over 10000 names
Of pensioners who had been previously
dropped fer various causes, have been
restored to the rolls, and these persons
are now receiving pensions amounting
to $1,6o0,O00 annually.
This work is still in progress, the
commissioner having directed the res
toration of 500 names during the month
of May, 1900.