The National tribune., 1900-10-18
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges-
tions Made.

t. A. p, Virginia, Ill.-An act of Ma!
Is, 1856, authorizes the Secretary of Nal
to furnish, upon their individual applica
tions, discharge certificates to members Of
the Missouri Home Guards whose CLAIMS
for pay were adjudicated by the hawkins
Taylor Commission.
III. z. g., Henrietta. Pa.-Unless there
is a record of the enlistment 1t VIII be
impossible to obtain status under the pen
sion laws without a special act of Con
gress, If the enlistment was before re
cruiting was taken charge of by the fed
eral Government under the act OF Marcl
& 1863. there is probably no record OF
enlistment unless the soldier was actually
mustered in. He might have been exam
ined and passed as fit for service without
being actually mustered in.
Subscriber, Lynn, Mass.-Apparentiy
the band of the 9th Mass. Militia, three
months service. 1861, has not been pro
vided for by special act. 1t appears that
the Pension Bureau does not permit the
inspection by claimant or attorney OF the
..credibility slips furnished by Snccial
Examiners This information as to inc
alleged standing of witnesses IS regarded
as private and confidential. 1t should proD-
ably be subject to inspection the same Us :
any other testimony or evidence p o u, e l
by Special Examiner, in accordance with
the act of April 1, 1900.
T. n, p. New Florence, Pa.-As over
three months have elapsed since your
claim for increase on pensioned disability
was rejected, if you desire to proceed iur-
ther you should file 4 new application
upon which you viii be ordered again 4or
medical examination.
]. A. G.. JerSeytOwn. Pa.-1Our calm
for invalid pension under the general law,
if granted, will entitle you to rating there
on from date of filing the claim.
S, s., Talent, Ore.-If n widow proves
her marriage to the soldier, recent decl-
sions of the Secretary of the Interior IN
dicate that it devolyes upon the Pension
Bureau TO prove the inyalidity of the mar
riage if its validity is in question.
II. III. NJ. Huntington, lnd.-Ihe trst
section of the act of June %, 1890, rela-
tive to dependent parents, is held to be
simply an amendment of the general pen
sion law as to dependent parents. The
general pension law, as thus amended, ap-
plies to parents of soldiers and sailors OF
the war with Spain
L. G. R., New York.--There is no law
prohibiting a pensioner from spending hs
money foolishly.
J. L.. Newport, n. H.-If the soldier
death can be satisfactorily proven to be
due to the service and line Of duty, the
children now under 16 (the widow having
died. may apply for and obtain pension
under the general law from the date OF
the soldiers death. If, however, 1t can
not be shown that the soldiers death was
due to the service. they may apply for and
obtain pension under the act of June "a,
1880. such pension commencing from date
of fling application and terminating when
they become 10.
d. B.. Niangua, Mo.-The testimony
taken by the Special Examiner in your To-
cality should have been read over to you
before the papers We're sent away for fur
ther special examination elsewhere. As
you say you are informed that the spe-
cial examination is not yet completed, 1t
is possible that you may have an oppor-
tunity TO see the testimony when the in
yestigatiOn is finally completed.
H NJ, West New Brighton, n. Y
Probably the Commissioner of Pensions
will upon your application issue you a
new certificate containing only yonr cor
rect name. as you have now had the rec
ords of the War Department amended to
show your correct name.
n. B. NJ, Mcclure, Pa.-Probably a
Justice of the Peace has no authority to
execute pension papers or any papers be-
yond his jurisdiction.
z. L., Madison, Ind.-It is held that
the children of marriage contracted
since June 26, 1890, may not receive pen
sion under the act of June 27, 1890.
W. f.. Vanceburg, Ky.-The dependent
parents of soldiers killed or dying of dis
ease in the Philippine war are entitled to
pension under the general pension law as
amended by the act of June q, 1880.
]. NJ. s., Bloomingdale, lnd.-lncrease
of act Of 1890 pension, whether on ac-
count of "new disability" or not, is made
to commence from the date of medical tx-
animation. This has been the official hold
ing and practice since 1893. When evi-
dence is furnished in an act of 1890 claim,
In response to an official call after medical
examination. the case will be taken up
again with the evidence probably within
six months. There is no such thing in the
Pension Bureau as a regular order" ap-
plied to all cases alike. Inguinal hernia
alone will entitle to So under the act of
June 81, 1890. 1t is possible that If yol
are receiving IS under the act the hernia
might entitle you to an increase TO Sl2
As has been before stated, it is officially
held by the Secretary of the Interior that
the act of May 8, 1900, amounts to prac-
tically nothing at all so far as regards
claims for invalid pension under the a
of June %, 1880. Under the new Assist
ant Secretary of the Interior there seems
to be an increased liberality in pension de
cisions, and perhaps it would be well fol
you TO file a motion for reconsideration
especially as you have filed additional eyl
dence since the case was considered on ap
peal You can probably have your case
considered by the Court of Pension APP
peals, if the bill making provision for sucl
a court becomes a law.
A. p. NJ, Geneva. n. Y.-The Spanisi
war pension claims for invalid pension {
now being taken up rapidly and allowed
If you think you are entitled to pension
you should lose no time in presenting yon
claim, as there is no advantage or credi
TO Be gained from the Government pom
of view by delaying. Unless you ar
familiar with the practice and require
ments of the Pension Bureau, it will b
well for you to select an attorney experl
enced in pension matters.