The National tribune., 1901-10-31
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges.
tiOnS Made.

A. C. S., Lee Mass.-If discharged be-
fore two years service to accept promo
ton to the grade of commissioned officer,
soldier was not entitled to any bounty
but that actually accrued, and the only
law since the war that changes this re-
lates to three-years' volunteers enlisted
before July -, 1861, who were discharged
for promotion before two years service
f. n, Denver. Colo.-There is no law
or rule of practice forbidding an attorney
practicing before the Pension Bureau from
advising his client to apply to Congress
for a special act, nor is there anything
forbidding him from acting as attorney III
the matter, Unless the case is of class
allowable under a general law and was
presented at the Pension Bureau before
March ), 1891, the attorney may charge
and receive any reasonable fee. II case
was presented before March 3, 1891, at
the Pension Bureau, and was rejected for
lack of evidence, an attorney could not
charge or receive a fee in excess of 81,
and that only upon the allowance OF the
claim and through the medium of an Or
der from the Commissioner of PENSIONS
If a widows remarriage was IN fact nun
and void from the beginning, she should
have a decree of divorce so declaring.
J. n. D.. Sapdusky, Ohio-Where half
of the pension of an invalid pensloner is
awarded to his wife under the act OF
March 3, 1899, a separate voucher is sent
the wife each quarter. If after ~ days
the pensioner still withholds his individ-
ual voucher, the wife can receive her
part of the pension upon furnishing affi-
davit of two persons that the pensloner
is still living.
]. p, Spanish Fork, Utah-There is no
truth in the report that there has been a
new discovery III the matter of bounty |
laws. Under the act of March =, 1881,
any volunteer soldier who had served |
faithfully for at least six months prior TO
May l, 1865, and after that date left |
the service without discharge, can OBJ
tain discharge with all arrears of pay |
up to date of leaving the service.
Margaret-The widow can collect any
bounty due the soldier which he failed to
receive.
]. w. F., Dayton, Ohio-After the rate
Of S11 is reached, in cases of enlisted men |
pensioned under the general law, no higher
rate can be obtained except for specified
disability or certain degree of disablement
Cor which higher rate is fixed. In your
case your deafness alone entities you to
500 per month, and the Pension Bureau
evidently does not consider that your
combined disabilities of proven origin are
equivalent in degree to the loss of a hand
or foot, for which a rate of S24 is al
lowed. The practice under which you are
rated is by no means new; it has existed
for many years. 1t did not originate with
Commissioner Lochren; it was old when
he came into Office.
II. r., Ripon, Wis.-The law of July
II, 1892, providing a $50 rate for invalid :
pensioners under the general law so dis r
ebled by disability of proven service ORR 1
gin as to require the frequent and periOdi- I
cal personal aid and attendance of another
person, remains unchanged.
c. r., Philadelphia-Th acts of April l
22, 1872, and July 20, 1888, were not ad- !
ditional bounty laws. They provided 500 t
bounty for three-years' volunteers enlisted q
before July %, 1861. and in fact benefited c
only those so enlisted who were discharged
before two years service for reasons other ]
than wound or injury incurred in line of
duty. The additional bounty law of July :
y, 1866, expired by limitation on June
30, 1880 7
S. W. H, Orting, Wash-The equaliza- \
ton bounty act which was vetoed by j.,
President Grant has never been revived
There is no provision for bounty for Reg
ulars who enlisted before July 1, 1861 J.
j. NJ, South Des Moines, Iowa-The q
provision of the act of March 2, 1889, un- q
der which a soldier of the war of the re- v
bellion who served faithfully for six I
months or more prior to May 1, 1860, and o
left the service without a discharge after a
that date. can obtain such discharge and !
arrears of pay without showing that he I
was physically incapacitated for return +
Ing to the service, applies only to yolun- p
teers; it does not apply to Regulars. C