The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-29
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges'
tons Made.

Many Old Soldiers. Manchester, JIM
The decision of the Assistant secre
tary of the Interior in the case OF u. u
Cook Spanish war; means simply that
where it is proven beyond shadow OF
doubt that in consequence of disability
shown to be due to the service and line OF
duty the applicant or pensloner Is for any
considerable period wholly disabled for the
performance of any manual labor, he shall
be allowed the $50 rate for such period,
even if he is not so disabled permanently.
In the Cook case the applicant was in fact
so disabled as to require the aid and at
tendance of another person, but he could
not obtain either the $50 or $72 rates, be-
cause there was no date from which either
of said rates could be made to commence.
as he was not medically examined during
the period of his disablement requiring an
attendant. The most that he could obtain
under the law was the $50 rate. Is 1t was
obvious that he was at least totally dis
abled for manual labor for over year.
The decision Will not benefit many cases.
Invalid pensioners under the general law
who are in fact wholly disabled for the
performance of any manual labor Will
have increasing difficulty in securing the
$50 rate. because factors other than dls-
ability proven due to the service usually
enter more or less into their condition.
Debility incident to age may be an I'M
considered in determining title to the $50
rate.
A. n. K.-If the soldier left no widow
now surviving. the child under 16 at his
death can complete his general law claim
and obtain payment thereon. As the claim
was filed before July /. 1880, it would in
yOlve arrears back to the date of the sol
dier's discharge. The soldiers death not
being due to the service, as appears from
your statement, the child would have no
title to pension under the general law, and
as he is now over is there is no period
over which he could be pensioned under
the act of 1890.
w. H. D.. Orr's Island, Me.-The boun-
b act of July 20, 1883, does not benefit
any three-years volunteer who enlisted af-
ter July %, 1861. The mistake Of going
home without discharge, even after the
war was over. cannot in any case be RENE
died more than to the extent of securing
accrued installments of the veteran bounty
ND to the date the soldier went home.
W. J. NJ, Hillsboro, Ohio.-The So
called Omnibus Claims Bill Oh. r. $3.50
includes all claims for reimbursement for
property taken or destroyed during the
war of the rebellion that have been favor
ably considered at the present session of
Congress. The bill is now in conference.
Ask your Representative or one of your
Senators to send you a copy of the bill.
S. A.. Westville, Mich-The bill to in
crease the act of 1887 pension of Mexican
war widows from s. to $12 has not be-
come law. No applications for the in
crease will be considered until the bill has
become a law.
T. S. S., Sandusky, N. You cannot
obtain the $24 rate under the general law
unless it can be satisfactorily shown that
your disability proven due to the service
is equivalent in degree to the loss of a
hand or foot.
B. V. OkIahoma-If the soldier took
up less than 16O acres of land under the
homestead law, he can homestead enough
more TO make a full 160 acres.
J. C. W., Nancy, Ohio.-Each Special
Examiner ordinarily takes up cases in the
order in which they are referred to him.
1t may be several months after he receives
a case before he is ready to take it up.
If it is desired to introduce any new evil
dence, it would be better to have such evil
dence taken by the Special Examiner than
to have affidavits taken and forwarded to
the Pension Bureau. If witnesses who
have testified by affidavit in the case do
not fully confirm their testimony when
interviewed by the Special Examiner, of
course what they have stated has little or
no weight as evidence in the case. If
pension claimant whose case has been re-
ferred for special examination is in desti-
tute circumstances and unable to earn a
support or is in imminent danger of death,
the Commissioner of Pensions may direct
the Special Examiners to treat the case as
special and take it up out of its turn. The
pension act of June q, 1890, does not COW
er the Spanish war; it relates only to, the
war of the rebellion.
J. L., Palestine, Tex.-See reply to J.
G. W., above. To obtain pension under
the act of June q, 1890. the widow of
soldier of the war of the rebellion must
have been married to him before June q,
1880 The child of a marriage subsequent
to June 26, 1890. could obtain pension I'M
der the act of 1890 regardless Of the
widow, if under 16 at date of the soldiers
death and at date of filing application.
]. j., Brooklyn, N. Y.-For total inabil-
ity to perform any manual labor. from
causes proven due to the service and line
of duty, the general law rate of invalid
pension for a Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel
or Major would be $50 per month. the
same as in case of an enlisted man.
p. r., Bristol. Ind.-The bill to increase
the rates of general law pension for loss
Of limbs is still before the House of Rep
resentatives. 1t has not become 4 law.
n. ]. b., Valparaiso, Ind.-The pension
er having died before executing his vouch-
er for first payment and leaving no widow
or child under 16, nothing can be collected
from the pension eXce>t to defray the eX-
penses of last illness and burial if the SOL
der left insufficient assets to cover such
expenses.
Old Soldier, Arkansas City, Kan.-The
divorce of the pensioners wife necessarily
terminates her right to receive part of his
pension. Upon the fact of divorce being
shown to the Pension Bureau the Commits
sioner of Pensions will direct the U. S.
Pension Agent TO pay the entire pension
tn the victorian