The National tribune., 1903-05-21
PENSIONnP!OINTERS.
Inquiries :."z4rs' and s"ss.s'
tons Made.

tiong Made.
! G. ]. B., Monte1 Vista, Colo.-Unless
the case is one that does not come under
the general pension law, the sevc.ul pen-
an application for pension first be pre-
sented at the Pension Bureau, and there
formally considered and rejected, before
they will cOnsideE,a bill for pension by
special act. If your disabilities were in
CURED in the service, you have to take
this course. notwithstanding that you may
already know to n moral certainty that
such evidence as you can produce will
not be regarded by the Pension Bureau
as sufficient to prove that the disabilities
originated in the service.
NJ. A. c., Rockford, Mich.-If you have
been drawing $50 per month for loss of a
hand or foot or total disability of same:
March ,. 1903. will be granted without
any application on your part.
c. j., Westmore,and, Kahs.-1f you are
drawing III per month, it is evidently on
account of disability regarded as equiv
alent in degree to the loss of hand or
foot and not for total disability of the
leg or foot. Unless it can be shown that
the leg or foot is practically useless, you
can derive no benefit from the Act of
March =, 1903. The fact that you have
drawn Communication for the foot or leg
Gn lieu Of artificial limb from the War
Department would cut no figure in the
view of the Pension Bureau.
| j. G.. Washington, Ind.-See reply to
NJ. A. c., above.
r. w. ID. Luzcrnc. Mich-The Act of
Feb. %. 1903. which contains a clause
prohibiting the payment of n fee to an
attorney. relates only to the claims of GER
tain remarked widows for restoration of
their pensions, under the Act of March 3,
1901, and the amendatory Act of above
date.
j. c. W., Kenosha. Visit the sol
dier's death can be shown to be due to
the disability for which lie was pensioned
under the general law, or otherwise due to
his service. the widow can obtain n pen
sion of SD per month under the general
law. provided she was married to him be-
fore March 10. 1856. Otherwise the rate
would be So. the same as under the Act
of 1880. If the disability resulting in his
death originated in service while he held
the rank of First Lieutenant. the widows
general law pension would be at the rate
of SIT per month, regardless of the date
of marriage. If his death can not be
| satisfactorily shown to be due to the
service the widow could not obtain pen
sion except under the Act of June q,
1890. The rate of widows pension under
that Act is So per month. The rate of
widows pension or the law under which
she will be entitled to draw is not deter
mined by the rate Of the soldiers pen
sion or the law under which he was pen
stoned.
II. W., Hillsborougli. O.-See reply to
J. c. W., above Section 4719, Revised
Statutes. provides: .'The failure of any
pensioner to claim his pension for three
years after the SINE shall have become
due shall be deemed presumptive evidence
that such pension has legally terminated
by reason of the pensioners death. remar-
riage, recovery from the disability, or
otherwise, and the pensioners name shall
be stricken fromo the list of pensioners,
subject to the right OF restoration to the
same on new application by the pen
siOner. or, if the pensioner is dead. by
the widow or minor children entitled to
receive the accrued pension, accompanied
| by evidence satisfactorily accounting for
/! the failure to claim such pension, and by
medical evidence in cases of invalids who
were not exempt from biennial eXamina-
tions as to the continuance of the disabil-
ity." 1.-THE National Tribune Soldiers
Handbook" is under revision, and a new
up-to-date edition OWL be ready within q
| few weeks The price is 20 cents.
d. i. s., Oakfdrd, Ill.-You are evil
den:ly pensioned at $50 for total inability
to perform any manual labor, and there
fore are not benefited by the new law of
March 2, 1903, which relates only to those
pensioned under the general law for loss
of limb or total disability of the same:
T.. Z. p, Gallatin, Md.-The Mexican
War is held to have ended May 30, 1913.
In order to qualify under tho Mexican
War seryice-pension law, the soldier must
have entered the service at least GO days
before that date. The fact that the so.-
dier received q land warrant for Mexican
War service would not necessarily settle
the question as to the widows title to
pension.
X. j., Walla Walla, Wash.-lf your
claim was for increase of pension on PEN
stoned disability, the allowance will be
made to commence from the date of the
official medical examination; otherwise, it
will commence from the date of filing of
the application.
II. r.. Salem, Ind-Your increase I'M
der the Act of March 2, 1903, will be al
lowed you without any application on
your part.
]. r. NJ, Topeka, Kans.-All the "AIis-
souri, State Militia" organized for three
years service in the Fall of 1861, Winter
of 1SG1-2, and Spring of 1862 are eligible
to pension under the Act Of June q, 1880.
]. d. W.. Newberg. Ore-Being pen
stoned at $40 per month for amputation
so near shoulder as to prevent use of ar
tificial limb, you will obtain the increase
to 500 per month without formal appli-
cation.
Ex-Soldier, Chebanse, Ill.-You have
been mistaken in yonr understanding as to.
the pension rate of minor children. In
the event of the death or remarriage of
the widow, the child under 16 becomes
entitled to the same amount of pension
per month that the widow received. You
are also mistaken about the 81 and 81 in
valid pensions. The lowest invalid rate
under the Act of June p, 1880, has al.
March ., 1895, the lowest rate of in
valid pension under the general law from
and after that date was fixed at Sc per
month. Read sections 1866, 4TO2 and
4!O3. Revised Statutes of the United
States. and you will see the origin of the
rates for widows and children.
NCnA DTMENT NEVjC