The National tribune., 1903-02-05
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered and Sugges.
d ii lions Made.

under the act of June %. 1890. whether
incur2el i'll service or before or since serv-
ice. 1t is thought that an applicant for
reimbursement on account of the last i'll
ness and funeral expenses of deceased
Mexican war pensioner may collect same
from any pension money due the deceased
pcnSioner, whether current pension or back
pension of any sort Tho fact that a
widow is unable to prove absolutely the
death of her former husband will not nee
eSslrily debar her from obtaining pension
as widow of the soldier.
L. n, Grand Rapids, Minn.-There is
now no general pension law in force for
the pcnsiOning of nOn-enlisted persons for
wounds or injuries incurred in battle. Such
claims were required to be presented and
prosecuted to successful issue before
July 4, 1874. Your case may be a good
one to present for special act of Congress
when the new Congress conycnes in De
cember, next.
i. w. O., Haincs City. Fla Until the
act of July ], 1864, no bounty was offered
for enistmcnts in the navy. except TO men
of the grades of able and ordinary sea-
Hen and, for a short time, through mis-
take. to men enlistins in the Marine Corps.
Consult the State authorities for Informal
ton relative to State bOunties.
II. l.. T., Speed, W. Na.-If the SOL
dier's death had been due to causes tracea-
be to his service, the widow could obtain
pension for the period of her widowhood,
i'll accordance with the general law, par
ticularly the act of June Z, 1883. Having
remarked, she cannot receive pension I'M
der the act of June %. 1890, as pension
under that act can commence only from
date of filing application, and she has now
no legal standing under the act. She can
however. complete the general law claim
for invalid pension which the soldier had
on file at the date of his death.
Veteran, Plainfield, COnn.-There We're
two prOclamatiOns issued by President
Lincoln promising immunity from punish
ment to those deserters who returned to
their proper commands before specified
dates. The first of these was dated March
10, 1868, and April /, 1865, was the limit
therein prescribed; the second was dated
March II. 1865, and was in effect until
May II, 1865. The Indian war service
pension act of 1892 has no reference to
dcserters. An act of March ., 1885, pre-
Scribed conditions under which charges of
dcsertion could be removed. Men who re-
turned in accordance with the terms of the
Presidents proclamaiiOns mentioned
above are held not TO have any charge
CT desertiOD pending against them. The
record of dcsertiOn stIil stands in such
eases. however, and nothing can be col
lected for the period of unlawful absence.
4. II. +. r.. Pekin, Ind.-If the SOL
dier's, death can be satisfactorily proven
due TO The service and line of duty. the
widow Mould be entitled to pension under
the general law from the date Of the sol
dier's death. She would be allowed 81 per
month additional for each child under 16.
The children can obtain nothing in their
own right for the period of their pension
able ,miaOrity if they were under the care
and maintenance of the widow.
w, II. J. Girard, Ohio.-The general
law rate of pension (siEce Dec. 4. 1S9D
for loss, Of sight of an eye is So per
month.
w. lH. B., Troy, n. VOLUNTEERS for
one year, enlisted after July II, 1861.
the fall term of enlistment or were dis
charged for wound or injury incurred in
service and line of duty. The bounty was
payable in three installments: One-third
at enlistment, One-third after six months
service and one-third at the expiration of
The term. If discharged before six
months service because of the end of the
war, only the first installment was allow
ed and if discharged for the same reason
before a full years service, only the first
and second installments were allowed.
i. y. y.
torney fee in claim for increase of pen
sion on pensioned disability is 81. payable
cut of the pension money by the .. s.
Pension Agent when the increase is al
lowed. If the claim for increase is based
on disability not covered by the pension
certificate and not resulting from pension
ell disability, n fee not exceeding $50 may
be agreed upon by the claimant and his
attorney. There is no general U. s. pro-
vision of law for any money allowance for
the funeral expenses of deceased e1-sol-
diers.
d. s., Fowler, Ind.-Under the regula-
tons of the Pension Bureau the attorney
of record in a pension case is allowed TO
charge and receive 30 cents to cover the
postage and correspondence expense in
each case. The fact that the pensioner
paid this charge to his attorney IN n for
mer claim for increase of pension does not
seem to exempt him from further payment
in subsequent claim for increase, re-
CARELESS of the outcome of Claims. 1t is
understood that only about one in four or
five claim for increase is granted, so
that attorneys have to handle four or five
eases for possible 50 fee; and this seems
10 be the reason for the collection of the
regulation postage charge in each case.
G. w. S., Carbonate, Pain actual,
substantial benefit to claimants for in
valid pension under the act of June 81.
1890, the act of March 6, 1885, has proved
of very little value. There has been very
little substantial difference il the practics
in this class of claims since March q, 1896,
from that existing from about Aug. IS,
1893, up to March 6. 1896. The act of
1896 provided that the pension should
commence from the date of filing of the
first" application if the evidence on file
showed reasonable degree Of disability
from the date of filing of such application.
AS the Pension Bureau, sustained by the
Department proper, usually holds that the
evidence on file does not show n pension
able disablement back of the date from
which the pension is finally made to COM
mence. and it is usually impossible to fur
nish Satisfactory" evidence upon this |
point, it is readily seen that the act of
March 6, 1896, has left the claimants
practically where it found them. The Civ
ing Of new number to your claim on
our last application was evidently mis-
take III |
G. w. r., Horizon, Wis.-The fact that |
an insane eX-soldier is being cared for in |
a Comfy institution is no bar to an appli- |
cation for pension being made OH his be-
half If granted, the pension will be paid |
lo his dulyappointed guardian.
X. NJ! New York City.-When an in
valid opensiOner is dropped from the pen
sion roll unjustly, the proper proceeding |
would seem to be to file a formal applica-
ton for restoration, supported by such ad
testimony as can be procured, and |
upon the, rejection Of this application, take
4 formal appeal to the Secretary of the
INTERIOR From yOur statement of the On so |