The National tribune., 1903-09-03

, child of a deceased soldier or sailor. and
then sought to put up a bar through a
statute of limitations. The Honorable
Secretary of the Interior in his annual re-
ports of 1890 and 1891 directed the atten-
| ton of Congress to what he deemed con-
ficting statutes. and asked for authority
to secure a judicial determination of the
question at issue. by Federal Court of
competent jurisdiction. The Pension
Committee representing the Grand Army
offered no objection to the proposition to
| the Honorable Secretary, fully realizing
| that as the matter stood no other means
of solving the problem seemed practical
or possible at that time. 1t was in line
with an effort then being made to secure
t ., creation of a Pension Court of APP
peals, for at that time, as now. no ques-
| ton affecting pension administration can
have any legal status in any Federal
Court. The Commissioner of Pensions,
subject only TO his immediate superior. the
Honorable Secretary of the Interior, is
the sole judge of the law and prescribes
| the rules of practice. Early in March
of this year your Committee presented the
question involved in these minor Cases
/ to the present Commissioner. He very
promptly announced his entire willingness
| to go into the matter, devoting such time
as was possible aside from other and
pressing duties to a full consideration of
the whole question. With infinite pains
and patience. the entire subject was re-
viewed. and we feel warranted in saying
it was reviewed from the standpoint of a
trained lawyer as we'll as under the obi
CATION resting upon a high Federal OFF,
cial charged with most delicate and oner-
Gus duties. His conclusions were recently
communicated to the Honorable Secretary
of the Interior. Assistant Secretary Mil
Ter gave the opinion his personal attention
and concurred in the views of the Com
missioner as to the construction of the
law. The approval of Acting Secretary
Ryan bears date of July %. Two days
later the Commissioner of Pensions issued
his order in the premises, directing the
immediate adjudication of the claims in
volved. And thus happily ends a con-
troversy of a most irritating character,
at times extremely embarrassing, and it
has ended right. About 1000 individuals
will be benefited by this most righteous de-
cision-a class of persons who have
peculiarly strong claim upon the sympathy
and aid of the Grand Army of the Repub
lie, and to whose entreaties for simple
justice this great Government cannot af-
ford to turn deaf ear.
APPEALS TO THE COMMITTEE.
During the year your Committee re-
ceived many requests from comrades
throughout the country for aid in securing
speedy consideration of their claims. We
do not understand that this Committee is
expected to either present or prosecute in
diyidual claims for pension. The grant
ing of pension is not matter of favor,
but a right under the laws of Congress,
upon proper application and due proof,
and we urge upon our comrades applying
| fNr fnr
prompt compliance with the rules and
practice necessarily prevailing in the Blu
reau.
PROPOSED PENSION LEGISLATION.
This Encampment will be called upon
to consider proposed pension legislation.
For many years the general subject of
Service Pension has been before the coun-
try. The Grand Army of the Republic
has never asked for the enactment of a
Service Pension law. A large majority
of the comrades believe, with this COM
mittee. that the time has come for the en-
actment of such law. Unfortunately,
there is substantial disagreement as to
its scope and general character. Many
are in favor of the payment of an equal
fixed sum per month to every worthy sur
vivor of the rebellion and the bereft wild
ows, during their natural lives; others be-
lieve that it should be a fixed sum per
month, based upon the number of days
served, while still others are of the opin-
ion that the age of such survivors and
widows should be taken into consideration
in delivering the respective amounts to be
paid. If we disagree we cannot succeed
in an undertaking which means a large
increase in the aggregate of pension pay
ments. Even with practical unanimity on
our part in the support of definite and