Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-09-18
PERFORMS SERVICE OF ATTOR-
NEY FOR OLD SOLDIERS.
MANY CLAIMS ALLOWED
for Government Allow
ances Handled by the State, Go Di-
rectIy to Department at Washing
ton and Have the Best Chances of
Favorable Action.
Madison, September IA.

| The pension department of the
United States government is paying to
the soldiers and widows and children
OF soldiers in tine state of Wisconsin
approximately $1,000,00O annually.
| During the second term Of Governor
Rusk, there was established by the
| legisla ture an Office known as the state
pension agent, whose duties were to
| assist in procuring for the soldiers in
Wisconsin the pensions that were their
due and to relieve these men from the
sharp practices of the pension attor-
neys that were holding them up lit
orally for large fees without giving
value received. Some time after the
organization of this department, it was
consolidated with the office of the ad-
jutant general and is located their
still under the personal. supervision of
Charles H. Russell of Berlin as agent.
There are at present in process of
adjustment about 1,400 claims. Last
year the department had 372 claims al
lowed and about 60 rejected The
business of the department has stead
lily increased at the rate of about 300
per cent. for the past three years, due
|, largely to the success that has accom-
panied the efforts Of the agent in be-
half of the respective claimants, and
to the greater publicity that has been
given to the workings of the office.
The present incumbent is a past de-
;,tT of ho cir
G. A. r. and has taken a good deal OF
trouble to bring TO the notice of all
the posts, w. r. G. organizations ana
Sons Of Veterans lodges acquaintance
with the work being done. Mr.. Rus
sell was first lieutenant of Company
E, first Wisconsin cavalry, and is one
of the best known Grand Army men in
the state. He is much interested in
the work of his department and has
spent great deal of personal time and
money i'll bringing the work before the
old soldiers, purely as one who is
greatly interested in their welfare, as
the Office carries simply a salary, and
all this work that he has done has
been outside the prescribed duties Of
the Office, not bringing him in one ad-
ditional cent Of revenue and greatly in
creasing the amount of work that the
office must supervise. Mr.. Russell is
assisted in this work by John NJ
Williams of Belleville.
There are from $4,000 to $4,000
| soldiers of both wars living in the
state and about 10000 of these are
drawing pensions. Many of the men
and widows who are not drawing pen
sions have never made application,
due in some cases to the fact that a
fort, bu5 in many cases because they
cannot afford to go to the expense of
having their claims presented. It is
very largely to this class of claims that
the department wishes to give atten-
ton. The only expense the old SOL
der will be put to is for the local aft
davits required, as this department is
recognized at washington and the fact
that it has been enabled to- have so
large a percentage of claims allowed
proves the value of the work.
Each claim presented is placed in a
separate jacket and the status of the
case noted On the outside, is carefully
indexed and any work of the depart
ment can be found and the status of
any claim shown in a moment. All
the work for the pensioner is done di-
rectly with the department at Wash
ington and any old soldier can avail
himself of the opportunities here pre-
| Sented free of CHARGE