The National tribune., 1907-03-07
PENSION POINTERS.
Inquiries Answered ., and Suggestions
Made.

have title to bounty land if they wer.
over 21 years of age on March 8 1855
the date of the passage Of tho act.
Lost Check, Lowell Mass-If tht
check you lost was for $50 or less the
act of June 10. 1908, authorizes the Sec
retary of the Treasury to direct the
United States Pension Agent to issue 6
duplicate check, after the expiration OF
80 days. If the check was for more
than $50, a duplicate cannot issue unit
after six months and within three years
from the date of the check. A bond tc
indemnify the Government must bt
given regardless of the amount of the
check.
George, Murray, Okla.--A declara.
ton under the act of February 8, 1907
or any other act cannot be legally ex-
ecuted by a fourth-class Postmaster
The act of Aug. %, 1894, authorizes
fourth-class Postmayers to execute
pension vouchers, but no other papers
in connection with a pension case. The
act does not authorize the Postmaster tC
delegate his deputy or any one else to
act for him. He must administer the
oath himself
P. J. s., Elmira, n. Y.-Each affidavit
filed should show what relation the wit
ness sustains to the claimant and wheth-
er he is directly or indirectly interested
in the prosecution of the claim, and, il
so, in what way. 1t is always well for
the witness to state how he came In
possession of the information to which
he testifies: If from personal knowledge
that fact should be stated.
Reader.-If you have been called up
on by the Pension Bureau to establish,
age by Bible record. you should make
an affidavit as to the date of your birth
and include in your statement a cor
rect transcript from the Bible showing
the date of your birth and give the
name of the person in whose hand the
record was made, and the date of the
entry as nearly as possible. You should
also give the date that the Bible was
printed The Bible should then be
taken with the statement to the exc
cutting officer, who should certify that
he has examined the Bible and careful
" compared your statement with the
entry in the book. and he should state
whether he finds the record as you gave
it, and whether there are any erasures
or alterations on the page. 1t would
be well for him to give a general de-
scriptfon of the appearance of the book.
and whether the writing looks as if 1t
were made at the date that you al
legged
p. L. J., Utica. N Y.-If you have
been advised that it is a mere form or
red tape that prevents you from sign
ing and swearing to your voucher be-
fore the 4th of the month in which
payment is due. we have no hesitation
in stating that It will be unwise for you
or any of the comrades to follow such
advice. In the execution of pension
vouchers there is only one way to avoid
trouble: that is to follow the instruc-
tionS printed on ti,c Iback of each
voucher without deviation. We under
stand that the Honorable Commission
or of Pensions mas recently issued a
circular for the benefit of executing
officers as well as pensioners on account
of the lax manners in; which many
vouchers are 'cxecuted5l The Special
Examiners or Agents for the Pension
ofice have been instructed to see that
notaries and other .fecuting officers do
not violate the act OF July I, 1893, which
prescrbes how vouchers and other pen
sion papers shall be5 exeHuted. The act
referred TO prescrlbes aspenalty of not
more than $500 or2imprisonment for
notrmora than five poarsG. This penalty
is not only for the executing officer, but
the af'iant or pensi8lerf as well. We
advisa oil pensionersbto strictly follow
the instructions OH vouchers. and thus
avoid trouble -.
II. X. J.. Joiinstown. Pa-The Pen
sion Pureau has repcatediy refused to
pass Judgment upon the validity of a
"ivorce granted under any conditions.
Recentlv decision WIS made in case
where the marriage took place in New
York in I $50. In 1898 the soldier OBJ
tanned divorce w. the State of Illinois
without personal service on the claim
ant Tho soldier remarked and re-
turned TO the State of New York. and
died in 1897. The first wife claims that
she is the legal widow on the ground
that the Illinois divorce is not enforce
able in the State of New York. The
Department in its ruling holds that
while the decree Of the Illinois court
may not be entitled to enforcement in
New York. it is not inherently void rs
TO the appellant. unless its extra terri
tcrial effect is denied by a court Of
competent jurisdiction of her domicile.
The question as to the extent of faith
and credit to be accorded in New York
IS for the Court of said State. and not
for the Department to determine