Bribery of any United States officer. Mar. 3, 1863; July, 18, 1886. See sec. 5501. or in his place of trust or profit, influenced thereby shall be punished as prescribed in the preceding section. SEC. 5451. Every person who promises, offers, or gives, or causes or procures to be promised, offered, or given, any July 13, 1866, money or other thing of value, or makes or tenders any contract, undertaking, obligation, gratuity, or security for the payment of money, or for the delivery or conveyance of anything of value, to any officer of the United States, or to any person acting for or on behalf of the United States in any official function, under or by authority of any Department or officer of the Government thereof, or to any officer or person acting for or on behalf of either House of Congress, or any committee of either House or both houses thereof, with intent to influence his decision or action on any question, matter, cause, or proceeding which may at any time be pending, or which may by law be brought before him in his official capacity, or in his place of trust or profit, or with intent to influence him to commit or aid in committing, or to collude in, or allow, any fraud, or make opportunity for the commission of any fraud, on the United States, or to induce him to do or omit to do any act in violation of his lawful duty, shall be punished as prescribed in the preceding section. Trusses. See sec. 1176. and Trusses. SEC. 1782. No Senator, Representative, or Delegate, after his election and during his continuance in office, and no head of a Department or other officer or clerk in the employ of the Government, shall receive or agree to receive any compensation whatever, directly or indirectly, for any services rendered or to be rendered to any person, either by himself or another, in relation to any proceeding, contract, claim, controversy, charge, accusation, arrest, or other matter or thing in which the United States is a party, or directly or indirectly interested, before any Department, court-martial, Bureau, officer, or any civil, military, or naval commission whatever. Every person offending against this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be imprisoned not more than two years and fined not more than ten thousand dollars, and shall, moreover, by conviction therefor, be rendered forever thereafter incapable of holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the Govern ment of the United States. SEC. 1176. Every soldier of the Union Army who was Artificial Limbs ruptured while in the line of duty during the war for the suppression of the rebellion, is entitled to receive a single or double truss, of such style as may be designated by the Surgeon-General, as best suited for his disability. Application for truss. limbs." SEC. 1177. Application for such truss shall be made by See same sec., the ruptured soldier to an examining surgeon for pensions, Artificial whose duty it shall be to examine the applicant, and when found to have a ruptured hernia to prepare and forward to the Surgeon General an application for such truss without charge to the soldier. Act. PENSION LAWS NOW IN FORCE. June 6, 1874. Special-act pensions equal- Aug. 15, 1876. Artificial limbs to disabled Feb. 27, 1877. Officers and men who have lost limbs, etc., certain benefits for. Act. Jan. 3, 1887. Survivors of the wrecked Jan. 29, 1887. Pensions to soldiers and Jan. 29, 1887. Relief of the sufferers by June 7, 1888. Commencement of widow's Aug. 14, 1888. Torelieve certain appointed Aug. 27, 1888. Deafness, pension there Feb. 12. 1889. Feb. 10, 1891. Mar. 3, 1891. Mar. 3, 1891. July 14, 1892. July 27, 1892. for. Loss of both hands. Navy pensions to be paid Aug. 1, 1892. Pensions to soldiers and Dec. 21, 1893. Pension not to be withheld Aug. 23, 1894. Vouchers may be executed Mar. 2, 1895. Accrued pensions, how and sence. Masters, mates, pilots, and Seo sec. 4720, That all persons entitled to pensions under special acts June 6, 1874. fixing the rate of such pensions, and now receiving or entitled to receive a less pension than that allowed by the general pension laws under like circumstances, are, in lieu sions equalized. of their present rate of pension, hereby declared to be entitled to the benefits and subject to the limitations of the general pension laws, entitled, "An act to revise, consolidate, and amend the laws relating to pensions," approved March third, eighteen hundred and seventy-three; and that this act go into effect from and after its passage: Provided, That this act shall not be construed to reduce any pension granted by special act. That section four of the act entitled "An act to revise, June 18, 1874. consolidate, and amend the laws relating to pensions," and Increasing approved March third, eighteen hundred and seventy-three, pensions of to tally disabled solbe so amended that all persons who, while in the military diers and sailors. 4698, R. S. act June 16, 1880. See secs. 4697, or naval service of the United States, and in the line of See amendment duty, shall have been so permanently and totally disabled as to require the regular personal aid and attendance of another person, by the loss of the sight of both eyes or by the loss of the sight of one eye, the sight of the other having been previously lost, or by the loss of both hands, or by the loss of both feet, or by any other injury resulting in total and permanent helplessness, shall be entitled to a pension of fifty dollars per month; and this shall be in lieu of a pension of thirty-one dollars and twenty-five cents per month granted to such person by said section: Provided, That the increase of pension shall not be granted by reason of any of the injuries herein specified, unless the same shall have resulted in permanent, total helplessness, requiring the regular personal aid and attendance of another person. SEC. 2. That this act shall take effect from and after the fourth day of June, eighteen hundred and seventy four. That all persons who are now entitled to pensions under See secs. 4697, existing laws, and who have lost either an arm at or above Loss of arm at the elbow, or a leg at or above the knee, shall be rated in or above elbow: the second class, and shall receive twenty-four dollars per month: Provided, That no artificial limbs, or commutation therefor, shall be furnished to such persons as shall be entitled to pensions under this act. June 18, 1874. 4698, R. S. leg at or above knee. Aug. 15, 1876. See secs. 4787, 4788, 4789, 4790, 4791, R. S. to disabled sol SEC. 2. That this act shall take effect from and after the fourth day of June, eighteen hundred and seventy-four. That every officer, soldier, seaman and marine, who, in the line of duty, in the military or naval service of the United States, shall have lost a limb, or sustained bodily injuries, Artificial limbs depriving him of the use of any of his limbs, shall receive diers and seamen. Once every five years an artificial limb or appliance, or commutation therefor, as provided and limited by existing laws, under such regulations as the Surgeon-General of the Army may prescribe; and the period of five years shall be held to commence with the filing of the first application after the seventeenth day of June, in the year eighteen hundred and seventy. Transportation. Feb. 27, 1877. Certain pro cers, noncommis SEC. 2. That necessary transportation to have artificial limbs fitted shall be furnished by the Quartermaster-General of the Army, the cost of which shall be refunded out of any money appropriated for the purchase of artificial limbs: Provided, That this act shall not be subject to the provisions of an act entitled "An act to increase pensions,' approved June eighteenth, eighteen hundred and seventy four. That for the purpose of correcting errors and supplying omissions in the act entitled "An act to revise and consolivisions for of date the statutes of the United States in force on the first sioned officers, day of December, anno Domini one thousand eight hundred of the Army and and seventy-three," so as to make the same truly express such laws, the following amendments are hereby made therein: and enlisted men Navy. Sec. 4770 repealed. Section forty-seven hundred and seventy is struck out. Section forty-seven hundred and eighty-seven is amended by adding at the end of the section the following: Sec. 4787 amended. See act Mar. 3, Artificial limbs and tresses. "The provisions of this section shall apply to all officers, 1891. non-commissioned officers, enlisted and hired men of the See land and naval forces of the United States, who, in the line of their duty as such, shall have lost limbs or sustained bodily injuries depriving them of the use of any of their limbs, to be determined by the Surgeon-General of the Army; and the term of five years herein specified shall be 4789, 4790, 4791, held to commence in each case with the filing of the appli- R. S. cation for the benefits of this section." See secs. 4788, Artificial limbs, etc. Section forty-seven hundred and ninety is amended by See inserting, in the second line, after the word "rebellion" the words" or is entitled to the benefits of section forty-seven hundred and eighty-seven." Section forty-seven hundred and ninety-one is amended by adding at the end of the section the following: Artificial limbs, etc. "The transportation allowed for having artificial limbs, See fitted shall be furnished by the Quartermaster-General of the Army, the cost of which shall be refunded from the appropriations for invalid pensions." Feb. 28, 1877. See secs. 4697, 4698, R. S. That all persons who, while in the military or naval service of the United States, and in the line of duty, shall have lost one hand and one foot, or been totally and permanently disabled in both, shall be entitled to a pension or one foot or tofor each of such disabilities, and at such a rate as is pro- both, $36 per vided for by the provisions of the existing laws for each month. disability: Provided, That this act shall not be so construed as to reduce pensions in any case. That from and after the passage of this act, the pension for total disability of passed assistant engineers, assistant engineers, and cadet engineers in the naval service, respectively, shall be the same as the pensions allowed to officers of the line in the naval service with whom they have relative rank; and that all acts or parts of acts, inconsistent herewith be, and are hereby, repealed. tally disabled in Mar. 3, 1877. R. S. See sec. 4695, Equalizing pensions of cer the Navy. Passed assist tain officers in ant engineers, cadet engineers. Mar. 3, 1877. See sec. 4716, R. S. That the law prohibiting the payment of any money on account of pensions to any person, or to the widow, children, or heirs of any deceased person, who, in any manner, Removal of disengaged in or aided or abetted the late rebellion against ability. the authority of the United States, shall not be construed Amended Aug. to apply to such persons as afterward voluntarily enlisted Navy cases. in the Army of the United States, and who, while in such service, incurred disability from a wound or injury received or disease contracted in the line of duty. 1, 1892, to include per mouth for That on and after the passage of this act, all soldiers and June 17, 1878. sailors who have lost either both their hands or both their Increasing feet or the sight of both eyes in the service of the United pensions to $72 States, shall receive, in lieu of all pensions now paid them loss of both by the Government of the United States, and there shall feet, or sight of be paid to them, in the same manner as pensions are now both eyes. 4697, paid to such persons, the sum of seventy-two dollars per 4698, R. S. month. hands or both See secs. See amendment act Mar. 3, 1879. See act June 16, 1880. Jan. 25, 1879. That all pensions which have been granted under the When pensions general laws regulating pensions, or may hereafter be See sec. 4700, granted, in consequence of death from a cause which origR. S., now re- inated in the United States service during the continuance shall commence. pealed. See note 1. Sec. 4717, R. S., repealed. See secs. 4768, 4769, 4786, R. S. 'Mar. 3, 1879. of the late war of the rebellion, or in consequence of wounds, injuries, or disease received or contracted in said service during said war of the rebellion, shall commence from the date of the death or discharge from said service of the person on whose account the claim has been or shall hereafter be granted, or from the termination of the right of the party having prior title to such pension: Provided, The rate of pension for the intervening time for which arrears of pension are hereby granted shall be the same per month for which the pension was originally granted. SEC. 2. That the Commissioner of Pensions is hereby authorized and directed to adopt such rules and regulations for the payment of the arrears of pensions hereby granted as will be necessary to cause to be paid to such pensioner, or, if the pensioner shall have died, to the person or persons entitled to the same, all such arrears of pension as the pensioner may be, or would have been, entitled to under this act. SEC. 3. That section forty-seven hundred and seventeen .of the Revised Statutes of the United States, which provides that "no claim for pension not prosecuted to a successful issue within five years from the date of filing the same shall be admitted without record evidence from the War or Navy Department of the injury or the disease which resulted in the disability or death of the person on whose account the claim is made: Provided, That in any case in which the limitation prescribed by this section bars the further prosecution of the claim, the claimant may present, through the Pension Office, to the Adjutant-General of the Army or the Surgeon-General of the Navy, evidence that the disease or injury which resulted in the disability or death of the person on whose account the claim is made originated in the service and in the line of duty; and if such evidence is deemed satisfactory by the officer to whom it may be submitted, he shall cause a record of the facts so proved to be made, and a copy of the same to be transmitted to the Commissioner of Peusions, and the bar to the prosecution of the claims shall thereby be removed," be, and the same is hereby, repealed. SEC. 4. No claim-agent or other person shall be entitled to receive any compensation for services in making application for arrears of pension. SEC. 5. That all act or parts of acts so far as they may conflict with the provisions of this act be, and the same are hereby, repealed. That the act of June seventeenth, eighteen hundred and Loss of both seventy-eight, entitled "An act to increase the pensions of hands, both feet, certain soldiers and sailors who have lost both their hands sight both eyes. Note 1.-Arrears of pension: Not due to an executor or administrator, if not applied for by a pensioner; nor to a minor it never applied for by the soldier; nor to a widow during the period the soldier was living, when he made no application therefor. (Pension Office Decisions, p. 187.) |