ronrrrrrtrn coscnnss. snss. III. cn. 23, 24. ism. 265 CHAP. 23.-An act to provide that all pensions on account of death, or wounds re- Jan. 25, 1879. ccived, or disease contracted in the service of the United States during the late war of —;——- the rebellion, which have been granted, or which shall hereafter be granted, shall commence from the date of death or discharge from the service of theUnited States; tor the payment of arrezus of pensions, and other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all pensions which have Pensions. been granted mider the general laws regulating pensions, or may hereafter be granted, in consequence of death from a cause which originated in the United States service during the continuance 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 com- Commencement, mence 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 iight of the party having prior title to such pension: Provided, The rate of pension for the intervening time for Rate, 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 Rules and regudirected to adopt such rules and regulations for the payment of the 1mi0H8- arrears of pensions hereby granted as will be necessary to cause to be paid to such pensioners, or, if the pensioners shall have died, to the person or persons entitled to the same, all such arrears of pension as the pensioner may bc, or would have been, entitled to under this act. Sec. 3. That section forty-seven hundred and seventeen of the Revised R. S. 4717. 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 tiling 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 fact so proved to be made, and a copy of the same to be transmitted to the Commissioner of Pensions, and the bar to the prosecution of the claim shall thereby be removed ”, be, and the same is hereby, repealed. Sec. 4. No claim agent or other person shall be entitled to receive No fees to claim any compensation for services in making application for arrears of pen- ¤S¤¤*S· sion. SBO. 5. That all acts or parts of acts so far as they may conflict with Repcals. the provisions of this act be, and the same are hereby, repealed. Approved, January 25, 1879. CHAP. 24.-An act to facilitate the refunding the national debt. _]a,D_ Q5, ]379_ Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treas- Public debt. ury is hereby authorized in the process of refunding the national debt under existing laws to exchange directly at par the bonds of the United Exchange of six States bearing interest at tour per contain per annum authorized by law {fr §°“T Im °°“*· lbf the bonds of the United States commonly known as five-twenties out- °° S' standing and uncallcd, and, whenever all such fivp twenty bonds shall have been redeemed, the provisions of this sectionand all existing provisions of law authorizing the refunding of the national debt shall apply to any bonds of the United States bearing interest at five per centum per annum or a higher rate, which may be redeemable. In any exchange I¤*>°f°¤*·
