There is some medical testimony tending to show that death was caused
from rheumatism, but one physician gives it as his opinion that death
resulted from rheumatism and chronic alcoholism.

The physician who last attended the soldier testifies that the cause
of death was chronic alcoholism. This should be the most reliable of
all the medical testimony, and taken in connection with the conceded
intemperate habits of the deceased and the fact, that the brain was
involved, it satisfies me that the rejection of the widow's claim by
the Pension Bureau on the ground that the cause of death was mainly
intemperance was correct.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _July 6, 1888_.

_To the House of Representatives_;

I return without approval House bill No. 6431, entitled "An act for the
relief of Van Buren Brown."

The beneficiary named in this bill was discharged from the Army
September 11, 1865.

He filed an application for pension in the Pension Bureau May 19, 1883,
alleging chronic diarrhea, rheumatism, spinal disease the result of an
injury, and deafness.

His claim was very thoroughly examined and reopened and examined again
after rejection, and rejected a second time.

The case is full of uncertainty and contradiction. Without discussing
these features, I am entirely satisfied that a pension should not be
allowed, for the reason, among others, that three careful medical
examinations made in 1883, 1884, and 1886 failed to disclose any
pensionable disability.

GROVER CLEVELAND.

EXECUTIVE MANSION, _July 6, 1888_.

_To the House of Representatives_:

I return without approval House bill No. 367, entitled "An act granting
a pension to Nathaniel D. Chase."

This beneficiary enlisted September 3, 1863. The records show that
he was admitted to a hospital March 3, 1864, with a disease of a
discreditable nature and by no means connected with the military
service, and that he was discharged from the Army May 20, 1864, upon a
certificate of paralysis of left arm, which came on suddenly February
20, 1864, and that the cause was unknown, but believed not to be
incident to the service.

He filed an application for a pension in June, 1864, alleging paralysis
of the left arm from causes unknown to him.

This claim was not prosecuted at that time, and the claimant reenlisted
in January, 1865, and served until September 5, 1865, without any
evidence of disability appearing upon the records.

He renewed