77 were for new or
original pensions. The amount disbursed for army and navy pensions
during the year was $138,355,052.95, which was $1,651,461.61 less than
the sum of the appropriations.

The Grand Army of the Republic at its recent national encampment held in
Philadelphia has brought to my attention and to that of the Congress the
wisdom and justice of a modification of the third section of the act of
June 27, 1890, which provides pensions for the widows of officers and
enlisted men who served ninety days or more during the War of the
Rebellion and were honorably discharged, provided that such widows are
without other means of support than their daily labor and were married
to the soldier, sailor, or marine on account of whose service they claim
pension prior to the date of the act.

The present holding of the Department is that if the widow's income
aside from her daily labor does not exceed in amount what her pension
would be, to wit, $96 per annum, she would be deemed to be without
other means of support than her daily labor, and would be entitled to
a pension under this act; while if the widow's income independent of
the amount received by her as the result of her daily labor exceeds
$96, she would not be pensionable under the act. I am advised by the
Commissioner of Pensions that the amount of the income allowed before
title to pension would be barred has varied widely under different
administrations of the Pension Office, as well as during different
periods of the same administration, and has been the cause of just
complaint and criticism.

With the approval of the Secretary of the Interior the Commissioner of
Pensions recommends that, in order to make the practice at all times
uniform and to do justice to the dependent widow, the amount of income
allowed independent of the proceeds of her daily labor should be not
less than $250 per annum, and he urges that the Congress shall so amend
the act as to permit the Pension Office to grant pensionable status to
widows under the terms of the third section of the act of June 27, 1890,
whose income aside from the proceeds of daily labor is not in excess of
$250 per annum. I believe this to be a simple act of justice and
heartily recommend it.

The Dawes Commission reports that gratifying progress has been made in
its work during the preceding year. The field-work of enrollment of four
of the nations has been completed. I recommend that Congress at an early
day make