742 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Mar. 26,

Mr. Freerman, from the Committee on Pensions, submitted
the following

REPORT.

To the Senate and House of Delegates of Maryland ;

The Joint Committee on Pensions beg leave to submit the
following Report: Your Committee have had referred to them
about seventy petitions for pensions from soldiers of the war
of 1812, and widows of soldiers. These claims are of various
kinds, and in order to properly understand their nature it is
necessary to give a brief explanation of the Pension Laws of
the State. Your Committee find that previous to the present
Constitution of the State there was an officer called a Pension
Commissioner, to whom applications could be made, and,
upon proper proof, pensions granted. The Constitution
abolishes the said office and forbids the enactment by the
Legislature of any general pension law. In 1870 we find,
Chapter 477, a special Act, placing on the pension roll the
names of about 1,500 pensioners. We have no doubt but
that these names were thus specially mentiond in the Acts
so as to avoid the Constitutional prohibition, and it was evi-
dently the design to place upon the roll the names of all en-
titled to pensions. It appears, however, that many names
were left off and ethers not correctly spelled. Accordingly,
we find in 1872, 1874 and 1876, numerous petitions for pen-
sions presented to the Legislature, and in 1876, Chapter 320,
an Act was passed placing about one hundred additional
names upon the roll. At the present session we have re-
ceived about seventy more applications. These applications
are: 1st. Those whose names have never been on the roll.
2nd. Those omitted in 1870 and replaced in 1876, asking six
years back pay. 3rd. Those whose names have been mis-
spelled, or misprinted. 4th, Widows not married within fire
years of the close of the war, asking that this restriction be
removed. Your Committee have freely consulted the Comp-
troller of the Treasury, and he has given the opinion that
the pension system as managed, opened a wide door to frauds
upon the Treasury. Your Committee, therefore, prepared a
bill to provide for additional safeguards in the payment of
pensions. While this matter was under consideration, infor-
mation was received that the Congress of the United States
had just passed a very liberal Pension Law, giving to sol-
diers of the war of 1812, and their widows, a pension of $96
per annum. This Act prohibits the payment of such pension
to those now receiving pension of a less amount, except so far
as concerns the surplus. This Act was submitted to the At-
torney General, and he gave the opinion that pensioners re-