Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 July 1905 — Secretary Wilson’s Duties [ARTICLE]

Secretary Wilson’s Duties

Jesse Wilson of Rensselaer, will be the fifteenth assistant Secretary of the Interior says the Hammond News. Including Mr- Wilson, Indiana has produced four of the fifteen assistants secretaries. The first man to hold this office was John P. Usher of Indiana, whowas sworn in March 20, 1862, Usher was succeeded by William F. Otto, another Indiana man, who was assistant secretary longer than any other man who ever served in that capacity. His term extended from Jan. 26, 1863 to April 17. 1871. One of the most widely advertised men who ever held this office was Webs’er Davis cf Missouri. His term was from May 26, 1897, to May 2, 1900. It was while Davis was serving as assistant secretary cf the Interior that hewent to South Africa to tender his service to the Boers. His negleoL of his official duties caused business to pile up in the office, and although Frank Campbell of Ohio, who followed Davis, made a go rd assistant secretsry, there were 16,000 oases on docket when Melville W. Miller succeed Campbell- Air. Wilson will enter cfficewith ebout 5.000 cjses on the, docket It will interest friends of Mr, Wilson to know that his duties, as officially prescribed, will be aa follows: ‘To the assistant secretary of the interior is assigned the consideration and decision of appeals from the Commissioner of pensions and questions relating to violalions of the pension laws; appeals from the administrative action of the commissioner of patents; business countersigning letters patent; business from the office of the commissioner of education, government hospital, Columbia Institute* for the deaf and dumb, education of the blind of District of Columbia, admission to practice and disbarment of attorney before the department and bureaus, approval of r quests and vouchers for advertising and voucher* for transportation and other expenses and special agents, and acts, as secretary in the absence of that officer and of the fi r st assistant secretary.” As a matter of fact 99 per cent of the business which makes the daily grind of the assistant secretary of the interior relates to appeals from the pension bureau. When the claim of a pension applicant is rejected at the pension board he can take an appeal to the secretary of interior. The Appeal is slway referred to the assistant secretary, under whosedirection there is a pension board of appeals consisting thirty-eight men. Two members of the board are Indianians— Virgil Greene of Petersburg and F. O. Rabb of Williamsport, a eon of Juuge Joseph M. Rabb. As fast ss the appeals from the pension bureau are filed they are referred in rotation, by the assist? ant secretary to members of the board of appeals who examine the papers and write opinions. If the assistant secretary approves the opinion be signs it and that nearly always ends the case.