cated in the same manner as though no articles of agreement had been filed, deducting from the fee of ten dollars allowed by law such sum as claimant shall show that he has paid to his said attorney.

Any agent or attorney or other person instrumental in prosecuting any claim for pension or bounty-land, who shall directly or indirectly contract for, demand or receive or retain any greater compensation for his services or instrumentality in prosecuting a claim for pension or bounty-land than is herein provided, or for payment thereof at any other time or in any other manner than is herein provided, or who shall wrongfully withhold from a pensioner or claimant the whole or any part of the pension or claim allowed and due such pensioner or claimant, or the land-warrant issued to any such claimant, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall for every such offense be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisoned at hard labor not exceeding two years, or both, in the discretion of the court.

Penalty for vi lating to fees or compensation.

olation of Act re

Interior to pre

government of

SEC. 5. That the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe Secretary of rules and regulations governing the recognition of agents, scribe rules for attorneys, or other persons representing claimants before agents, etc., in prosecution of his Department, and may require of such persons, agents, claims. and attorneys, before being recognized as representatives of claimants, that they shall show that they are of good moral character and in good repute, possessed of the necessary qualifications to enable them to render such claimants valuable service, and otherwise competent to advise and assist such claimants in the presentation of their claims, and such Secretary may, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, suspend or exclude from further practice before his Department any such person, agent or attorney shown to be incompetent, disreputable, or who refuses to comply with the said rules and regulations, or who shall with intent to defraud in any manner deceive, mislead, or threaten any claimant, or prospective claimant, by word, circular, letter, or by advertisement.

Commissioner of Pensions may

for fees, etc.

SEC. 6. The Commissioner shall have power, subject to review by the Secretary, to reject or refuse to recognize any reject contracts contract for fees, herein provided for, whenever it shall be made to appear that any undue advantage has been taken of the claimant in respect to such contract. Approved, July 4, 1884.

AN ACT making appropriations for the payment of invalid and other pensions of the United States, for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, and for other purposes.

Hereafter no agent or attorney shall demand, receive, or be allowed any compensation under existing law exceeding two dollars in any claim for increase of pension on account of the increase of the disability for which the pension has been allowed, or for services rendered in securing the passage of any special Act of Congress granting a pension or an increase of pension in any case that has been presented at the Pension Office or is allowable under the general pension laws: And provided further, That any agent, attorney, or other person instrumental in prosecuting any claim for increase of pension on account of the increase of disability for which pension was allowed, or who has rendered services in procuring the passage of any special Act of Congress granting a pension or an increase of pension in any case that has been presented at the Pension Office or is allowable under the general pension laws, who shall directly or indirectly contract for, demand, receive, or retain any compensation for such services, except as herein before provided, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall, for each and every such offense, be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars or imprisoned, not exceeding two years or both, in the discretion of the court: Provided, however, That the foregoing provisions in relation to fees of agents or attorneys shall not apply to any case now pending where there is an existing lawful contract expressed or implied.

Approved, March 3, 1891.

(See Sec. 4, Acts of June 27, 1890, p. 61; July 27, 1892, p. 72; August 5, 1892, p. 64.)

ORDER NO. 169, MAY 26, 1891.

The former custom of allowing agents, attorneys, and other persons practicing before this Bureau, to charge a sum not in excess of two dollars for postage in any one claim in which they may be the recognized agent, has been abrogated.

Hereafter, and dating from April 22, 1891, in lieu of the former custom or practice of allowing postage in original and increase pension claims, it has been decided, with the approval of the Secretary, not to allow a sum in excess of fifty cents for postage used in the prosecution of any one

claim; but a compliance with such request of the agent or attorney or other person is optional and not obligatory on the part of the claimant.

No attorney will be allowed to demand a sum for postage as a right, nor refuse to prosecute a claim where the request for postage is not answered.

LAWS RELATING TO VIOLATION OF PENSION LAWS.

SEC. 1782. No Senator, Representative, or Delegate, after his election and during his continuance in office, and no head of a Department or other officer or clerk in the employ of the Government, shall receive or agree to receive any compensation whatever, directly or indirectly, for any services rendered or to be rendered to any person, either by himself or another, in relation to any proceeding, con

tract, claim, controversy, charge, accusation, arrest, or other matter or thing in which the United States is a party, or directly or indirectly interested, before any Department, court-martial, Bureau, officer, or any civil, military, or naval commission whatever. Every person offending against this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be imprisoned not more than two years and fined not more than ten thousand dollars, and shall, moreover, by conviction therefor, be rendered forever thereafter incapable of holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the Government of the United States.

tempts at fraud.

Sec. 30, 3 March,

SEC. 4744. The Commissioner of Pensions is authorized Special service in investigating to detail, from time to time, clerks in his office to investi- suspected atgate suspected attempts at fraud on the government, through and by virtue of the provisions of the pension law, 1873; Sec. 12, 14 July, 1862; Sec. and to aid in prosecuting any person so offending, with 4, 4 July, 1864. such additional compensation as is customary in cases of special service; any person so detailed shall have the power to administer oaths and take affidavits in the course of any such investigation.

The above section amended by the following Acts.

1882.

Under an Act making appropriations for the payment of Act 25 July, invalid and other pensioners of the United States for the year ending June 30, 1883, it was enacted:

That section forty-seven hundred and forty-four, title fiftyseven of the Revised Statutes of the United States is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 4744. The Commissioner of Pensions is authorized to detail from time to time clerks or persons employed in his office to make special examinations into the merits of such pension or bounty land claims, whether pending or adjudicated, as he may deem proper, and to aid in the prosecution of any party appearing on such examinations to be guilty of fraud, either in the presentation or in procuring the allowance of such claims; and any person so detailed shall have power to administer oaths and take affidavits and depositions in the course of such examinations, and to orally examine witnesses, and may employ a stenographer, when deemed necessary by the Commissioner of Pensions, in important cases, such stenograper to be paid by such clerk or person, and the amount so paid to be allowed in his accounts."