Number ofValue of
 States.establishments.products.
New York43,739$1,080,696,596
Pennsylvania31,232744,818,445
Massachusetts14,352631,135,284
Illinois14,549414,864,673
Ohio20,699348,298,390
In agriculture:Value ofValue of all
 States.live stock.farm products.
Illinois$132,437,762$203,980,137
New York117,868,283178,025,695
Ohio103,707,730156,777,152
Iowa124,715,103136,103,473
Pennsylvania84,242,877129,760,476
In mining:Value of product ofValue of
 States.precious metals.non-precious metals
Pennsylvania$65,559,576
Colorado$19,249,1721,041,350
California18,301,828
Nevada17,318,909
Michigan25,85814,279,437
Illinois8,911,279
Ohio8,077,488

From the above it appears that in the aggregate value of their agricultural, manufacturing, and mining products, New York leads all the other States, with a total of over $1,381,000,000; Pennsylvania follows, with $1,024,000,000; Illinois marches third, with over $760,000,000; Massachusetts fourth, with over $676,000,000; and Ohio fifth, with nearly $617,000,000.

PENSION-ATTORNEY’S FEES.

Tipton, Iowa.

Is it true that a pension attorney cannot lawfully charge more than $10 for his services in procuring a pension? If so, when was this law passed? It used to be $25: at least that was what pensioners around here paid.

Old Soldier.

Answer.—Prior to June 20, 1878, it was lawful for an attorney to make a contract with a pension claimant for $25 as a fee, which amount was paid by the Commissioner of Pensions, or on his order, when the pension was allowed, out of the first pension payment. It was wholly contingent upon the successful prosecution of the claim. In 1878 Mr. Bentley, then Commissioner of Pensions, arrayed himself against claim attorneys, and procured the enactment of the present law, approved June 10, 1878, making it unlawful for an attorney to receive a greater sum than $10 for his services in procuring a pension. This amount the attorney can collect from the applicant and keep, whether the claim is allowed or not. It is doubtful whether Mr. Bentley’s well intended endeavors to benefit applicants through this law have not resulted in more harm than good, as hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants have paid attorneys this $10 in advance, and therefore the latter, having nothing more to gain, have merely filed the applications, and left the cases to take the regular red-tape course, and be thrown out for informalities or for want of a little additional testimony, which defects the attorneys would have strived to cure if the fee had remained at $25, and been wholly contingent on the allowance of the pensions.