The Indianapolis journal., 1889-06-02
Great Injustice to Applicants for Pensions in
Not Being Permitted to See the Secret
Evidence Filed Against Their Claims.
Chairmanship of the House Committee
on Elections Askedby Southern Men.
Money Squandered by Office-Seekers in Wash
ington-Colonel Wicker Asks to Have His
Wrongs Righted-A Smokers Rebuff.


Secret Character Assassination Will Not Be
Tolerated by the Present Administration.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON. June lit is refreshing
to know that those who are compelled to
meet charges against their character, in
tended to defeat applications for peDsio ms
and claims for money, are given fair
showing now. The administration of Pres
idept Cleveland inaugurated system of
secrecy which was very reprehensible, in
that while a man could ascertain that
charges had been preferred against him
which were likely to defeat his applica-
tion. he was not permitted to see them. and
could not, therefore. meet them. Strange
as it may appear, such information as the
names of bondsmen for federal officers was
refused everybody who applied at the De
partments. The date of issuance of COM
missions was kept secret as frequently
as possible. The time when a change was
to be made in an office was profound
secret, much to the disgust of those who
were interested in securing changes. The
greatest harm, and the most ha-
grant injustices were perpetrated In
the Pension Office by this system
of secrecy. If soldier should apply for
pension, or if the widow or orphan of
soldier should make application. any one
could file charges, defeat the application,
and the applicant would never know why
he OF she failed of success. 1t was like a
man being tried for his life, having an op-
portunity to present his evidence in rebut-
tai without knowing what he was rebut-
ting. 1t was hearing one side openly for the
purpose of meeting the side which was a
secret.
There is only one case on record where
an applicant for favor at the hands of the
government defeated this outrageous
scheme. The man in question applied for a
pension. He lived in Indiana. His case
was hung up indefinitely, and he was for
many months unable to ascertain what
was the reason of the delay. Finally, he
learned that charges had been preferred
against him, and he was smart
enough to get the address of those who had
testified in opposition to his claim: He
learned this much In Washington, and i'm
mediately put out out to his home with the
determination to ut-Herod Herod. When
he arrived at home he Immediately pre-
pared and had printed a fac-simile circular
representing himself to be special agent
Vi tuc cnclOu Ou1Cc. Ilc duulCoocu OllC vi
these to each man who had testified against
= him, and over an assumed name asked
these witnesses to repeat to him the testi-
mony given in the case. Every witness
fell into the trap, and by that means he was
enabled to get a duplication of the testi-
mony filed at the Pension office against
himself. That man is now pushing his
claim for pension before Commissioner
Tanner and the fact that this secret evil
dencc weighed heavily against him, and
operated unfairly under the last, admins
tration. is regarded as a strong element in
his favor. 1t Is not on record, in written OF
unwritten annals, that person or an ad-
ministration gained anything by dealing
unfairly, OF that there was ever any gain
by secretiveness when justice was at stake