The times., 1897-12-29
WILL TAKE NOTHING BACK
MIR. Evans Believes All His Al
legations Are True.
HE STANDS By HIS CHARGES
The Ioonl Lawyers Do Not Care TO
Ant6gonize the missioner. But
Maintain That There Are Good
MeI in TIE Business Inspiration
in a Circular.

The attack made by Commissioner o
| Pensions Fl. Clay Evans on pension attor
Legs, which was printed in The Evening
| Times yesterday, was leading top''
+! lastn Itcreated Consideration among
| the pension attorneys of tins city ant
| among those people who are employed
| 10y them. 1t was q menace from tht
head of the Pension Bureau that the reve
| nue. from their pension practice should
| be cut off. Commissioner Evans denounced
pen sion attorneys in bitter terms
| He said that they are alone To
| blame for. frauds on the roll OF
honor; that they are the most pastiterons
''varmints'' that ever invaded henri 1st;
| that they pose as patriots at $50 FOR every
successful claim made and he winds up
| by demanding the enactment OF law
which will stop the payment OF fees 10
these attorneys. Just what Commissioner
Evans has It say against pension attorneys,
! follows
THE most demora lizing feature of the
| pension system Is tie existence of 10000
| pension attorneys. The ordinary pension
attorney is worse than the most pesttferous
| 'varmint tia ever invaded hen roost.
IF there are frauds on the pension rolls
they lave been planted there By the
pension attorney. lie it is that persuadas
the applica mt To file claim, leads him to
believe that the Government has his name
ON the roll and only awaits his applica.
tiun: gives him to understand that tn"
attorney is regularly commissioned and
authorized nd especially empowered To
nunt up this particular missing soldier;
tells HIM that all other soldiers hav.
applied and obtained their money, and
adds that II you don't get yours you are
to blame
Commits sioner Evans charged the pen
sion attorneys with absolutely being "buz
Zards.'' lie sa id:
There are good men engaged in the
pension attorney business, but the maioTity
OF them remind me OF that beautiful biri
that sails through the air so gracefully,
but which the laws prohibit killing.
The Government has continued to pay
pension attorneys for soliciting busi1eSS
for thirty years. Enough OF this has been
done. law should be passed that In
future no fec should he paid to any al
torney or claim agent for any claim flied
for pensions. That would put eud to
the pension Scandals
Every pension attorney approached by
The Times man yesterday joined issue with
Commissioner Evans. Many If them spoke
of him bitterly, but none would express any
sentiment very hostile 10 The Commissioned
for purposes OF publication. None of them
cared openly t. autagonize the head of the
Pension Bureau too liarSlny., setting forth
that they had business reason for not
doing SO.
Several attorneys. who declined to let
their names toe psed in print. declared hat
the COMMISSION er OF Pensions had dra wn his
for his attack on all pension at
torneys from sCn-c offensive circular sent
out by one firm. They held that IN re
are any number of worthy pension at
torneys who conducted their business in a
legitimate wy. There We're Others @ho
did not
Corporal James Tanner was almost speech
less at first. He was having a combat
within himself. He was Just aching TO
go for Commissioned Evans, but then, he
was also rea soning with himself that 1t
was better to await further developments
and not to demolish Mr.. Fans too suddenly
He believed that Mr.. Evan had ma lie Up
his mind too hastily. He thought that he
should not Condemn al pension attorneys
becaus.. some Of them had gone wrong.
II widow ana orphans did get pensions they
got only what under the law they Were en-
title TO. II there were fraudulent pension
attorneys it wasthe fault Of the PensionOf
flee. 1t had the arbitrary power TO disbar
man SIMPLY upon suspicion of unprofession-
a conduct. 1t could also proceed "a inst
a man crminaliv for frauds.
IO-,,J,1iSSfge,aT Evans said l1Sf Uioht "A
he had said nothing earlier in the day when
he care TO take back. All the allegations
he haC II Ide against pension attUr leys he
believed TO be true. He declared that
several OF his predecessors had entert aimed
the sane feelings toward the class which
ice did, and had on various occasions
spoken theii sentiments, though perhaps
not so loudly or strongly 9s he had done.