The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-31
Roanoke Shoe Co.,
Spot Cash Money Savers.
LIKENS Them TO BUZzARDS.
Commissioner Evans ExcOriates the
Pension Attorneys.
Washington Times.


Commissioner of Pensions Henry CLAW
nouncing pension attorneys. His denun-
citation is sweeping and comprehensive
and he condemns them as "A class. Mr..
Evans has created Il sensation among
the pension attorneys OF this city and for
tnat matter everywhere else, which will
require long time To quell.
he charges that pension attorneys are
to blame for frauds on the rCll OF honor;
that they are the most pestiierous war
minis that ever Invaded II henrOost: hat
they pose a. patriots ~ SD for every sue
cessful claim made, and ne wiuds mp ~
demanding the enactment Of IL law which
Will stop 'hr payment of fees TO these at
rorncys Just what Commit ssuner Evans
has 10 say against pension attorneys, fol-
lows:
1.-The most hemnrali2;ng feature of the
pension system is the existence of 30, coo
pension attorneys. The ordinary pension
attorney is worse than the most pes,ifer-
Gus varmint hat ever invaded Ii henroost.
III there are frauds on the pension
rolls they have been planted there by the
pension attorney. He it is that persuades
the applicant To i'll. u claim. leads him TO
believe that The Government has his name
on he roll and only awaits his applica-
tim; gives him to understand that the
attorney is regularly commissioned and
authorized aid especially empowered to
hunt up this particular missing soldier ;
tells HIM TINT all oths Soldiers have ap
piled and obtained their money, and adds
that iii you don't gel yours you are to
blame
FINALLY, after much persuasion, the
soldier is convinced. Then he is told to
sign This application; it is the regular
form required by the bureau
The pension attorney knows what is
required. He alleges every disease that
flesh is htir TO, AMI some that have never
Yet been discovered. The claimant pro-
tests that he is not so disabled, but IT, e
accom- plshe0 pension attorney proceeds
to prove in a very learned way that no
one who has teen through the Lite CT
war can be fee from some of these dis
eases: that they are in the system, and,
of course, it is due 10 posteriiy that a
claim be filed for pension. Every hon
orally discharged soldier he declares, 's
expected !iY the Govetnmt mt 10 thus have
his name placed on the roll of houor'
"Pcnsion attorneys have teen known %
draft the laws which Congress passes for
The Densloner. Fortunes have been made
and are be- nG made by this army of so.
called attorneys. They practically are so
many drummers-so soliciting Hgents-that
do nothing but hunt up claims and claim
ants for the Pension bureau.
The Government has seen fit TO take
them into partnership in the pension bust
ness. IL practically pays them bounty
Ga fee of 500 for every pensioner that can
he induced to file claim which they can
prove up and have admitted. 1t not
proven and admitted no fec is paid.
1.-The laws are amended frnn time m
time for the benefit of this array of pen
sion solicitors, so that they can get more
fees. They are busy now hunting widows
and orphans. Many soldiers that died
within five, ten or fifteen years after the
close OF the war, proud Of their services
to their country; prOnd Of having had an
opportunity to defend the tla0 of the
Union, and too proud ana patriotic ever
to accept IL pension. have left widows.
The widows, having imbibed the spirit of
patriotism aud love Of country from their
husbands, did not apply for pensions.
but. alter years of widowhood, remar.
ried. Pension attorneys are now, and
have been for the past few years, hunting
up such cases, persuadng the good wo-
men that it amounts to an evidence Of
disloyalty to the Government the former
soldier.h husband helped preserve to re
fuse TO file a claim for pensions for the
pc RODS of their "idowhood.
''The report of the commissioner of
pensions for 1897 show that $500 FOR
other causes were dropped from the
rolls. The report for 1896 shows that
there were 5000 dropped for other
causes Many of these were cases of
widows who were taken up and pen
stoned after they had remarked
81 have in mind one case in which APP
plication had not been made until twenty
one years after marriage. Such cases fire.
quently carry from 1000 to $4,000 in
lump. The name simply is placed ON the
pension roll for one payment and then
dropped among the for other causes.
Millions of dollars are paid out each year
on this class of claims
"The dependent father. mother. sister
and other dependents ARE also carefully
sought out by the army of solicitors for
the Pension Bureau, who pose ~ defend
crs of the good name Of the old soldier.
Alter carefully prepared legal opinion
by the duly constituted agent of the Gov