The National tribune., 1898-02-24
AN OPEN LETTER.
To Hon. Henry Clay Evans,
Commissioner of Pen
SiOnS.

SIR: We are gratified to be able to
state that for some weeks now we have
seen no matter defamatory to the vet
Grams purporting to have come from you.
For this much thanks. We confess to
strong surprise that you did not at
once Indignantly repudiate many state
ments and sentiments attributed to you
by the newspaper correspondents. This
is matter of taste, however, in which
our views NAV differ as widely from
yours as on many other matters con-
nected with pensions.
We also confess to extreme disap-
pointment that you have suffered all
these weeks to pass without giving the
public some authentic information on
the bitterly-disputed question of pen
sions. We at first looked for this in
formation to be given as a matter of
friendship and fraternity to the vet
Grams. This is soldier Administration.
At It's head is comrade of the Grand
Army of the Republic, of long and
honorable service in the war. The Adj
ministration was put in power by vet
eran votes, and you, yourself, have been
a pretty constant solicitor of the votes
of ex-soldiers and Their sons and sons
in-law. Their support has been the
cornerstone and superstructure of your
political fortunes, and we felt that ap-
probation and gratitude would impel
YOU to hasten to their defense. Again,
there seems to have been wide differ
ence between your views and ours.
Next, We suffered keen disappoint-
ment when you did not see fit to give
the public full information as to the
questions from a purely official stand
point. Your Bureau, as well as every
other Bureau, Office and Department, is
a mere servant and agency of the public.
The public has the most absolute right
to full and complete information con-
cerning its operations. Nothing can be
more indisputable From the very
foundation Of the Government, every
Office or Bureau which has been sharply
criticized has hastened to lay before the
public comprehensive exposition of its
operations. 1t has felt that this was de-
manded by its own honor, and still more
strongly demanded as matter of right
to the public. The people have the
most unqualified and indefeasible right
to know, at any time, any important fact
connected with the administration of
their affairs. The operations of your
Bureau have been more bitterly at
tackled than any other In the history of
the Government. IF one-tithe what has
been alleged were true, then all your
predecessors were the most astounding
incompetents and bunglers, if not cor
rupt malefactors, known to American
official life. Every clerk and employe
would be tainted with misdoing and con-
nivance at the same. Every act of the
Bureau for the past 36 years would be
gravely suspicious. No other conclusion
is possible to a man who believed any
portion Of these allegations. The in
tegrity Of your Bureau was at stake.
The storm was so severe that we could not
believe that you could sit tamely under
it. You could not by your silence admit
that all who have preceded you in the
administration Of the pension system
have been either imbeciles or cor
ruptionists. No matter how pleasant
the estimate you may place on your own
honesty and acumen, you cannot but re-
member that there have been such Secre-
taries of the Interior as Gen Noble,
Villas, Lamar, Teller, Kirk wood, Carl
Schurz, Zach. Chandler, and j. ID. Cox ;
such Commissioners Of Pensions as Cen
Raum, Tanner, Gen. J. G. Black, Gen.
w. w. Dudley, Bentley, ETC., all men of
the highest reputation for honesty and
administrative ability. You cannot
imagine that you brought to your duties
integrity and wisdom superior to theirs.
Yet every charge of fraud is a direct
accusation Of some Of those honored
! men.