The National tribune., 1899-06-01
EyASS'S DEFENSE.

Thoroughly frightened at the
course of events, Mr.. Evans Is be-
stirring himself for defense before
hepeople of the country Wherever
he can get a newspaper correspond
ent to print matter in his favor he
furnishes it to him in profuslon.
Consequently, certain papers are
teeming with this class of matter,
all of which is more or less untrue,
and cunningly calculated to de-
ceive. For example, he says in a
letter to Congressman, which he
has given out for publications:
Out of the ], ,74l employees in the Bureau,
$50 are ex-Union soldiers, and of these
452 are pensioners. Seven Of the eight
principal assistants Of the Commissioner
aIe Union veterans, and received wounds
during the war that crippled them for
life Seventy of the 10 Reviewers are
have been in tie Bureau from p to 30 years.
The members of the Board of Review and of
the Medical Division :re nearly all veterans
and Republicans. Only 53i employees of the
Bureau, or 20 per cent. of the whole number,
are Democrats and these are under the pro-
lection of the Civil Service rules.
This is almost reproduction of
letter written by Lochren, under
similar circumstances. 1t has as
little bearing on Evans defense as
it did on Lochren s. Nomatter what
the military service of these men,
or their present political affiliations,
the fact remains that they are all
merely clerks and subordinates,
under the strictest official disci pline
to carry out the wishes and policy
Of the Commissioner. They would
not be allowed 10 retain their places
a single day, if they did not. They
have no more volition about the
granting or Withholding of a pen
sion, than the clerk or workman in
rolling-lnill has about the price of
the finished product. They should
not have, for if they did, there
would be inextricable confusion.
Each man and division of men has
certain specific duties in the way of
receiving claims, distributing them
20 different divisions. examining
2he records and other evidence,
tabulating and brie6ng the same,
writing the formal letters, etc, etc.
Every step is defined by rigid rules,
and no matter what clerk or eX-
aminer may think ought to be done,
he must act absolutely according to
orders, and pass on whatever comes
In his particular province exactly
in accordance with the lines laid
down for him. And after all this
work is completed, after the claim
has gotten past the snares and pit
falls laid for it on every side, it
comes before the Board of Review
which immediately represents the
Commissioner S views, and seeks
diligently to correct any leanings
toward liberality which may have
impelled those through whose
hands it has passed. And no mat
ter what Mr.. Evans may say about
the number of veterans-of Re
publlcans or Democrats-on this
Board of Review, and in the Medi-
cal Division, the final "say"-the
last Word-comeS from a man who
was not a soldier, whom it is
alleged is not even naturalized
citizen, and who was Lochren' s
chief factotum in his raid upon the
veterans This Mr.. Evans cannot
deny, nor that this mans adverse
decision goes" no matter how
many veterans, how many Repub-
licans or Democrats there may be
on the Board and in the Division
and adverse to him.