The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-05-05
FIGHT TO SUCCEED
SPEAKER REED
Hopkins and Sherman Are the
Contestants.
EVANS AND THE ATTORNEYS
The Commissioner of Pensions Has
Created CONSERVATION by Calling
on Guardians to Tell Where
abonts Of Their Charges

Washington, May 4.-(specal)- de-
cis'on of the Illinois delegation to support
the claims of Representative Hopkins for
the speakership narrows the fight down
practically to the latter named gentleman
and Representative Sherman of New York.
Other candidates may announce them
selves, however, and thus further compli-
cate matters An effort is being made by
the friends of Representative Mercer, of
Nebraska, to get him to announce his can
didacy, but up to this time he has refused.
There IS no reason why Mr.. Mercer should
not aspire to the honor. He is one of the
most progressive young members in the
house, and also one of the ablest. He has
been secretary of the national republican
congressional committee for two terms, and
the effective work of that committee in
the last campaign was due largely to his
personal efforts.
He has presided over the house a good
deal in the past, and has been caught in
some pretty tight places. He not only has
managed to get out safely, but with con-
siderable honor. Mr.. Mercer may not want
to enter the race unless there be a tangle.
Should anything like a deadlock ensue in
the western forces, his name will be
brought forward with a good nucleus of
votes back of 1t.
Platt At His old Tricks
The western representatives do not take
any stock in the report from New York
that Senator Plat is backing Representa-
tive Payne of that state, now chairman of
the ways and means committee. Fearing
his active support might hurt Sherman, it
is thought that the New York senator IS
at his old tricks Of hiding his support be-
hind some seemingly impossible candidate.
Two or more candidates from the west will
make the election of Mr.. Sherman a GER
tainty. The effort now being made is 20
get the west to unite one man. This
will hardly prove possible, for the reason
that there are many purely administration
men in the west who will support whoever
the president desires for the honor. Cen
eral Henderson, for instance, will most
likely remain in the race at the d'ctation
of the administration forces. AS long rs
Ohio remains out of the western combina-
ton 1t will be hard to unite on one candi-
date from that section.
Evans and the Pension Attorneys
The war between Commissioner of PEN
sions Evans and the pension attorneys goes
on with undated vigor. Mr.. Evans be-
lieves that the attorneXS are responsible
for two-thirds Of - IDS practiced and
he let's 49, scape to uncover
SSnaH " His last order
persons receiving
mo- lzz1z1yySW as guardians should
file with the bureau a statement showing
where the imbecile pensioncr is living, has
caused howl from the guardians and at
torneys which are often one and the same
persons Many such guardians refused to
file such statements and Mr.. Evans took
steps to force them to do so by holding UP
the payment until such reports as were
required were made. The guardians began
to .make reports and q curious condition of
affairs was laid bare.
A large percentage of the guardians adj
mitted frnkly that they did not know where
their charges were; others admitted that
theirs were dead and some gave fraudu-
lent reports. They will all be prosecuted.
One remarkable case was that of a man
in New York whose father has been for
thirty-one years in the insane asylum here
at Washington. In that period the son has
drawn, as the fathers guardian, not less
than $20,000 the father having been pen
stoned at the high rate of $72 month. In
all this time the government has been car
ing for the insane person and the son has
money to his needs. The asylum charges
S. week for all persons who can pay it.
Mr.. Evans has given an order to withhold
all his pension money in the future and
turn it over to the asylum officials until
the amount withheld equals the weekly
payment due to the insane asylum officials.
In the meantime the Grand Army posts at
the instance of pension attorneys are con-
tinuing to pass resolutions denouncing the
pension commissioner for unfair treatment
of pensioners "A. w. B.