The National tribune., 1899-08-10
AN IGNoBLE INoUIsIrroN

go
on the pension roll-almost desperate to
substantiate his ISLANDERS upon the veterans
| and their widows-freDetic to advertise his
shrewdness and cunning to the public,
Henry Clay Evans has revived al other of
the obnoxious devices Of VIM. Lochren.
| He has sent to Chicago band of 13 Special
Examiners, chosen with great care as to
their aptitude for the work, on an extra
ordinary Fraud Hunt Not that there have
been any developments to call for this un-
usual inqustion There has been nothing
| to indicate the existence of frauds there.
They are sent thither with drag-net instruc-
tons, in the hope that they may find some
thing that will bolster up their falling chief
They are instructed to take the whole list
of 10000 pensioners paid by tie Chicago
| Agency, and make a house-to-house in
veStigation of every one of them, listening
TO and encouraging all manner of neighbor-
| hood gossip, concerning each one of them,
and following up every clew that may be OBJ
| tanned which promises TO furnish preteXt
| for dropping from the roll. lfthe pensioner
| is man, every titie-tattle about his present
| or previous habits of life is TO be carefully
listened to and inquired into His ability
| to work is to be discussed with his neighbors.
=" II preponderance given TO the statements
of hose who are for any reason. unfrienCly
| ~ him. If the claimant is widow her
.Nan I. do nF ris
| inquiry, that she may not have more than
| tie 500 year which by the grace Of Henry
Clay Evans she is allowed And particular
attention must be paid to any whispers
against her character
This inquisition would not be so atroci-
Gus if its victims were given any chance to
meet those who bear witness against them,
and to learn what accusations spite. jeal-
ousy, or neighborhood enmities may have
led them to make But they are not al
lowed this natural right of every American
Their enemies furtiyely whisper innuendoes
and calumnies to the Examiner, in some
dark corner. and the first the victim hears is
| that the Commissioner has exercised his
summary power Of dropping him or herfrom
the roll We recently published two fla
grant instances of how this worked in the
cases of poor old women Of unimpeachable
character In one the Prosecuting Attor-
ney of Roscommon County, Mich testified,
over his own name, how poor old, hall
blind widow, of his city, who worked as
servant for her living, had been reported by
some anonymous miscreant for unchastity,
and though the charge was on the face OF 1t
absurd, though the Special Examiner who
Investigated the case confessed as much,
and though 40 of the leading citizens Of
Roscommon joined in certificate of the
poor woman's good character and an
indignant protest against her villifer,
| Commissioner Evans refused to restore her
to the roll, or give the name OF the vicious
sianderer Lincoln Post of Topeka, Kan =,
certified to another similarly aggravated
case
The Special Examiners who are doing
this 6dious work are only human Noma:-
ter what may be their likes or dislikes as II
the duty upon which they are sent they
know that their standing in the Office, their
retention Of their positions and their chances
for promotion all de I'd upon the activity
and zeal that they show in attacking the
character of every man and woman on the
pension roll The more to the discredit of
any pensioner that they can find and send
in, the better will the Commi 81 'ner be
pleased. the better their standing in the
Office, the greater their chances for pro
motion
If the results obtained in Chicago justify
it, other agencies will be visited in like man.
ner.
How much longer must the veterans
s and these prosecutions?