The National tribune., 1899-06-29
MIR. EvANs.st" SAVING"

| MIR. EVANS'SA A"SAVING."
/ Mr.. Evans gives out privately that he is
going to astonish and delight the country at
the close Of the fiscal wear by returning to the
Treasury about ssOOoOOO Of the appropria-
ton given him by Congress to disburse among
the veterans Of the country and their widows,
in satisfaction Of theft rightful claims. OF
course any statement by Mr.. Evans in regard
to the Pension Bureau must be received with
great caution, on account OF his poverbial
inaccuracy, but lle certainly will strive hard
to surpass his last years record, when he
turned back $3,4s7, ,39245.
Assuming that his unexpended balance
will be as much as $S,OOO,OOO, what will that
imply? First it is an emphatic contradiction
to his recent defense in the papers of the coun-
try that he can not allow any more pensions
than he does because Congress did not give
him any more money. This is untrue. be-
cause Congress has every time given the Com
missioner of Pensions all the money that he
has asked for. There is no doubt that if he
had wanted more money-if he had informed
Congress that to carry out the laws in their
intent and spirit much larger appropriations
would beneedcd-he would have gotten them.
They would have been given as ungrudgingiy
as in the past. Congress, representing the
will of the people, is willing to deal with the
veterans with genuine justice and broad
liberality. Only the Commissioner OF Pen
sions stands in the way of this.
Assuming that he will have SS,OO0,OOO to
turn back into the Treasury, this means that
he has deliberately calculated and planned to
deny the veterans of the country and their
widows enough of the money voted to them
by Congress to have put the immense number
of 1888 veterans or their widows on the roll
at IS month, or Ill, Ill on the roll at Sc
month!
Think of what all this implies. In his last
annual report Mr. Evans estimated that there
were about 100000 Union veterans in the
country who were not receiving any pension.
He did not attempt to estimate the number
of widows. He also reported that there were
at that time 635, ,059 claims pending, of which
100000 were original claims" He went on
to say that he did not consider more than
$4,000 of these really original" Let us take
his admission that there are $1,000 men and
women who have claims pending. All these
are past middle age, sorrowfully large num-
Der Of them are in sight of their last resting
place in the village graveyard. Still more Of
them are in sore need. The infirmities Of
advanced years tell heavily upon them. En-
feebled bodies, rackcd', limbs and dimmed
eycsight no longer permit successful contest
for their daily bread. They look to the Gov
crnment to pay its long due debt to them, and
give them littleIstipend with which to help
keep a roof over their heads, and provide food
and medicines. II the Government is ever
going to give them theif due now is the time,
when they are if cruel need. 1t must be
done this year, MT next for thousands of
them will then Hs beyond the reach OF the
Governments help. .ac
Their claims have long been on file; papers
have been pigeon holed so long that they are
yellow with age, and soiled with the finger
marks of repeated handling. They have
furnished proof upon proof, written letter after
letter. undergone examination after examina-
ton. been interviewed by Special Examiners
in the Field" and gone through all the other
tortuous ways of circumlocution. Congress
establishes big Bureau, with nearly 1000
employees, for the examination and settlement
of their claims, and appropriates all the money
the Commissioner asks for to pay them. A
year passes, year of painful waiting for
them, and the Commissioner returns millions
of dollars to the Treasury unexpended-
millions that he has Saved" by denying to
these poor men and women the relief that is
due them, and that Congress and the country
intended they should have.
| Most emphatically the country does not
want this kind of saving" 1t does not want
money covered into the Treasury which is the
price of aged veterans pains and sorrows
and their widows tears. 1t does not want
money iuggled away by sharp technicalities,
and cunning chicane from the men who gave
everything to the Nation when it was in sore
need. 1t does not want an obscure politician
to build himself reputation as an economist "
at the cost Of broken pledges and unfulfilled
promises to the men who, in the hour of the
country's distress, kept every pledge and
fulfilled every promise to it.
This sort OF Saving" is indefensible-
inexcusable.
Evans must 60.