The National tribune., 1899-07-20
THE NATIONAL
COMMITTEE.
1t Visits Washington with the
Acting Commmder=in=Chief.
Interviews With the PSssiden, Secretary Of the Interior
Commissioner Of Pensions, tand Several Comrades.

Interviews With the Psssdeat, Secretary Of the Interior
Commissioner Of Pensions. and Several Comrades.
In accordanceG with the call, Acting
Commander-in-chief johnson and the
National GA. r. Pension Committee met in
this city, Tuesday, July IL. The full
committee was present. as follows: -
Past Department Commander X. B..
Brown, of GAINESVILLE, O., Chairman -.
Va, Past Department Commander III. b.
Case. of Chattanooga, Tenn. -
; Past Commander4in-Ch Chief John Palmer,
of Albany, N. Y. a 49,.
Past Department. Commander John. w.
Burst, of Sycamore, III.
-Comrade Chas. Clark Adams, of Boston,
Mass. go re- ~. i -. -.
Besides these came Commander Jos. W;
Kay. of the Department of New York, and
Commander o. Fl. Coulter, of the Depart
ment of Kansas. .
Tuesday evening the Committee held a
session at the Ebbitt House, calling in one
witness after another; and having ms teStl-
mony taken down by a stenographer. =
Wednesday the Committee went to the
Pension Bureau and spent some hours win
the Commissioner. In the evening they
resumed their session, and heard more
witnesses
Thursday morning they called on the
Secretary of the Interior who received them
very affably, and paid tiIem much attention.
At t12:15 they went to theWhite House. and
spent an hour and half with the Presi-
dent who talked with them frankly and
genially. 1t was agreed that nothing
should be given out as to their interview
with the President, further than the general
statement that "Fhe Grand Army VIII be
very glad of our visit to the President"
The reports current about Washington
are that the President expressed the great
est astonishment at some of the things they
presented to him; said that he had never
had the resolutions adopted at the Gin
cinnati National Encampment presented
to him; that he knew nothing of the uncon-
scionabe delays in the granting OF pen.
sions; nothing Of the 500 limit to widows
pensions, which he considered wholly un-
justifiable, and favored at least $500 limit
knew nothing of the cheese-paring, with
microscopic divisions into eighteenths;
knew nothing of Orders 164 and 225, and
similar other complaints against the admin
istration of the Pension Bureau. He was
surprised at all told him. He took the recon-
mendationS of the Committee, promised to
consider them, consult with the Secretary
of the Interior and Commissioner of Pen
sions regarding them, and secure needful
reforms.
The Committee came away in a very
pleased frame of mind, and went again To
the Pension Bureau, where Commissioner
Evans exerted himself to progresses them
in his favor. They had some cases to pre-
sent to him, which he a} generally explained
away. H
The Commissioner Sent around a general
order for all the veterans and widows Of
veterans employed in the Pension Bureau
to come to his Office at 800 and meet the
Committee. As'this was not in the nature
of request or an invitation, butan order, it
was generally Complied with. AT the
!, IL. Isi..I.,
Of the General who led the famous charge
against our lines at Gettysburg.
In the evening Commander-in-Chief
johnson went to Philadelphia, Comrade
Adams to Boston, and Comrade Brown
returned to Zanesvillei Past Commander
in-Chief Palmer went home the next day.
Comrade Burst remained a day or two
longer visiting some friends.
1t was understood that each member is to
prepare a statement Of his views, which will
be sent to Chairman Brown, who will con-
solidate them into a report, the draft of
which will be submitted to each member for
his consideration and emendatlon
They will all come together again-prob-
ably in WashingtOn-befOre the meeting Of
the National Encampment.
COMMANDER JOS. W. KAY,
of New York, saw the President on We'd
neSday, with reference to further amend
menus OF tfle CINll sOCIElCe
for the greater protection of comrades in the
public service. The President listened at
tentiyely, and promised to make the amend
ments urged by Commander Kay. He
then asked Kay about the pension situation.
Kay, with his customary straightforward
ness and frankness, told him OF the intense
dissatisfaction of the comrades of New
York with the administration of the PEN
sion Bureau; that he must not be deceived
by the assertions thatthe resolutions passed
by the New York Encampment demanding
the removal of Evans were the work of pen
sion attorneys. On the contrary, they
represented the real feelings of the com
rades and nothing else could have been
done. He remembered but one pension
attorney among the hundreds of delegates
present in the Encampment. The Presi-
| dent seemed deeply interested in the matter,
and Kay talked frankly and freely Kay
| went on to enumerate some of the more
glaring faults that had been found with the
conduct of the Pension Bureau. Kay took
the occasion to remind the President that
he-kay- was Democratic veteran, who
| had gone on the stump to advocate Nc
| Kiney's election on account of the NAL
administration of Lochren; that he had
never asked any personal fayOrS of the
Administration and had none to ask now.
Consequently what he had said was wholly
disinterested and actuated solely by love of
| the comrades. and desire for the success of
| President Mckinley'S Administrations The
! President admitted that if these things
were as represented there was just cause of
complaint and said that he would have the
matter investigated. Commander KAY
left the President highly elated, and feeling
that the Chief Magistrate was animated by
a genuine desire to have justice done his old
comrades. and that if the National Pension
Committee was firm and explicit in its
recommendations a very substantial i'm
provement in the conditions in the Pension
Bureau might be SECURED.
| COMMANDER o. II. COULTER,
of Kansas, appeared before the Committee
on Wednesday evening with q mass OF
|evidence, obtained from the veterans OF
Kansas, who have suffered more severely
than those of any other State possibly be
cause there are more OF them, and they form
a larger proportion of the population
Among other things,Ihe read the following
telegram from the largest Post in his De
'''' ~ TOPEKA, KAN, July -, 1898.
Col. o. II. COULTER, Department Com
| mander: u
Lincoln Post, No. /, of Kansas, member
ship of over 500, largest in the State, unani
mousy adopt resolutions condemning the
administration of Pension Commissioned
Evans, and request President Mckinley tc
remove him. The resolutions fully specify
the reasons for this request.
| j. X. HUDSON,
il ]. q. WOOD,
| j. w. SIDWELL,
| II Committee.
Brig Gen. J. X. Hudson. the Chairman
of the Committee, is, a distinguished com
rade, a leading citizen of Kansas, and the
OuIy man in it who received n Generals