The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-05-31

The first report that 7. j. Deavitt was
disbarred from practice before the dep art
ment Of the interior was published April
%. Mr.. Deavitt, hearing nothing from the
secretary of the interior, and receiving only
a note from III. Clay Evans commissioner
OF pensions, relating to the disbarment,
wrote the commissioner about ten days age
the following letter, to which he has re.
ceived no reply:
Montpelier, VT, May 18, 1899.
Sir:-I have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt Of your communication, in which
you say the honorable secretary of the
interior, April 20, 1899, issued an order dis
barring me from further practice as a PEN
sion claim attorney AS l have waited
without receiving any communication di-
rectly from the secretary of the interior re-
lating to my dsbarment, will you kindly
furnish me copy Of his order, including
the charges or grounds on which it was
based.
1t is no trivial matter to me to have my
business and income attained by years of
persistent endeavOr, cut off and my long
career as an attorney Of the department of
the interior terminate in disbarment, even
If based only on my complaint to Congress
of your policy and methods of executing the
pension laws.
In the capacity of an American citizen,
with knowledge OF the pension laws de-
rived from long study, Republican and an
"original Mckinley man." prompted by
duty to waiting clients and rejected claim
ants, wrote the letter of which you COM
plain to number of Congressman, who
gave it greater endorsement and publicity
than had anticipated. 1 did not intend it
should contain any false statements, and
when you wrote me alleging it contained
false and grossly improper statements, /
we'll hoped you would answer my reply
requesting you to specify the statements
you claimed were false, that / might con-
ui pf frnt fnr hnh inc
vertantly made any misstatements, or il
you could show me that any were untrue,
l would gladly retract them with due apol-
ogy but so long as I believed my state
mems true could not take them back and
remain worthy member of that honorable,
the legal, profession.
You did not answ or my letter, therefore
we could not reason together concerning
the truthfulness and propriety of the state
ments contained in my open letter, sub
NIT that my letter OF which you complain
was nothing more than an honest criticism
of your policy and methods of executing
the pension laws of the United ST. tes, view
ed from my standpoint. You viewed them,
no doubt, from different standpoint. An
able and honest administration invites fair
and honest criticism. False statements can
not harm IL. Improper ones strengthen /.
My criticisms were what Hon. John d.
Long, secretary OF the navy, characterized
as good in his recent Essex Club speech in
Boston. II am one Of those who believe in
freedom OF speech" said Secretary Long.
Among the people L think criticism OF
those in power is often useful and good
even il it is not wholly warranted-as
we'll as praise" "It never troubles me, 81
continued the secretary, "that it is accom-
panied now and then by extravaganza OF
speech. have lived long enough to know
| that in order to IN Ike Tie mpie Ision more
arousing, 1t is sometimes necessary to talk
louder and say more than is necessary to
enforce the idea intended / have no doubt
it IL all right for those who do not like the
way things are run to pitch into those who
run them. A hard name now and then OF
an exaggerated term does no great harm
1t Ia very much like debate in Congress
where two members OF that august body
seem to fay each other and then shake
hands when they meet outside and find the
cuticle unbroken." Respectfully yours,
| Il. j. DEAvITT.
Hon. II. Clay Evans,
Commissioner OF Pensions,
Washington, ID. q.