The National tribune., 1899-06-15
EyASs.s NEW DEFENSE.

Mr.. Evans has written a long letter to Sena.
tor Hayward, Of Nebraska, defending himself
and, of course, has given the letter to such
papers as will print it. 1t is mainly rehasl
of the former matter furnished by him to the
papers, about the number of Union veterans
employed in the Bureau the importance OF
their positions, ETC., ETC., all Of which we have
fully discussed heretofore. and shown its
absolutely misleading character.
The Commissioner then proceeds to an
in The course of which he says:
"The bureau has been extensively criti-
cised for adhering to this rule, but as my
functions are confined strictly to the exc
cution of the law as / find it l am power
less to grant relief in cases that do not come
within the rule. 1t is very evident upon a
careful examination of the act Of June, 1890,
that 1t creates conditions which are not ap-
pllcable to claims under the general law,
and that very much of the misapprehension
and dissatisfaction with the operations OF
the bureau arise from a want of under
standing as to those conditions.
There is one meaning clause which doubt
less Mr.. Evans used unwillingly-"the execu-
ton of the law as find it, He means by this,
the way he found that Lochren had been exc
cutting the law, and which he has continued
unchanged. This is a large part OF his Of
Tense. Lochren radically changed the inter
pretation of the law from that given it under
the Harrison Administration. President
Harrison and Secretary Noble, who are as
able lawyers as this country has ever seen,
distinctly sanctioned the Interpretation of the
act of June q, 1890, made by Assistant Secre-
tary Bussey and Commissioner Raum. That
Interpretation was Enthusiastically in accord
ance with the views of the Grand Army of the
Republic which had labored for 10 years to
secure the passage of the act and it was fur
ther sanctioned and confirmed by two Con
greSses-one of them Democratic-which
made appropriations for executing the law
according to that Interpretation.
President Cleveland came in and he ap-
pointed VIM. Lochren to give a radically
different construction to the law, and i'm
mensely narrow its operation and benefits.
Mr.. Evans continues this narrowness,
which amounts in many cases to absolute
notification, in all its harshness, and then has
the assurance to complain about the restric-
tons OF the law. He, man absolutely with
out legal training, sets up his views of the law
against the opinions of such eminent iurists as
President Harrison and Secretary Noble.
They said the law meant one thing; he says
that it means something quite different and
takes refuge behind his own Interpretation.
Further, the feeling aroused among the
veterans was SO intense that Congress passed
acts 10 modify the course OF the Commissioner.
Mr. Lochren treated them as dead letters, and
he is initiated by Mr.. Evans. "They were
passed at the instance OF pension attorneys"
Mr.. Evans has the assurance to say, as if that
were sufficient excuse for ignoring them.
Mr.. Evans has pension attorney forever on
his lips, and is quite capable of attributing the
deficiency of rain in Kansas to the wicked
Vaccinations Of pension attorneys.
Continuing, Mr.. Evans says:
s'Thus, soldier is entitled under the gen.
eral law to SIT per month for the loss of an
eye, but under the act Of June %, 1890, he
received only Sc per month, as it does not
incapacitate him from earning his subsist-
enee by manual labor. So in case of deaf
ness.
"A soldier who is suffering from degree
of deafness emitting him under the general
law to SO or 81 per month has no pension
able status under the act of 1890, as the
slight degree of deafness in question does
not incapacitate him from earning sup
port by manual labor. A widow is PEN
stoned under the general law regardless of
her possessions, while under the act OF 1880
the enjoyment OF an income in excess OF the
amount she would receive as pension de-
bars her from receiving a pension. Neigh
bors seldom stop to inquire as to the law
under which application is made. and when
a claim is allowed under the general law at
high rate for degree OF deafness which
does not entitle it to rating under the new
law it necessarily results in criticism of the
Commissioner.
when widow who is in affiuent circum-
stances is granted a pension under the gen
eral law, while claimant not nearly so
well off is denied pension under the new
law, because she is not without other means
of support than her daily labor, it seems to
the public to be an unjust discrimination on
the Iart OF this bureau. Yet the law creates
these conditions and it is not within our
power to do otherwise than execute the law
as construed by the Department, but in
nearly all of these cases the Pension Office
gets the blame when it attempts to carry out
the law as it exists"
This is all tricky Juggling with words
with his own rulings and decisions, or rather
those of VIM. Lochren which he has adopted
as his own. Note how he gives his whole case
away by single inadvertent expression
"the law as construed by the Department.
that is, by Henry Clay Evans.
There is only one remedy
Evans must go.
THE ACTION OF PENNSYLVANIA. .