The age-herald., 1900-01-20
HOUSE FIGHTS
 OVER PENSIONS
Commissioner Evans AssaiIed by
 Curtis of Kansas.
RIDER PUT ON THE BILL
Empowering Commissioner to Withhold Fees of Attorneys Where He Was Satisfied They Had Not Pre-
 pared Their Own Gases

Washington, January 19.-The pension ap- propriation bill, carrying $145 245,25O, was passed by the house today. It was made the vehicle of an attack upon the commits sioner of pensions by MT. Curtis, republican or Kansas, and several northern demo- crats. All inveighed against lack of liber- alfty in the administration in the pension laws A rider was finally put in the bill, by unanimous consent, empowering the commissioner In his discretion to withhold the fees of attorneys of record in pension cases where he was satisfied that the at torneys had not prepared their cases under their personal supervision.
 The pension appropriation bill engaged the attention of the house today. MT. Bar ney. of Wisconsin, in charge of the bill, made statement of its contents. He said the commissioner of pensions estimated the pensions for the coming year would largely decrease. The pension commissioner thought $5,0O0,0 GOO or $6,OOO,0OO would cover these claims.
 MT. Curtis, of Kansas, assailed some of the rulings of the commissioner or pen sions, tracing the origin to the treacherous charge made in 1893 that thousands of fraudulent pensioners were on the rolls
 ''If the present commissioner is not con- duoting the office properly Is not the remedy in the hands of the administra- tion?', asked MT. Bartlett, of Georgia.
 1T don't believe the commissioner of pen- sions knows what is going on.'
 'Is not the commissioner a soldier of the Union?"
 ''They say he was" replied MT. Curtis. .4 at
 Here MT. Grosvenor, of Ohio, interrupted to say that Commissioner Evans was a private soldier in a Wisconsin regiment and later joined the army of the Cumber land. Before the close of the war he was a clerk in the quartermaster's office.
 Employees the Troul1e
 May not all the trouble be due," asked MT William Alden Smith, of Michigan, "to the employees in the pension office who are out of sympathy with the old soldiers. but who are protected in their positions by the civil service law?''
 q have been told that that was true," replied MT. Curtis, "but the commissioner of pensions has the power to remove that condition"
 He inveighed especially against the rul- ing which deprived widows of the benefit of the dependent act of 1890 if they had income of $96 year.
 Mr. Robinson, of Indiana, joined in the assault upon the rulings of the pension of- flee.
 Mr. Gaines, of Tennessee, argued tn favor of his scheme to break up trusts by denying them the use of the mails
 MT. Sims, of Tennessee, commended MT. Evans course as commissioner of pensions.
 Mr. Ray, of New York, former chairman of the committee on pensions. character dzed as "unwarranted and unjustifable" Mr Curtis attack upon the commissioner of pensions.
 MT. Ball, of Texas, regarding the question of expansion, had read speech of Abra- ham Lincoln, made in criticism of the Mexican war upon bill voting supplies to our soldiers in the field. Upon that oc- casion, MT. Ball said MT. Lincoln had voted that the war was unconstitutionally raised and unconstitutionally begun.
 When the bill was reported to the house the following amendment was agreed to:
 Provided, that the commissioner of pen sions shall furnish all necessary blanks to claimants, and that said commissioner may, in his discretion, refuse to pay the fee to the attorney of record when he ds satisfied that said attorney Jailed to pre- pare the case under his or her personal supervision and did not discharge his full duty to claimant
 The bill was then passed. and at 4:05 D. sa. the house adjourned.