Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-01-20
upon EVANS
Pension Commissioner Blamed
for Much by Members
of the House.
CURTIS OF KANSAS OPENS THE WAR

| Warm Debate Over the Commissioner,
| Who Is Stoutly Dcfended-wm. Alden
| Smith Takes a Whaek at the Civil serv-
| ice-HaIe in the senate Attacks Joseph
| Giant Ler,ain-Some Interesting Test
nony in the Montana Case.
Washington. Jan. 2O.-The pension
| bill, carrying S145.245.2J0. was passed
by the house yesterday. II was made
| the vehicle of an attack upon the com
| missioner of pensions by Curtis (Rep.)
| of Kansas. who was seconded 10y LentZ
and Norton of Ohio and Robinson of
Indiana and other northern Demo
Gratis. All inveighed against the alleged
lack of liberality i'll the administration
of the pension laws. The commission
cr was ably defended by score OF
members from both sides of the house.
MahOn lRepl of Pennsylvania charged
that the assault upon him had been in
stigated by the pension sharks" Of
this city. who are robbing the old sol
diers. As Il result of the latter's dis
closures Il rider was put upon the bill
by unanimous consent empowering the
commissioner in his discretion to with
hold the fees of attorneys of record in
pension cases where he was satisfied
that the attorneys had not prepared the
cases under their personal supervision.
The attack on Evans was begun by
Curtis of Kansas. who asSailed some
of the rulings of the commissioner of
pensions. tracing their origin to the
startling false and fictitious charge
made in 1899 that thousands of fraud
ulent pensioners were on the rolls
IF the present commissioner is not
conducting the office properly is not
the remedy in the hands of the admin
I,.rr
Il do not believe the president in
dorscs the acts of the commissioners"
replied Curtis. Il do not believe he
knows what is going on"
WAS not the commissioner soldier
of the UniOn:'
They say he was replied Curtis.
II do not believe he ever carried Il
muSkct."
Here GrOsvPnOr interviewed 10 say
that Commissioner Evans was Il pri-
vatc soldier in Il Wisconsin regiment,
and later joined the Army of the Cum
berland. Before the close of the war
he was made clerk in the quartermas-
ter's office AZ Chattanooga.
Evans Was IA Private SoIdi IT.
May not all the trouble he due
asked William Alden Smith. Ito the
employees i'm The pension office who are
out of sympathy with the old soldiers
but VINO are protected IN Their paSl-
tiOnS by the civil service law
II have been told that this was true"
replied Curtis. hut the commissioner
of pensions has the power To remedy
that condition"
senator Attocks "A British Officer.
4 speech. sensational in its interest
and international in its Importance,
was delivered in the senate by Hale
The occasion of the utterance was a
debate in which the TranSvaal QueS-
tiOn came up. The sensational charac
ter of the speech was not in its attack
on British policy. but in a direct attack
on member of the British cabinet.
Hale declared that the war which
Great Britain is waging is the most
fell blow at human liberty that has
been struck in the century" He de-
MED that the American people were
lin sympathy with Great Britain in
the South African war. and
when Mr.. BalfOur. in the houseof COM
mons. made such Il statement ''he
should be met with some disclaimer
from this side of the Atlantic" He
declared that the English people them
selves We're not in favor of the war
which had been brought on by n sharp
cabinet minister engaged with gold
Sppcul1fOrS'