Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-20

In tho House Of Representatives yester-
day afternoon. while the pens. m appropria-
ton bill Wa pending. there was AN interest
ing discuss. u Of the pension bureau and
Commissioner Evans. growing out of the
attacks made earlier III the day upon the
administrator of the pension bureau
Mr. MIhon of Pennsylvania had few
words to say about the probable source Of
these attacks.
The Pension sharks.
.Ir. This opposition that has grown up
during The last year ag"inSt the commits
sio.Irr nf pensions and the pension Office,
there is Il c.a>s of gentlemen at the bottom
OF it. SAID Mr. Mahon. and l think the
time has HOW come to have something to
say in reference to those gentlemen. 1t is
well known Ihat the city of Washington is
infested with what is known as pension
shark lawyers. They will send their circu-
lars I'll over the country, send blank appli-
cations and a blank power of attorney. and
get these claimants whether they are en-
title! to pension or not. to sign and eX-
eCute these papers and return them.
Then they send them a few blank affi-
davitS. and the whole outfit does not cost
them lO cents. From the time these papers
are sent out, j. is my experience, and 1t Is
the experience of every man who lives in
community where these soldiers live, that
they must resort to d lawyer, or to the
home of the justice of the peace, to d
notary pubic, or to that man whom We find
il nearly every village who sort of looks
after things of that kind for the people.
and they execute the papers for them.
viii take you to the pension office and show
You that not one case out of forty do these
gentlemen ever put in an affidavit in their
own handwriting. | have flied up hun
dredS of these cases, and / never charged a
soldier a dime my life. When the case is
made. up. and the member of Congress sue
ceeds in getting favorable action upon it,
what do these pension-shark attorneys do?
They walk up to the treasury of the United
States and take their ten-dollar bill or con-
tract for So from these claimants. for
which they have never rendered one penny
of service except to send out few blanks. -
Mr.. Rays Corroboratfon.
At this point he was corroborated by
MIR. Ray of New York.
Il want 10 add 10 what the gentleman
says" remarked Mr. Ray, that after the
adjournment of the last Congress 1 re-
Ceived letters from all over this country.
in cases where We had granted special pen
SONS. asking me if the attorneys in the
eases We're entitled to charge So. $50 and
so. H. they were doing, for work that
they had never done and cases they never
had anything TO do with
Mr.. NahoE. continuing, said: Since /
have been in this House l have handled over
;'.SAH pension cases. l live in country
where waT ragged for four long years and
in state that furnished 3IS, OuU men to
the mon army. AMI in a district that put
-J.'Hu men into it. | have requested the
pension commissioner. and written to linn.
lot To allow these infamous sharks to take
u dollar from the claim after ii has been
allowed
Now. this appeal that is made to YOU
is i'll The interests Of these sharks who
have been robbing the soldiers of this Coun-
Try. CApplause) In ISIS the present COM
missioner paid. out <7::oo"n of the money
awarded the soldiers, of which over two
thirds. or Oue-hdlf. went to the pension
sharks of Washington city. l do not refer
to the reputable lawyers. l traced case
ill this city to find 4 pension attorney and
l found him, on Louisiana avenue, TO he
an Irish wdSherWOman. The city is infeSJ-
er with these people. and they have neither
Office nor desks Now. during the last year
the commissioner in his report under June
-. 1929. says that he paid them instead of
$50 only SIG 81. almost $3upOtU les
tEan they had received heretofore, and al
though more pensions had been granted
during lS.3.
Grand Army Endorsements.
Il want TO say that the communicating
chief OF the Grand Army of the Republic.
~ their convention he'd in the city of
Philadelphia within he last year. appointed
% committee of men who were prominent
curing the waI-and my Comrade Norton
from Ohio knows all about it-lnd sent
them OYER to the city Of Washington.
Pension Commissioner Evans threw
open the doors and gave the committee
all thu Information desired. and after Il
thorough and complete investigation by
the representatives IF the Grand Army Of
The Republic in the United States who rep
resented these men fairly and honestly,
the committee went back to that great en-
campEneHt and made Il report that this
Infamous lie created by these pension
sharks was without foundation ana with
ont proof And that great body of the old
army. numbering thousands of delegates
Endorsed the commissioner and said his
administration Of that office was Just and
IL the interest Of the old soldier of the
civil war ! am sorry that any member of
this House. if ther- i such will allow
these men 10 lead him into an attack on
The pension office
Tribute by Political Opponent.
A sincere tribute from a political oppo-
Hrnt was paid to Commissioner Evans by
Mr. Sims Of Tennessee:
Mr. Chairman" said Mr.. Sims, Il have
the honor to be q member Of Congress
from Tennessee. l am a democrat and
elected as such. and certainly no one who
Knows or IS acquainted with the political
conditions in Tennessee will suppose that
a democrat comes here charged with anv
great amount Of love and affection for
Mr. II. Clay Evaus-I mean from a poIiti-
cal standpoint; and l am not up here 10
defend Mr. Evans in any respect what
eyer But he is The commissioner and it
Is his acts a. commissioner that l propose
To notice. and only briefly.
Now. We al krcw. who think for A
moment and consider the surroundings of
the commissioner as citizen and as a
republican in Tennessee, that there could
NOT Zoe any Ino-iv" On his part from a no
ltsca' standpoint IN administering the pen
son "i'c" 50 as u meet with the disap-
iTIva- " those who favor liberal pensions.
/ look At another thing. He must have
come into that Office prejudiced against
democrats, and he did not expect to win
any favor from the democrats by uIrsuino
course approved by them He was nor
looking Tor II. he was not seeking it. and
he could not and did not expect anv favor
from democrats. If h. had been seeking
political promotion or help in his own
state from his own party. l say he has
certainly made a mistake in conscientious
y Constituting the laws as he finds them.
Every temptation Was in the other direc-
ti'u- very temptation was TO be liberal
o.. pensioners.
Nv hI-e his ambition was not confined Ia
H. state Of Tennessee ii was not confined
0" tn borders Of that state because. in
Was known that h. was a candidate for
Ito VIC presidency II IS known he ne
was an applicant for cabinet position
sfIg h ought To know If It,. yeas InoIyjr q