The National tribune., 1900-12-13
THE ISLANDER MILL.

|
President admonished the Commissioner t,
desist, which he did through the campaign
Since the election he has broken out afresh
The following, furnished by him to the
Brooklyn Eagle, and published in its issu,
of November 30, is specimen of the
stuff he is furnishing the press of the
country, mainly with the object of adver.
Using his penetrating shrewdness and in
corruptible integrity:
On one corner of the desk of Commits
sioner of Pensions Evans there lies a small
| bundle of papers. The Commissioner calls
them campaign documents, although they
! figured to very limited extent in the re-
/ cent political fight. The writer's of these
papers thought that they would have Il
powerful influence on their respective for
tunes, but events failed to confirm their eX-
pectatlonS. More than one veteran seized
upon the chances of the Presidential cam
paign i'll an effort to secure an increase of
pension. The means adopted by some were
far from creditable. One day, about two
weeks before the close of the campaign, a
prominent Chaplain of q. A. X. Post,
not a thousand miles from Washington,
dropped into Commissioner Evans Office.
He was tall, robust-l0oking person, with
little to indicate that he was drawing 4
pension for disability. He had applied FOR
VI ptuSlOu, Dul int
Board rejected his claim. He became COLI
iidential with Mr.. Evans, and explained
that he wanted his rating increased. Il am
getting along in years. he said, land find
that my expenses are increasing; then, be
side, you know, | have always been Il Re
publican" The Commissioner brought out
the papers and showed that the Examining
Board has found that the Chaplain was
not entitled to a larger pension. Il am
sorry" he said but the law strictly re;,u-
lates these matters, and | can't 80 behind
the official records" The Chaplain was
plainly disappointed and somewhat nettled.
He argued the point at some length and
finally said: We'll, | have always thought
that | would vote the Republican ticket,
but L have made up my mind that / won't
support the party this year unless my pen
sion is increased" At this open declaration
of his intentions, the Commissioner lost all
patience and in blunt language informed
his caller that if pension was the price of
his support of the Republican party, the
quicker he deserted the better it would be
for all hands. The Chaplain did not get
the desired increase.
A case with more serious features came
up at about the same time \ letter was
received by the Commissioner one day
from far Western town, signed by n
minister of the Gospel He made the in
sinuating proposition that the Commits
sioner could well afford TO present him with
a check for $500 and place his name on
the rolls to receive monthly pension of
$50 for life. The man was an intelligent
person and stated that he had been offered
500 a week and expenses TO stump certain
States for Bryan and work especially
among the veterans. The Commissioner
laid the letter aside and had the Special
Examiner for the locality in which the
pastor lived make a few inquiries regard
ing the writer. 1t was found that he was
a pensioner and a man of good habits and
fine reputation. After the election the
Commissioner wrote to him a long letter,
full of friendly advice and gentle rebuke,
telling him that his calling in life gave him
many opportunities for the display of that
high spirit of integrity and honesty that al
ways commanded respect and admiration. |
This brought ont humble letter of re-
pentence and promise never to repeat the |
offense if the matter were let drop.
A thrifty member of Medical Board in |
an Eastern State that can always be de-
pended on to give the Republican candi- |
date for President majority of from So |
600 to 100000 thought to earn a few fees |
in shert order by working the political
racket during tine recent campaign. He
sent in the papers of % applicants for
pension whom he had examined. with |
brief note, reading something like this: |
please push these through at once in or |
der to hold the applicants and their rela- |
tives in line for the Republican party" |
An examination of the votes in that Coun- |
ty at the election of 1896 showed that |
there were hardly % Democratic votes |
east there, and, as a detection of $4,000 |
votes could have been stood in the State |
without losing it, not much attention was
given to the sly letter of the Examining |
Surgeon. The latter gets 50 for every |
case that is acted on, and he was in q |
hurry to get his check for $50 for the |
batch of %. Just about 10 days before
the election n big man came into Com |
missioner Evans's office and stated that |
he had come to town with the intention |
Of staying until he got an increase OF pen
sion. He intimated that unless he got |
the increase before the election the Re
publicans would lose at least one vote
in his State. As is invariably the rule
in such cases. the records showed that |
he was not entitled to any more money
than he was getting, and he was told that
he was then receiving the limit for his
disability. A long argument then fol
lowed, in which the applicant insisted on
on denomination at Washington. This
was also denied TO him. and he finally de
parted, convinced that his chances for get
ting bigger pension were no better here
than they were at his home.
Now, whether this he true or not, the
effect of such an authoritative publica-
ton, directly from the Commissioner of
Pensions, is exceeding bad. 1t helps i'm
to strengthen and encourage the
enemies Of the pension system, and fur
nishes them with ammunition with which
to attack it. 1t casts a slur on every pen
sion heretofore granted, and directly i'm
pugns the administration of all Commits
sioner Eyans's predecessors. For the di-
rect implication is that if such frauds and |
corrupt practices had not been customary
in the past these men would not have at
tempted such things.
Now, above all men, the veterans are
most anxious for the purity and honor of
the pension roll. They have a deep and
personal interest in this, for every unde-
serving pension granted is a reflection Oh
their own merits and great deserving.
Every veteran rejoices when an imposter
or a rascal is discovered and punished |
TO the full extent of the law. Veterans
have been most active in bringing such
in justice.
But what the veterans have complained
bitterly Of ever since Mr.. Evans has been
in office is that this is the character of
the literary matter that he has constantly
furnished the press of the country. Never
in the nearly four years that he has been
Commissioner has he limited to a newspa-
per man that he had fonnd a man or n
woman who was deserving of the allow