The National tribune., 1901-07-04

| 10 SOluleTS WIDOWS TO overcome IeCnIiCH
requirements; that he maintains large
corps of spies, who go about the country
to see If they can't find excuses to reduce
allowances to pensioners or to stop then
altogether, and that the espionage exer
cised over the widows of veterans is mOst
offensive and unwarranted.
For these, and other reasons, the peo
pie whose names are inscribed on the pen
sion rolls-and there are nearly a million
of them-remonstrate against the reap
pointment of Commissioner Evans. | have
no personal controversy with the Com
| missioner. Our relations have always
been agreeable. l have endeayored to dc
him justice, but l regard his reappoint.
ment as inexpedient. These We're my
views last Autumn, when l was asked to
visit Ohio,' Indiana, Illinois, Kansas and
Nebraska, where it was believed the sol
diers' vote would be decisive. | had be-
come fully informed as to the sentiments
| of veteran soldiers in regard to the Com
| missioner. | was convinced that all ap-
peals to them would be in vain unless
they could be assured that Commissioner
Evans would not be reappOinted. | so
stated to the National Committee in reply
to their request to take the stump-asking
| from the committee assurances that Com
missioner Evans would not be Teappointed.
Such assurances were given me.
Il repeated them in proper quarters in
| October last, with excellent results. The
men to whom | repeated these assurances
of the National Committee now call upon
me to make them good. 1t is my duty to
do SO. Beyond this l have no interest in
the matter. l am not recommending any
candidate for the office of Commissioner
of Pensions. / have laid all these facts
| before the President. l am now making
them public, and, so far as l am con-
cerned, the subject is dismissed.
Nha fpIl lnttn
sioner Evans, written in 1899, prove that
he was then under the same illusion from
which he now suffers, to wit, that the Op-
position to him is confined to pension
agents. Let him attend an encampment
of the Grand Army in any State in the
Union, and he will then be able to learn
the sentiments of the soldiers themselves
toward him:
Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Pensions,
Washington, ID. c., May %, 1899.
"'Gen. Daniel Sickles, % Fifth Avenue,
New York
MY Dear General: have your letter
of the 2Tth instant. | thank you very
much indeed for the kindly expressions.
In all the clamor you do not see anything
that l have done that was inconsistent
with the law. They make no charges, but
it all originates from a syndicate of pen
sion attorneys here whom | cannot con-
sistently allow to run the bureau while |
am in it. They have been in the habit
in the past of either running the bureau,
or running the Commissioner. They may
do the latter with me, but still | have my
conscience to deal with in the future. I
hand you copy of letter j wrote to
prominent Congressman on the situation,
in which / think you will find some good
points. Very truly yours.
~
Commissioner
"'Department of the Interior.
"'Bureau of Pensions,
Washington, June 20, 1899.
Gen. Daniel Sickles, % Fifth Avenue,
New York
"'My Dear General: have your letter
of the 18th instant. / called on the Presi-
dent the day he went away and he told
ME about the letter that you had written
him and he seemed to appreciate it very
highly. | want TO thank you very much
indeed for this splendid letter. 1t is won
derful what good letters / get from men
who, like yourself, did the fighting. In
fact, if the soldiers were allowed to have
their own ideas about this pension busi-
ness there would be less criticism in it.
But there is great army of interested fell
lows who are eternaly and eyerlastingly
stirring them up and making them believe
they are not getting what the law allows
them. Yours truly,
"'H. CLAY EVANS"
CORRESPONDENTS WITH THE NATIONAL
COMMITTEE.
June 2S Gen. Sickles gave out the CORE
spondcnce which passed between him and
Senator Scott of West Virginia, from
whom, as a member of the Republican
National Executive Committee, General
Sickles received a pledge before election
that, in the event of Republican success,
II. Clay Evans would be retired as Pen
sion Commissioner. General Sickles also
gave out letter which he wrote to Presi-
dent Mckinley in regard to the matter
and in commenting upon these cOmmuni-
cations he talked with much emphasis of
the Grand Army men and their critics.
He said:
81 have grown tired of the constant at
tacks which are made upon the old SOL
diers and the members OF the Grand Army
of the Republic. These attacks are made
by supposedly reputable newspapers
throughout the country. They are made
continually. They are made without justi-
tication or cause. One thing is certain, if
any newspapers in the South should speak
OI IHt lnelnDeTS Oh IHo SOnItUeTaIe vet
eran camps in the insulting and indecent
language that is applied by the news
papers in this community and elsewhere
to members of the G. A. r., in one hour
its building would be razed to the ground
and its property destroyed. Some Of the
same medicine should be administered
here. If / were twenty years younger l
would 90 down town myself and do it.
1.-The number of fraudulent claims pre-
sented to the Pension Department is less
than per cent of the total 1t is pro-
portionately smaller than the number of
fraudulent claims presented in any other
department Of the Government The
Pension Bureau is ruled Ivy red-tapeism
and technicality. 1 believed that Com
missioner Evans was an honest man, try
ing TO do his best, and that he should be
given an opportunity to demonstrate his
capacity for the post which he occupies
He has failed to fill it acceptably.
1T would be impossible for more un-
popular man TO hold it. General Black,
of Illinois, enforced the laws as rigor-
ously as Commissioner Evans and retired
from the department with the love of the
Grand Army. Neither the Grand Army
nor myself has any candidate for the of
fee, except that we desire to have a man
who is a representative soldier. Evans
was a Quartermaster's clerk in q Wis
cOnsin ninety-day regiment. That is his
military record. A man like Warner, OF
Missouri; Walker, of Indiana; Rush, of
Brooklyn-any one of a hundred men
whose names are known to anyone would
make an acceptable Commissioner"
al,