The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-29
The Pension Office Controversy.

The Pension Office Controversy.
Without a rather comprehensive
knowledge of details it is impossible
fairly to pass upon the merits of the
objections which the Grand Army of
the Republic urges against Pension
Commissioner Evans 1t is hard to see
why he should deliberately attempt to
wrong the Pension claimants. and at the
same time when the complaints are so
general it would seem highly probable
that there is some cause for them It
is the duty of the Commissioner to ex-
ecute the law according TO its true in
tent and spirit. neither rigidly and tech
nically, in the interest Of the Govern
ment, nor so loosely and elasticaiIy as
10 multiply opportunities for fraud
That many frauds are attempted is well
known; that some are successful is very
widely believed The Commissioner is
bound 10 guard against them in every
proper way, but he should endeavor to
do it in such a manner as not TO work
injustice 10 honest claimants. Such is
the position he occupies, and upon its
face 1t appears to be difficult one.
The controversy inaugurated by Gen
eral Sickles throws no real light upon
this phase OF the question. which is by
far the most Important one. If there is
good cause for the removal of the Com
missioner it should be easy to make a
showing of facts that would leave the
President no alternative in the matter
So far as the public is advised. however,
this has not been done If Mr.. Evans
unftness has been demonstrated to the
President and he refuses to make any
change, he is as censurable as TIE Com
missioner himself; if the showing has
not convinced the President that there
is just ground for complaint. the effect
must necessarily be to strengthen the
COMMISSIONER position in the public
mind
Il really does not appear upon what
specific grounds the Commissioner re-
movaI has been asked-whetherb because
Of actual unfitness OF merely as the per
Torrance Of campaign pledge. Gen
erai Sickles seems to rest his demand
mainly upon the promise that was Civ
en- TO him by the Republican National
Committee, through Senator Scott
4 MS ~ AtoCiL dlbl SNtthS 5LUAiAd 10
stand upon. General Sickles is old
enough TO know better than To take
very seriously an ante-eIection promise
Of the committee Of which Senator
Hanna is chairman The letter Of Sen
ator Scott was clearly inter.ded as a
promise, and there is no reason to
doubt that it had the full approval of
Mr.. Hanna. At the same time it was
Sufficiently guarded to leave Ioophole
of escape. and whether or not the prom
Use would be kept, the General might
have known would depend entirely upon
circumstances as they existed after the
exigencies of the campaign were over
But II seems that the General took
the promise at more than its face value,
and in a series Of speeches, which. al
though a Democrat, he made for the
Republican candidates. he assured the
old soldiers that if Mr.. Mckinley were
reelected Commissioner Evans would
not be reappointed- The retention of
Evans leaves the General in an awk-
ward plight, and evidently he Is angry
ali through. It is not surprising that
! he should be-neither is 1t surprising to
the public that the promise was ignored
as soon as the campaign was over.