The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-09
Office No Man Can Fill to the Satisfac
tion of Pension Attorneys and
Their CIamOrOus Clients.
ySTHMIAN WATERWAY TREATY
10 BE READY FOR CONSIDERATION
OF SENATE NEXT WINTER.
Secretary Hay Confident n Satisfac-
tory Agreement Can BE Reached
with Great Britain.

WASHINGTON, June Sit was expected
the return of the President would be fol-
lowed by the immediate change in the per-
sonnel Of several important places. But the
serious condition of Mrs. Mckinley has
kept the President from giving any atten-
tion to public affairs except those of inn
perative nature 1t is to the credit Of the
politicians who want these places for their
friends or themselves that they have shown
respect for the Presidents anxiety, for they
have kept away from him. The few sena-
tors and members who have appeared in
Washington since the return of Mr.. and
Mrs. Mckinley have avoided the mention
ing of the offices they seek. except in rare
instances, and then only on the suggestion
of the President himself.
For the past two years the White House
has been the Mecca TO which military pill
grims have travelled most frequently. Nine
out of every ten congressional callers went
to secure military commissions for con-
stituents and there are still a few of this
kind. But as nearly every place that can be
filled from civil life has already been given
out, most of those now sought after are
staff assignments for officers of the line in
the regular service and the President pre-
fers TO allow Secretary Root and Adjutant
General Corbin to make the selections.
Henry Clay Evans, of Tennessee, has
filled the office OF commissioner of pensions
for about as long a time as any other man
ever held il. 1t is. in some respects. the very
worst office in the entire civil list. There
is the devil on one side represented by the
horde of pension attorneys, and the deep
seattle deep sea of unlimited pensions-on
the other 1t is a brave man who will set
himself up against the pension attorneys.
Evans is a brave man. Perhaps his inter-
probation of the laws he finds them on
the statute books might be a trife more lib
eral Perhaps the requirements which he
demands from an applicant for pension
are more strict than need be. But no just
claim has ever been rejected by the office
under the present commissioner when the
claimant stood ready to prove his case and
to meet the law as il stands. Corporal Tan
ner was the antithesis of Evans He was
too liberal, and he was soon retired to pFi-
vate life. 1t can be said authoritatively that
Mr.. Evans is quite willing to retire but he
will not resign under fire. He is not built
that way. He has made an excellent public
servant-fair to the claimant and true to
his oath OF office. II a pension commissioner
should be appointed who would grant a
pension TO every applicant, up TO the full
limit OF the amount asked, he would even
then not satisfy the rapacity of the pen
sion attorneys. Evans may retire, but If he
does ii will be of his own volition, and not
because his scalp is demanded by the at
torneyS.
There is a widespread belief that there
Will shortly be at least one new assistant
postmaster general The present fourth as
sistant Mr.. Bristow, is said TO have an
tagonized the rural free delivery service
which is one branch of the department Mr..
Charles Emory Smith takes especial pride
in. Mir. Bristow may be let down easy
He was an applicant for a clerkship when
he was appointed four years ago. In dis
tributing the patronage at the beginning
Of his administration the President decided
10 give one of the assistant postmaster
generalships to Kansas. Mr.. Bristow was
about the best-backed applicant for tho
place from the Sunfiower State. hence his
selection. OF the six auditors of the Treas
ury Department three will be likely to re-
former Congressman Willard Way Brown
who is at present auditor for the War De-
partment. Mr.; Brown is a very pleasant
and accomplished gentleman, but he will
scarcely retain his present place for an
ether four years.
Youngblood, of Alabama auditor for the
Interior Department gives way TO Robert
s. Persons, of South Dakota who has been
deputy auditor for the past four years.
&C that his elevation comes as a well-de-
served promotion. He is a New Yorker by
birth and newspaper man by profession.
His political sagacity was a large factor
in the defeat of former Senator PettigreW
and the election of Senator Gamble as his
successor.
Castle, the auditor for the Postoffice De-
partment, has the largest force under him
OF any OF the auditors. Consequently he
has more TO contend with than any of his
fellows. With the accounts of $4,000 post
masters to audit four times year he has
sinecure. But he has made enemies
and his scalp is desired