The National tribune., 1901-02-21
WORDS OF NO UNCERTAIN SOUND.


ton with the Secretary of the Interior the
Congressman, Commander-inC Chief Ras
sieur said 10 the Massachusetts Encamp-
ment last Monday:
''At Washington we have not had the
success | had hoped for while ago
everything looked bright as to the legisla-
| ton that the G. 4. X. asked for when we
| met at Chicago. Things do not look that
way at Washington now. Whether this
| is because of insufficient work on our part
| or not.l will not say, so far as L am per
| sonally concerned; but the comrades on
the committee in charge of the matter
| have certainly worked like Trojans and
| done everything in their power. The trou-
| bic is with the members of Congress, and
| | have regretted that it is to large de-
gree with those who wear the bronze but
| tons setting themselves up as better Judges
of what you need than you yourselves:
IF men meet you with evasion or with
| refusal to do that which is in their power,
and which they could honorably do, then
the time may come when the head of the
| organization will have to report, and L
will say to you that | am not going to
fail to report my own views in reference
to this matter. even though they may re-
fleet upon the highest Individual in this
country"
This. which was received with the great
est enthusiasm and manifestations of ap-
proval by the mmander-inC Chiefs vet
eran audience. leaves no room for anyone
to misrepreSent the Grand Army's unani-
nous position.
Mr. Evans. who is at the bottom of so
much of the Grand Armys troubles, and
who was particularly active in baking the
success of recent legislation, though he
H. Nff fln Int
stalking horse, has perSistently and false
ly claimed the approval of the Grand
Army When the Cincinnati National
Encampment passed very temperate reso-
lutions of dissatisfaction with his admins
tratiOn, he calmly announced that these
had been secured by the influence of pen
sion attorneys" who got them through
unknown TO the majority of the Delegates.
When the Philadelphia Encampment
passed still more emphatic resolutions,
Mr.. Evans came back to Washington, had
his desk crowned with flowers in honor of
his victory in the National Encamp-
ment,' and faxed up quite Il lot of ap-
prevails by delegations of prominent vet
eranS, whose names when given had
never been heard of i'll the Order. AT the
visit of the Commander-in-C Chief and Ma
tionai Pension Committee to Washington,
in January, Mr.. Evans gave out to the
press and informed the Congressional
Committees that the Commander-in-Chief
and Committee were not true to the duty
imposed upon them by the National En-
campment, but were only making show
of executing it, while really favoring his
schemes For reasons of their own sew
Of ffantad IN ha-
liere Mr.. Evans, which led to the failure
to report favorably the Court of Pension
Appeals Bill.
In this Mr. Evans has shown himself
as mercilessly cruel to the regulations of
comrades who have Loyalty served the Or
der for lifetime as he has been cruel to
the great body of veterans In other re-
spects. He showed no hesitation n try
ing to irreparably damage the standing
of those high in the esteem of all veterans
for their many years of zeal and fidelity.
For this reason, as well as many others.
the Commander-in-Chief saw the necessity
of a public utterance that could not be
possibly misunderstood. His predecessors
and the Committee have heretofore care
fully restrained themselves to language
which would have been entirely sufficient
with men of less cailosity than Mr..
Evans. 1t has become necessary TO use
stronger and more unmistakable language,
and the COMMANDMENTS Chief does it with
the universal approval of the comrades
everywhere.
Continuing, the Commander-in-C Chief
said, to the same demonstrations of ap-
proyal:
Il may be mistaken, and hope am,
for no one loves TO see the comrade who
stands high and has the confidence of the
country-no one desires to see him stand
higher than /. But if comrade is I'M
true to us, and forgets his obligations, we
might as well know that fact while we
have the power, rather than to discover
it when those of us who may remain are
too weak to be heard"
In conclusion the COMMANDMENT Chief
said:
Fortunately for me, I shall only be
called upon to report, and TO make good
my report, when we meet at Cleveland
next September. If 1 make q truthful
report, il will be for the National En-
campment to determine what shall be
done. There is still time before the 4th
of March to render unnecessary report
that is unfavorable. / hope the occasion
for making an unfavorable report will
never be presented, but if it comes the
report will come, and then the National.
Encampment, which has taken good care
of our affairs in the past, can shape the
course of this grand Order in the future.
/, for one, know that whatever may be
determined, if our comrades are wise they
will stand together as we stood together
in the sixties, and then no person in this
country can successfully resist this Or
ganization."
This is so plain that it seems to require
no further comment than the expression of
the belief that Mr.. Evans will not make it
the occasion of crowning his desk with
flowers in honor of another victory in the
Grand Army of the Republic.
CONDITIONS ON CUBA.