The Minneapolis journal., 1901-06-24
THE CASE OF H. CLAY EVANS

| Corporal" Tanner the professional olo
soldier from whose Incorporate and exas-
perating remarks the country has for
! tunately been free for some months, has
again appeared with one of his freakish
! utterances.
This time the corporal, standing in
! the White 'ouse," asserts that the repuD-
lican national committee promised during
the last political campaign that H. Clay
Evans, commissioner of pensions, would
| be removed at the beginning Of President
McKinleys second term. Presumably
Corporal Tanner was in the White House
to demand the delivery of the goods. 1t is
not likely that he will be gratifed.
If such a promise were made without
the presidents approval, he is not to car
ry it out. If it was made with his ap-
proval, Mr. Evans would doubtless have
been retired ere now. That the presi-
dent still retains the commissioner after
all these years of pounding is pretty good
evidence that he will be permitted to re-
main through the present administration
If he chooses to do so. At any rate, Cor
poral Tanners demands are not of the
right origin to have weight with the
president. Certainly they have no infu-
ence with the country at large, and a
majority of the G. A. R. members have no
patience with his frothy, loud mouthed,
radical and ill-considered assertions. how
ever much they may be displeased with
Evans.
| Judged by the records and resolutions
of the last four national encampments of
the G. A. R., its members would be we'll
| pleased to see the latter elected from
Office, though those disinterested persons
who have carefully watched his work,
agree that he is capable and efficient
official. Old soldiers complain of him that
he has not pleasing personality and that
he lacks in sympathy with them.
The particular official acts for which
he is condemned by them are his OBJ
servance of order No. 225, promulgated by
Judge Lochren when he was commission
er, and his attitude regarding the maxi
mum independent income a soldiers s
widow may have. The order referred to
makes it more difficult for applicants to
secure pensions under the act of 1890
than did Order 164, which No. 225 su-
perseded. AS to widows, the present COM
missioner refuses pensions to those hav-
ing an income of $96 OF more. The old
soldiers hold that the limit should be
$3.50 and that it is within the discretion
Of the commissioner to make it such.
But while Mr.. Evans has been roundly
condemned in state G. A. R. encamp-
ments it is to be noted that the national
organization does not demand his dis
missal At Chicago last year the resolu-
tions adopted were limited to asking the
president to direct that the obnoxious
rulings of the commissioner be amended.
But without undertaking to discuss the
legal and complex questions involved and
the right or wrong of the commissioner s
attitude on the points stated, it is safe to
say that a majority of the old soldiers OF
the country will pay no more attention to
the wild talk of Corporal Tanner pro-
fessional old soldier and pension raider,
than the president himself. 1t does not
please, them to have such man hold him
self up to, the country as their champion
and mouthpiece.