The National tribune., 1901-07-04


| Commissioner Evans would not be reap
pointed; second, that his successor shall
be person acceptable to the representa-
tives Ito wit, the Pension Committee) o.
the Grand Army of the Republic, recently
appointed at the Chicago Encampment
of which l am one
Third. that the administration Of tn,
pension laws shah be governed by the
liberal construction always given to rene
dial statutes
Fourth, that the Administration will
favor the creation of a court of pension
appeals. substantially on the lines indi
Gated in the bill now before Congress
drafted for the Pension Com nittee of the
G. A. r., and submitted to President Nc
kinley and approved by him."
General Sickles said he was convinced
that if he were authorized to give sucf
assurances confidentially he would quiet
Il great deal of dissatisfaction 'and bring
the great body of veterans cordially ir
line with the Republican ticket
This letter closed with the following
sentence:
81 am at this moment in receipt of your
assignment for Baltimore and Wheeling
which l will. fill, if spared for the work, y
showing that General Sickles at that time
was campaigning for the Republican
| ticket The next letter of the series was
| from Senator Scott to General Sickles,
on September 30. 1t reads:
MY Dear General: Yours of the Doth
to hand and contents noted. OF course.
it would be impossible for me to say to
you that the President would not appoint
| or that he would appoint certain individ-
llals, but | think | can safely say that /
hardly think Evans will be continued as
Commissioner, and l have no doubt that
the President and all of us who are in
tcrested in his election will try to see to
it that there is Commissioner of Pen
sions who will be satisfactory to the old
soldiers.
Il think this is all that | could say on
the subject without perhaps embarrassing
the President, and possibly the committee,
but | think you can take it for granted
that things will be about on the line that
you suggest.
with kindest regards. and wishing you
very. pleasant trip, l am, yours very
sincerely,
IN. B. SCOTT"
1t is upon this letter that General Sick
les depends to substantiate his allegation
that the Republican National Committee
pledged itself to the removal from office
of Commissioner Evans.
General Sickles, in supplementing it,
said:
BASED upon these assurances from the
Republican National Committee, | caused
it to be known in the Western States
visited in October that Commissioner
Evans would be superseded in March,
when his term expired. These assurances
were ratified by the President on the 9th
of November last after election, in the
presence of number of representative
soldiers from different parts of the coun-
try when we visited him at the White
House by appointment to congratulate
him upon his reelection. He then stated
to us that it WAS his intention to choose
n successor to Commissioner Evans at
the expiration of his term of office.
1.-The testimony of these gentlemen will
be given if necessary. The same assur-
ance was given to me in the week follow
ing the Inauguration, in March last, when
the President gave; me the name, conf
dentiaily, of the successor to Commits
sioner Evans whom he had chosen"
General SickleS, in his formal state
ment, says that he felt justified always
in appealing to the President direct in
pension matters, because the statute Gre
ating the Pension Bureau prescribes that
"the Commissioner of Pensions shall per-
form such duties in the execution of the
various pension and bounty land laws as
l.
General Sickles added that this statute
put upon the President ''a peculiar and
solemn responsibility"
A LETTER To TIE PRESIDENT.
General Sickles, on June II last, wrote
to President Mckinley as follows:
Referring to our conversation early in
March last, touching the bureau of pen
sions, | beg to recall to your notice the
suggestion | then made, Indicating the i'm
portance of an early appointment Of a sue
cessOr to the present Commissioner The
recent action of several State Encamp-
ment strongly urging such an appointment
confirms the impressions | then had. hope
you will not delay action any longer in
this direction
Personally, | am placed in a very en-
barrassing position in this matter. Before
setting out for the West in the last Presi-
Dental campaign, | felt constrained, in
view of my knowledge of the sentiment
among veteran soldiers, to ask the Ma
tiOnal Committee for a distinct assurance
that another Commissioner Of Pensions
would be appointed on the expiration of
the term of the present incumbent
Such assurances were given me, and |
found it necessary in Ohio. Indiana, Illi-
nois and in Kansas and Nebraska to in
form veterans that the present incumbent
would not continue IN ONCE after the eX-
piratiOn of his term of four years. Dur
ing the past six weeks I have received a
great many letters from those states re-
minding me of the assurances / had given,
and some of them, l regret to say reproach
me with something very near deception
and bad faith in view of the continuance
in office of Mr.. Evans l am tenacious
Of my word and keenly feel any Just i'm
parchment Of it. Some of these letters
come from the Dayton district in Ohio,
been impossible, without my personal
efforts, backed by the promise of a change
in the Pension Bureau, as Neyen himself
will tell you. l could not visit the Dayton
home again under existing circumstances.
Il do hope it may be agreeable to you,
without further delay, to make an ap-
pOintment which will satisfy the almost
universal desire of your comrades in the
civil war for n change in the Pension Bu-
reau. The demand for this will grow
stronger and stronger every day and you
will soon be placed in the dilemma of ap-
pearing to yield to pressure when you do
make an appointment, or, on the other
hand, if you continue the present com
missioner in Office, you will find yourself
in painful conflict with the sentiments of
the civil war Veterans, who with almost
entire unanimity gave you their cordial
support in November last So strong is
this feeling in Kansas and Nebraska, for
example, that, in my judgment, both of
those States would vote for Bryan IL an
election were to come off tomorrow.
Let me appeal to you to act promptly.
would have written to you on this sub
ject early last month, if had felt at