Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-19

Commissioner Evans takes pride in having
his bold lawlessness charged publicly
against him, because he believes that
by his illegal suppression of the laws
he can gain standing with Congress
and the President He believes that
the President and Congress really desire the
pension laws reduced. and prefer to have
him arbitrarily limit, repeal and reduce
them by pretended reconstructions than to
have the laws legally reduced by legislation.
AS a temporary expedient Evans illegal
schemes work the same result, because
rarely is any part of the money which Evans
illegally withholds from the pensioner or
claimant ever paid or restored to the party.
Evans plan serves to bridge over every June
with SS.ooo,ooo savings" returned to the
surplus in the Treasury
Evans thinks that he can depend upon
Congress in unlawfullY taxing claimants
and pensioners $S,ooo 600 this year, for
he thinks Congressman are after another
odious SALARY GRAB"
Since Congress refused to investigate, two
years ago, and has assumed the role Of de-
fender or iustifer of Evans against the spe-
cifc charges made against him (see GLOBE
Va AfNN%AAVAA 80 AB|AI j. AfhAAAa mas h4OpkE4 q
bold, drastic and farreachiug course in each
succeeding scheme for downing the pension
laws. This is necessary If he continues his
$4,000 saving" as the veterans grow
older each year. Then, too he has been
compelled to abandon, in whole or part, so
many of his illegal schemes after working
them two or three years. that he feels COM
PEELED to reach out frantically after new and
He hr~ g
issued in 1897 stands as record proof of his
rascality against large blocks of claims
numbering into the hundred thousand in
single blocks.
The book has been overruled in so many
places during the last four years by the
board of appeals that it looks like pepper
box or a deserted house with the windows
stoned out by enraged citizens.
The book, when taken in connection with
the claims passed upon under it during
those periods, is proof of at least $4,000, 900
stolen from the veterans each year as now
stands admitted by the action of overruling
those parts of the book. If ten millions
appear excessive, say FIVE millions, until
duly tabulated by Congress in the coming
investigation.
Evans holds that it is better to be bold
highwayman than sneak-thief But Ev-
ans and Hitchcock often play the sneak
thief also as witness their course in holding
up the claims of minors for now, nearly
FIVE years under pretense of wanting that
old and well-settled law reconstructed.
tGLOBR Dec. 22d.) The Attorney General
stands ready to construct that law any day
and write the opinion, all in two hours; but
Evans won't let him although the Attorney
General is the proper legal ADVISOR.
The fact that a man without judicial
experience or even legal training, was Sc
lected for so important judicial position
over the pension laws and the claims of
veterans of the Civil War, is byfma /acie
evidence of a conspiracy to defraud the
veterans by overriding and violating the
positive laws of Congress. (See GLOBE of
Nov. ~, IeoI.l
Evans had no qualifications for the place.
He has only a meagre common school
education This education he topped out
with a three-months' course in regimental
quartermaster's accounts at Uncle Sams's
expense in the regimental quartermaster's
Office at Memphis as regimental quarter
masters cleik, preparatory to going to
Chattanooga to seek a clerkship as a citizen
in the post quartermaster's Office there
which he got at a big salary. He has great
arrogance fully the arrogance of a pro-
verbal hotel clerk), and he writes a fancy
hand. These superficial qualifications have
stood him in hand as a carpet-bag politician
in Tennessee since the war This is the
man selected to defraud the veterans by
pretended reconstruction of long standing
aud well settled laws.
Evans now has invented, within last six
weeks, a brand.new "hold.up," shake
down" and "rake-of' scheme, TO throw
upon the 'hoId-up-files, " for the next three
years, 90, 600 Gains of three months veter-
ans; as for Eve years he has done to minors
claims. This is, on principle and in detail,
precisely similar to the fraud which he
practiced against the Pennsylvania Emer-
gency Militia but on a more gigantic scale
He has just now held, for himself, that the
90 days service required by the June law
begins only from date Of formal muster-iu
not from date Of enlistment; and is throw
ing all the short term service-claims upon
his "hold-up- files" to await pretended re-
construction in accordance with Evans new
ruling, which he has asked Secretary
Hitchcock of the Interior Department to
require the board of appeals to give this
long-standng, well-settled law.
Most of the volunteers during the Civil
War were not mustered in until about the
time they were fully drilled and ready to
march to the field. Many companies and
regiments Of three months men were held
In service four and Ave months, and often
were not mustered in until two and one
half months had run. Evans scheme is to
reject these claims for want Of 90 days ser
vice after muster in, right in the teeth of
positive law. Section 1903 of the Pension
Code, which fxes date Of enlistment and
valves muster-in, reads: ANY officer Of
the army, including regulars, volunteers,
and militia, any officer in the navy or
marine corps, or any enlisted man. however
employed, in the military service of the
U. S.. or in It's marine corps, WHETHER
REGULARLY MUSTERED OR NOT"
lSec. 46o3)
Evans says that the Attorney General has
held that a soldier was not In the service
until mustered in Ia bold lie as to pensions
and payl- In the Pension Department and
IN the Treasury Department the date of
muster In does not figure; the date Of en-.
listment and The date OF disbaudment Of the
organization twheu different from the date