Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-23

The South could well afford to pension
II. Clay Evans for life with a civic pension
equal to his present salary (SSooo) per year
for the aid he has given the South in its
school book propaganda against the North.
ern soldier Evans has placed on American
history In the official records of the United
States Government, through his Ave annual
reports as Com missioner of Pensions, a
cloud of false accusation and libel against
the Civil War veteran that will go down
TO the remotest ages thousands OF years
hence as long as man and archives survive
the coroding finger of time, (See GLOBE
Dec. 8, IS and az; Feb. 2, and I6.) Evans
attack on the integrity of the old soldier,
his witnesses, attorneys and physi-
Gains, coming from a Republican official
strongly endorsed by Republican admins
trations, through eight or twelve years Of
reappointment or continuance in Office, will,
in after years, give these calumnies an
official status altogether different from par
tisan newspaper talk His unusual tenure
of Office holding over eight or twelve years
will give an authoritative backing TO these
libels never before known in the history
Of the world.
Evans induced one cOinmander-in-chief
of the G. A. r. to make a speech Ostensibly
attacking the Pension Department but in
fact to charge the Civil War veterans with
being moral wrecks" thereby justifying
Evans in refusing to accept their Oaths, and
ruling out absolutely all their testimony
unless supported by an army record or
army surgeon. GLOBE Feb 9 and 10.
1904. Evans induced" the anti pension
junto to get wealthy lady to advance
funds'to pay for printing and mailing under
A.. a. 4
cast over the United States to that many
veterans, whose addresses were obtained
for the purpose. This was in aid of Evans
Southern school book propaganda This
was the year Of that treacherous c. A. r.
committee and the fake investigation of
the Pension Office in 1899. (GLoBE Jan, 60,
Ioo2 This is the kind of executive abil.
ity" that the veterans do not want in the
Bureau of Pensions. Such low cunning is
o. X. with the certain classes of political
bosses; and il may have done its work with
the ex-slave voters in Tennessee.
It will be shown from history that while
the President refused to retain colored
postmaster in Georgia on the sole ground
that his color was distasteful to the patrons
of the Office against whom the colored man
was harmless, the President retained Evans,
all powerful for evil against The veterans,
over the unanimous protest Of the veterans
and the resolutions Of a thousand Q. A. r.
posts requesting his removal The fact
that Evans official reports were revised
and approved by his immediate superior,
the Secretary of the Interior, Cabinet Off
cial with power to order Evans to strike
out and expunge all Objectionable matter
will add additional credence to the libels
contained in the reports. (See annual re-
port of Secretary Hitchcock of 1901; Wash
iugton Star of Nov. 20, 1901 GLOBE Dec.
and IS, T9oI.)
By these bold and unmistakable approvals
Evans has been emboldened to declare
his intention of 'doeing" the veterans and
pension laws, if retained in Office the rest
of his eight years, so that no other admins
tration will ever dare to adjudicate claims
according to law and the evidence. (See
Washington Star Nov. 26, I9oI.) That is
exactly the purpOrt Of his threat in the
Star. 1t was intended for the anti-pension
cabal Of courtiers as a thrust at the Harri-
son administration, similar TO thousands of
Evans declarations against that administTa.
tion since his wonderful course was started
in the Pension Bureau. You will almost
stantly see in the Republican or ad-
s straton newspapers inspired articles
arr ist the Harrison's administration dur
Jug the past 6ye years, such as General
Raum's unfortunate administration Of the
Pension Office, etc, etc, etc. Had Evans
not been backed up by the administrations,
he would have been an insignificant fee in
the office. boasting of fake executive abil-
ity," and would have been dropped long
ago for his incompetent blunder:ng Ito give
il a charitable name.l
These Nblnuderif1oaD nf Evana IL, ,.yhi~h
he has been so frequently overruled on
large blocks of claims, have each year dur
ing the past FIVE years cost the veterans
many millions of dollars, now admitted Of
record to have been taken from them H.
legally (CLoBE Feb. I6) These old men
have not the years to stand such "blunder-
ing" and there were no such features
against the colored postmaster 10 cause his
non-retennon for the second term. An in
jury Of this kind against these old men is an
iueparable injury.
Then, again, the position of Commissioners
Of Pensions is vested with other powers
where his acts are largely discretionary
from the very nature Of the questions, aud
not reversible, requiring trained man Of
learning, level, unbiased Judgment discre-
tion and integrity; none of which qualities
are possessed by Commissioner Evans.
GLOBE, January I9 I9o2)
AS stated by Judge Rassieur in
his address to the last G. A. r. Encamp-
ment referring to Evans bold lawlessness,
What can the poor and helpless soldiers
expect at his hands when he is claiming to
exercise his discretion under the law7 The
exercising of his discretion can not possibly
result in anything else in most of the cases
than positive denial Of the benefits pre-
scribed by the law" GLOBE, Dec 8, 1901,
Jan. I9, I9oz.) What has Evans done for
his country which should give him such
prestige with the Administration that the
veterans are TO continue to be defrauded
and to be insulted in this way bv retaining
him in over theml What have the veterans
done that they should be thus ignored and
shameiully treated7
Why are not the Civil War veterans en-
titled to as much consideration at the hands
Of a Republican President as the Southern
Democrats in Georgian From the magui.
tude, frequency and extent of Evan blund.
ering, Il must be confessed that Inc is either
a knaye or an incompetent; and that in