The National tribune., 1902-01-09
PATERNAL MR.. EVANS.

Lhft Evans.
Think of an administrative officer of til,
Government making this prctext for no
doing his duty:
Il am fully convinced that Il small pen
sion Of S6 or SS per month for alleged
obscure disability. such as diarrhea. piles
rheumatism, impaired hearing. bronchitis
etc. is comforting n misfortune upon :
young man-in fact Il lifelong miSfor
! tune-for the reason th.t it puts him 10 {
decided disadvantage in the race for /;
livelihood always thereafter in the way
| of securing employment.
The fact that he is drawing 'disabil
| ity pension puts him on the list as dis
abled, and unable to perform the amount
Of labor that is expected of a sound man
and it seems like misplaced generosity OF
| the part of Our Government to thus place
a handicap upon the young eX-SOldicr il
his search for employment. as it is vel
| known that Il large percentage of the
! young men that served in the war with
| Spain depend upon manual labor for a
| livelihood
The grammar of the above extract from
| Mr.. Evans's report is even worse than the
sentiment, but he always bungles English,
! just as he does figures. 1t is very rare
that anyone comes across as clumsy Eng
| lish as this in official papers. Should the
| President. who is really an elegant and
forceful writer. have his attention called
to it, it cannot help lowering his opinion
of the Commissioners ability.
But we cannot take the time to give Mr..
Evans much-needed lessons in grammar.
His needs of instruction in law, medicine
mercy, and justice are much more pressing
The above paragraph is a cool assumption
that because he does not think it best for
a young man to have a pension, he is not
going to give it to him.
This recalls a public expression of one
of his principal clerks some months ago.
voicing his employers sentiments to the
effect that Spanish War soldiers would
not be allowed pensions, because pensions
had Il tendency to make young men lazy"
This will serve as an excuse for deny
ing Spanish War soldiers pensions, just as
equally and cXasperatingly insufficient pre-
texts are given for denying them to veter-
ans of the rebellion.
Such things on the part OF Il Commits
SlOleT VI cilSieiIS slle DIdZcl cuEoHieIy
He has no more justification for them than
the Secretary of the Treasury has for re-
fuSing to pay bondholder his interest, be
cause he may be likely to spend the money
in way that the Secretary does not ap-
prove.
The Commissioner of Pensions duty is
to execute the laws just as he finds them,
not make over the laws to suit his prcju-
dices and vagaries.
1t is his duty simply to carry out the
will of Congress by examining whether
Il man who applies for pension fills the re-
quirements which Congress has eStab-
iished. and if so to pay him what the laws
provide. He is not set up as a public cell
sor, and as a corrector of the law-maling
powers. The Government makes regular
contract with the men who enter its serY-
ice that if they are injured while there it
will give them n certain money compensa
ton. The Commissioner of Pensions is
appointed the agent to carry out this con-
tract, just as the Secretary is appointed
the agent to pay the bOndholders the prin-
cipal and interest required by their con
tracts with the Government What posi-
bic business is it of his whether pensions
make men lazy, or prevent them getting
employment? The pensioners will take
their chances about getting employment,
without any thanks to him. Let him at
tend to his business and they win attend
to theirs.
If he finds that they are not entitled.
under the laws, to pensions, let him refuse
them without insult, as is his duty. II en-
titled to pensions. let him pay them with
out groans as to the obliquity Of Congress
and the President in making laws that do
not meet his approval.