Sunday Washington globe., 1902-06-15

Inc AILOhE mas uEAEkDAOAE 5uOWu the
manner in which Assistant Secretary Davis
was compelled TO approve the fraud Of the
Pension Department against the veterans in
illegally raising the degree Of disability
higher than required by the act Of June q,
1890. (the new law by which illegal in
creasing Of the degree of disability 400, 900
invalid pensions granted to Civil War
veterans under Harfison's administration
were illegally reduced OF dropped from the
roll, and the veteran deprived Of part or all
of his pension during the last Cleveland ad-
ministration. IN Davis decisions approving
Lochren's order 225 for said illegal reduc-
tions, Assistant Secretary Davis was com
PEELED by the Hanna auti-pension syndicate
to approve the whole scheme, and to H.
legally hold that the law reqniIed a $50
degree Of disability for a $I2 rate. The
GLOBE has shown how bold, unjusthable,
indefensible, illegal and fraudulent that
order 225 was and is, and the extent of the
fraud done to veterans by that scheme, and
the manner in which the G. A. r. commit
tee was brought up to tacitly support it in
violation of their specific trust under the
Philadelphia encampment resolution. (See
GLOBE Dec. 20, Jan. 26, Feb. ?, March 10 and
23, April 20, May I8 and IS, June ID
Assistant Secretary Davis was permitted
by the Hanna auti-pension syndicate to
change the whole practice as to applications
and to abrogate the trick Of dividing the ap-
plication of soldier into two or three or
more applications for the purpose Of
illegally rejecting parts or all Of the dis
abilities; but Commissioner Evans was
quietly permitted to ignore Davis rulings on
these points, and thus annual Davis decision
entitled instructions" P. D.. page o3 of
July 28. 1897. Evans disregarded the new
precedent set up by Davis and declared in
his report Of 1898 next year, that mo new
precedent was established" (Annual Re-
port, page I3; GLOBE May rs and June H.
The fight between Davis and Evans con-
tinued as to those six radical changes which
Davis made in the practice by returning to
the just and legal rules of the Harrison ad-
ministration on proving up disabilities
until February 73, 1898, when Davis ascer-
tanned that the Hanna anti-pension syndi-
cate was protecting Evans in not only ignor
ing the rules Of the Herrison administration
which the syndicate had permitted Davis to
return to, but was also permitting Evans to
follow and enlarge the most absurd features
of order 27S on rating and reraung which
Evans had agreed to change to less harsh
rules as to readj Indicating the reduced and
dropped pensions. Davis then issued the
following order
1T is directed that the pending appeals
from the action of reducing or terminating
of pensions granted under the second sec
ton Of act of June 27, 1890, in accordance
with the decision rendered May p, 1890, in
the case of Charles 7. Bennett P. D.,
(Order 225), shall be examined with great
care.
I'm cases where the evidence fled, or the
certificate of examination, indicates that
the pension originally allowed was war
ranted under Just and impartial construc-
ton of the law, they should be returned to
the Bureau of Pensions for a special exami-
nation, or another medical examination, or
both, as may be deemed necessary.
1t is held to be proper and just that such
pensioners shall be granted fair hearing,
and be allowed an opportunity to show by
competent proof that they were disabled in
the degree, and on account OF the causes
alleged, at the date when the pension was
reduced OF terminated.
1T will be understood that this action dis
poses of the pending appeal In such cases
by reversing the action taken by the Bureau
of Pensions, and remanding the case for
further investigation, the reasons therefor
being fully set forth. ."-(See order by As
sistant Secretary Davis, of February 20,
1881
The above order not only indicates how
wickedlY and stubbornly Evans defrauded
those veterans during almost the whole Of
his first year Of office, but it specifies a
course Of evidence for righting the great
wrong done those veterans by Evans and
Lochren, which Evans was refusing to fol-
low although ordered in 1907. Evans,
without calling for evidence, continued to
gf1 a.
duce their pension under Order 275, where
ever Lochren had failed to find the pension
or to reduce il. Thousands were thus
dropped or reduced during Evans first
three years, although Evans uttered the
bold lie in his official report, denying that
he had dropped orreduced any and saying
Under the operations Of this order (2a5)
large number of pensioners were dropped
from the roll, and the pensions of many
others were reduced While Order 22s Is
still in force, the work Of readjustment of
pensions allowed under Order I64 was only
partially done, but it is fair that l should
say that the revision of claims allowed un.
der Order I64 has not been done at all dur
ing my administration Of the affairs Of this
bureau" (See his annual report Of 1899,
page go.
Evans as a bold liar would take the prize
in contest with the Tagals Of the Philip.
pine Islands. Evans knew that Congress
would not investigate. But what did Evans
do after Davis order Of February 73, 1893,
directing Evans to take proof in those cases,
as above quotedp He went ahead ignoring
the order, and began getting up his new
book Of practice which the Hanna anti-pen-
sion syndicate had approved by the Secre-
tary OF the Interior (Bliss), April 9, 1893
(same year,. and incorporated in it among
other illegal rules which show inherently
the intended fraud in each case, the follow.
ing fraudulent rule in violation Of the above
order Of Davis:
A new medical examination will not be
ordered and no evidence will be called for
under such application, but the case will be
adjudicated upon the sole point involved,
viz whether the evidence ia the case
showed a pensionable disability to have ex-
listed at the time Of filing such first applica-
tion. Evans book, April 9, 1898, D. Io4
Sec a.
This is only one instance in which Evans
through the power Of the Hanna anti-pen-
sion syndicate, reversed Davis. The above
rule Is fraudulent on It's face, aud shows the
.I..f. A..