Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-06

President Roosevelt is making horse of
himself by espousing all Of Pension COM
missioner Evans frauds which have been
proved up against that cook" in the Pen
siot. Office. 1t is announced in the news
papers (by Evans) as coming from the Presi-
dent that Roosevelt approves Evans course
in the bureau, and will order the new com
missioner to continue Evans practices in
the bureau; that the President deems Evans
practices in the bureau economical and
iudicious." The President has practically
confirmed this by the announcement from
the White House bulletin board that Evans
will have to remain as commissioner in
the 6rst place, until his successor has been
determined upon, and in the second place
until there is some position to tender him
which the President will regard as pro-
motion and as a fitting reward for his ex-
cellent service in the department" Morn
ing Times and other newspapers of March
2o.)
Let every veteran clip the above out and
paste il in his hat until the November cleo
tions this fall, and until the elections Nov
ember, 1904 Let the President know that
he cannot pubhcally and with impuuity, as
against the veterans, indorse Evans South
ern school book propaganda against the
Civil War veterans and against the Pension
laws. The porch climber, the highwayman
and the safe cracker consider their work
Economical and judicious, if not captured
and punished Despotism and lawlessness
should be discountenanced in the President
as we'll as in the Commissioner of Pensions.
The ballot is the only effective weapon left
the veteran for chastising and rebukIng
autocrats in high places. For partial list
of these frauds which Evans has constantly
committed and which the President in
dorses as economical, " and all of which
are proved against Evans by the records we
respectfully refer the President to the
several issues of the GLOBE beginning with
November II, 1901. There is not one OF
those frauds which any man who accounts
his word, would dare to specifically approve
but the President dares to insult the vet
erans in this general way where 1t was
wholly uncalled for He could have ac-
cepted the resignation without It. The
prospectus was given out at the White
House to insult the veterans, because it
places the veterans before the public in the
position of having made false charges
against an honest and worthy official who
has been compelled to tender his resgua-
tion to avoid the calumnies aud slander of
the veterans. The situation aud juxtapOsi-
tion of facts raise this distinct issue. Either
Evans has been proved to be hrst-class
villain or the veterans and the G. A. r. are
calumniators. The proof against Evans is
Of record and cannot be controverted. The
President, Secretary Hitchcock and Com
missioner Evans stand convicted of making
false charges against the veterans No
rhetoric in messages or in Decoration Day
oratory can conceal this insult from the
veterans Evans has never dared to at
tempt to coutrovert his crimes against the
pension laws. His only defense has been
that these frauds were necessary and were
ordered by the Republican leaders and the
administration to keep the pension laws
from breaking up the Government It is
true that such order was given, but that
the laws would break the Treasury,
is false, as everything else in Evans propa'
ganda. The money was wanted for other
schemes to go into the pockets OF the syn
dicates, ship subsidy, etc. This has been
painfully evident by the refusal Of the
Republican Congress to investigate the
known frauds conelusively proved against
Evans; and by Evans retention, in the
face of these exposures for FIVE years in a
judicial place for which his lack of educa
tion and Southern training and fraudulent
disposition entirely disqualified him. Evans
frauds were we'll known to President Roose
welt when he put out that manifesto agains
the G: A. r. and the veterans.
Why did not the Republicans amend the
laws to suit their requirements Take fo
instance, Evans illegal revival of the re
pealed section 47I7 which Evans illegally
revived without the assistance of Congress
That section limited pensions to disabil
tiles of which there is still extant an army
record For the present we may admit
that it was a good and useful law and ough
to be re-enacted by Congress-, but claimant.
will not agree that the truth should be hid
If the President aud the Commissioner o
Pensions may set up repealed laws at theii
pleasure, because they think Congress
ought not to have repealed the laws, ther
the President and the Commissioner may
set up anything they please for pension
laws without the aid Of Congress, and may
repeal any pension law on the statute books
That is Just what Evans and the Presiden
have done to many classes of laws, and have
done with the service disability law. The,
have repealed more than eight-tenths Of tn,
old law by providing that no disability
shall be accepted unless proved by an army
record or the testimony of physician II
service or near discharge. They thus pu
Congress on the shelf. Not dozen claim'
have been allowed in Evans Eve years owe
this unlawful limitation set up by Evans
book (See GLOBE Feb. and TO- and book
p. 49, The dozen 50 allowed have had I
Congressman or other high official demand
ing allowance. Law is nowhere" with th'
President and Evans when it comes TO th'
veterans. This limiting clause has dis
tinct legal history in the common law t.
this class Of limitation, called statutory
Limitation, as distinguished from rules o
evidence
In law the rule is called "a statute o
frauds and perjuries." II can be enacted
only by the Legislative power, because
excludes the truth as often as it eonserve
the truth. AT common law every fact II
the universe can be proved by oral testi
mony; and in the United States today al
facts can be proved by eye witnesses unles
certain facts have been excluded by tn
statute of frauds. This statute, whereve
enacted, is based on public policy and cut
of evidence in advance Of the trial by ex
ciuTftter oral crfTnnoo called tnnfffuor, a