Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-05


- ,he,r arguments against Pension Com
,,,ias;oner Evans before the G. A. X. Ma
,so,a1 Rncampment last September, Senator
IJaw1ev of Connecticut, a Congressional
member of the iunto land, as such, in the
deleoation to the encampmentl was on
band to object. The junto is watchful and
active TO place its men in every body where
rsvansisu, is likely to be questioned. Evans
loots ont for that in advance. Hawley de-
Glazed that he would resist any attempt TO
cause Evans removal; that Evans couid DC
trusted to correct any erroneous rnnhg,
etc. etc, following the usual lines OF Oold
abatement in Congress TO fight on Congress
sional investigation of the lawless Pension
Department. (See GLOBE OF December a.
Fvans has been in the Office nearly hve
,.oars diving constantly from fifteen to
tyventv illegal schemes 10 defraud claimants
and pensiouers and still the iunto have
bear able to protect him in his rascality |
seast a. one scheme has been defeated, on |
exhausted. he starts up another more out
rageous and daring, and often secretly con
eir,,es the old overruled-scheme prohibit
ING the Board of Appeals from reoverruling
II and recurring the Secretary OF lnteIloI
fHitcbcock not to publish the ruling
aefrring Evans scheme. Take as an ex-
ample Evans ruling charging widows with
All the income from the farm or property in
60 cases where the children, out OF charlty'
rive her the privilege of using their shares
until she gets her pension. In these cases
Evans rejects, and often saves" hve or SIX
,,.ors, Densiou from the surplus, COM
pelling the widow NOT to accept the ehali-
table contributions Of the children, and to
thereaster begin over again He has been
doing this for five years, the Board Of Ap-
neaIs being compelled by Evans to hold
vrivatelv that these charitable gifts OF the
chiidren bar pension. Only about $50 de-
c;sions each two years are published as
samples out of about 10000 decisions rem
dered We have had our attention called
to this question of income by several at
tor,evs The printed books read all right
~, the subject, but the reflections are private
aud fied away. Only a Congressional IN
vastioatiou could reach them. Under the
oue-nan.power (the distinguished lawyer
f2) Hitchcock) these secret decisions are
anal. AS the private decisions are lust the
opposite of the printed decisions as hIst
rendered by Assistant Secretary Davis, the
attorneys began appealing, but founa that
both Davis and Assistant Secretary Gam P
he'll ,yere compelled by Evans to sustain
Evans although in the face of Davis printed
decisions without referring to the latter
TIRE nrivate decisions hold that the law has
rotbino to do with it, If the children are
nieased to contribute to her support thai
bars the claim if the aid amounts to ovei
200 under the June law, or over $3.50 undei
the Nav law. What a travesty on law
1oeic iustice and common sense But i
spits the iunto. Both laws specifically eX
empt voluntary aid given widow
Evans claims that he came up from len
nessee filed with abundance OF originality L
act as Judge; this shows the keynote OF III
cutting loose from the laws. II has heN
scheme circulating for the past 10 months
for defraudiug the insane pensioners az.
minors. He unlawfully and aroltraiil
ordered all guardians to report to him II
stead Of reporting to the probate courts
their respective Jurisdictions and to secui
bis anproval for all expenditures, aud whe
the wards die to turn over to him (Evan'
the amount Of unexpended balance OF pei
sion az the property of the United Stat'
Cor the "surplus" 3" This was all done VIII
the full approval of that other lawyer Y
Hitchcock. Thus we find the pair chan
ing the whole form Of government EVal
reouired the board of appeals in Hitchcock
Office TO write up a sophistcal decision
support of this new departure. You W
see it has for its object, not the beneht
the wards but to conhscate the unexpend
peusiou money Evans intends to restr
the minors expenses 50 as to have lar
uuexpended amounts in case OF deatl
He will hatch up a sanity reason. In n
estates he will prohibit use OF pensi
money.
Evans does not care wrapping for &
wards. as shown by his trick in holding
unlawfully for four years the money OF
fants at the bottle and arms. (See Clio
of Dec. AL However, he made a We
sanity argument on the injustice OF qua
ians holding up the funds of wards as
nest egg for the children to start IN NE
teach them by example the benefit tr
small savings The board of appeals M
IN the decisions that state courts can
trv United States officials for oheuses C
nected with their official duties, and
cisious Of the Supreme Court which sust
the laws Of Congress on criminal In
dicton TO punish guardians ana other !
sons for embezzlement of pension mon
ample authority IN Congress 70 'i'ni' 1i''
pension money.
Acting on the imagination that CongI
rnust own the money embezzled, else 81
law would be unconstitutional, and as
Vress has failed now for over one hund
wears 10 exercise that jurisdiction by p
ing the necessary law, aud as no other :
aiou commissioner in the history OF
United States had the honesty ana Or
that Evans possesses, the Hitchcock Be
Of Appeals held that it was proper
Evans, as the vice-regento Of Congress wv
Congress is too busy or indolen0 to
the law himself, and avoid all the tro'
and talk and doubt about getting Il thro
Congress The Board Of Appeals XII
held that the state laws provided no j
remedy and the state courts had no juris
ton to protect wards and lacked IN hon
anyhow. (see decision. title commissio
ZIP. D., page 3sI, leaaet number Iof'
"a, I9oI.)
Evans scheme would apply with e
logic or law to the veteran himself by
tending the artificial ruling to hold thai
veteran Is a mere trustee of the Ur
States for expending the pension mo
and that, until spent title is In the Ur
States, and not in the veterans heirs. Z