Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-09

Champion.
Captain Jim Harris had Daniel OberlY,
the pension applicant referred to in these
columns, escorting him through the Capitol
one day the past week, when the pair acci-
dentaily encountered Commissioner II. Clay
Evans, when Captain Harris hailed him
and said Commissioner, here is Daniel
Oberly, whose pension you have been un-
justly retaining. Doy you not think he needs
a pension2" The Pension Commissioner
looked with astonishment at the semi.par-
alyzed freak of man named Oberly and
replied:
He does indeed seem to be in deplor-
able condition, but you must remember that
It was not under my administration that he
was deprived Of his pension"
That Is true, but you are continuing the
injustice. I am satisfied that if President
Roosevelt saw this miserable wreck of hui
man being he would see that justice was
done him. Senator Foraker if you will
remember Commissioner wrote Secretary
Bliss about him, and Secretary Bliss wrote
you, but you have doue nothing In the first
place his pension was held up on the dam-
nable lie that he was shamming paralysis
You or anybody else can see that such
charge is a lie. Every medical board before
whom he has appeared-and their name
is legion-besides numerous bodies of dis
interested physicians, all agree that he is
paralyzed on the left side from a gun shot
wound through the neck. You know it is
so, everybody acquainted with the facts,
medical examiners, pension experts sent
out from your Office and yourself both see
and know that this unfortunate creature is
totally disabled and paralyzed Yet you
compel him to live In the aims house or
subsist on private charity while his pension
has been held up until it amounts to such
sum that it is a bar of itself to his receiving
justice. You are waiting, waiting Mr.
Commissioner for his death, and then the
thousands Of dollars belonging to him now
in your hands viii be turned into the Treas
ury to swell the steals proposed by Con-
gress. And this is the manner in which old
soldiers are now being treated, But there
will be Congressional elections next fall,
Mr.. Commissioner and if the Democracy,
instead of spending money for campaign
literature, would exhibit this paralyzed and
crippled creature on the stump and tell the
people that thousands of dollars of his
money are in your hands which you refuse
to pay waiting for his death, they would
sweep the country aud secure the soldier
vote OF the entire nation"
By the time Captain Jim Harris, who was
until the past week superintendent of the
Senate Document room. and who is now, as
he has always been, staunch Republican,
had gotten through his speech, he had quite
an audience and ex. Commissary Clerk Evans
was decidedly nervous and Eighty. In
fact, he "hew" at good pace down the
corridor followed by Captain Jim and
haltiugly pursued by poor Oberly, whose
lOcomotion was as painful to witness, as it
was entirely too slow to keep either Evans
or Harris in sight.
The case Of Oberly has been repeatedly
referred to in the columns of the GLOBE
and needs no further exploitation than the
statement that he is still denied justice.
On a himsy pretense his pension of $40
per month for total disability was held up.
After years Of litigation he was allowed less
than half that sum, and the amount applied
to the overdraft alleged Of SO which had
been paid him heretofore. The case has
had many turns before secretaries and other
officials but when Evans got hold of it
he quietly put it to sleep waiting, waiting
poor Oberly's death to end the controversy
and litigation.
Captain Jim Harris encounter with the
Commissioner Of Pensions and the object
lesson of the unfortunate Oberly's presence,
whom the commissioner has heretofore
steadily refused to see has made an impress
sion on the calloused sOuled ex-commissary
clerk which. it is to be hoped, will quicken
his conscience into doing at least partial
justice to the man whom the Government
is indebted In the sum of over $40, 900 while
he is dependent for even a street car ticket
to ride to the Capitol on the charity of an
old comrade in arms by whose side he was
shot to pieces for that flag Evans never
saw waving before the charging line or de-
hantly planted on fort redoubt and breast
work at the point of the bayonet Aud no
body can ever feel the real inspiration this
flag implants in the breast Of an American
who has not followed its careening folds
through the smoke Of belching batteries
and the murderous hail storms Of mimic
bullets. Il is this patriotism the Repubn-
can party plays upon to catch the votes Of
the old soldiers to whom It denies Justice
as in the case of Oberly aud thousands Of
others