Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-09


for over four years proves eonclusively that
Pension Commissioner Evans, in overrid-
ing and trampling down the pension laws.
and depriving claimants and pensioners Of
their legal rights has had the cordial in
dorsement and support Of the administra.
tion aud of Congress. 1t makes no differ
ence how hard Evans hits pensions, how
illegally how frequently. nor at what points
below the belt. Queensberry's rules are
not in it when II comes to downing the pen
sion laws. (GLoBE Nov "a, IooI.) Evans,
himself, has made this defense constantly,
and declared that the President knew the
whole program. (See GLOBE Feb. 2, Ioo2.)
The G. A. r. pension committee at the G.
A. r. Encampment at Philadelphia ad-
mitted the Presidents statement to the
same effect The denial by one member,
Brown, who rushed into print to deny ex
Commissioner MurphY's statement of it
was quickly disproved by the witness who
was present in the hotel at the time. In the
debates on pensions in the House two years
ago. Congressman Curtis, of Kansas, averred
that he did not believe the President knew
of the unlawful course of Evans against
pensioners and claimants, but Congressman
Ray of New York, assured Curtis that the
President did know. for he (Ray) had talked
with the President on the subject. (See
GLOBE Dec. "a, IooI) II was publicly
given out in the papers after the interview
Of the c. A. X. committee with the Presi.
dent that he said the leaders were opposed
to increasing the pension roll, and he would
have to give the reasons if the matter was
forced upon him In fact, it would need
no other proof than a recital of the high
handed and open violations of the pension
laws which have been time and again ex-
posed. No attempt has ever been made to
disprove the open and notorious violations
of the laws by Evans and Hitchcock. These
violations stand on the records and orders,
and are of record; therefore an attempt to
deny would be useless. Congressman Bell
in his now Odious speech in Congress, IAN
uary Il, 1902, sought TO clear Evans of all
blame except 'strictness" in requiring
strong evidence; and even here Bell sought
to lay the excesses to the clerks, and re-
motely to that specter, the pension attor
ney," who had deceived the clerks so
often that the innocent must suffer with the
guilty" Let Bell be one of the guilty suf-
ferers at the next election. You will notice
that the frauds which the GLOBE has been
exposing have no relation to evidence
(GLoBB Dec. IS, I9oI.l Evans frauds are
against the pension laws and title Of large
the benefit of the laws by pretended recon
struction of the law before the stage Of
proof Evans demurs the vets out of court.
Take his ruthless setting aside the act of
March 6, 1896, passed for readjudicating
claims wrongfully rejected under the act of
June q, 1890 (the new law, where soldier,
at date of filing his FIRST application, was
so disabled from any cause that he was en-
titled to a rate. By Sec. 4, page Io4 OF
Evans book, he refuses TO readiudicate the
claim de NOyO, holding that the law is only
law for review, on the old evidence in the
old way, and further not applying to par
tally rejected cases. (See GLOBE Dec. I,
1901, and ian. 10, 1904 It was found that
in very many of those reflections, the soldier
had other diseases, and had alleged only
his most trivial disabilities, like the cele-
brated case of loss Of hair, where the pen
sioner was a physical wreck from disabili-
ties not alleged but which he afterwards
proved.
Lochren divided up the diseases into
different pension claims from different
dates of naming omitted diseases in the
original adjudication, although proved to
have existed from date of filing original
claim thus a large Saving" was made to
the surplus" by throwing in different
cate, sometimes rating for three years at
only 50, two years at S8, and three months
at sI2, whereas all the diseases we're Of
fifteen years standing, and the soldier was
confined to the house all the time from long
before June ~, 1890. The act of March g.
1906, was passed to correct similar abuses
to the above; but Evans holds the act does
not apply TO that class of cases, for the
reason that the veteran got a small pension;
and he holds that the act applies only to
claims wholly rejected When a claim is
rejected in part, it is in law rejected as to
those disabilities. The very reasons for
the law clearly show this to any person ex-
cept to a pension hater or to an admins
tration man.
A majority of the new law reflections was
found to have been taken on snap" judg-
rnents during Lochren's administration
brought about by revoking Commissioner
Raum's printed circular calling on the
claimant for proof of any other disability
named in any paper by any witness, or in
anv wav intimated in the case The act Of
March was passed 70 give the old soldier
a chance to prove up his case and have a
medical re examination on the new evil
deuce so as to commence from date FIRST
fled his claim Evans, in utter violation
Of this plain and positive law, even in cases
of total rejections ordered in said book
"a new medical examination will not be
ordered and no evidence will be called
for under such application" This book
stood four years under Evans, and claims
were arbitrarily rejected under it without
giving the veteran a chance. or reading his
evidence Many boards rated only the
diseases named. Evaus will not accept or
will not believe the ratings of the exanin-
ing boards unless the rates are against the
veteran (GLoBE Jan. 40, I9o2.)
The section 4 has recently been revoked
and proof ordered to be considered, thereby
admitting four years criminal reflections OF
tens of thousands Of claims Of these old
men. The order revoking section is a
secret order, and provides for no calls for
evidence, or any method of informing the
veteran that he may file evidence now.
The book has accomplished the irreparable
damage that was intended; and Il has been
cast aside as to that section, with the dis
tinct understanding Of keeping the change
-.,,-.t. t,,f attofld the veteran learn of the