Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-27

The whole system Of adiudications is by
calls for evidence and by correspondence.
(See GLOBE Feb. z5 and 9 P. D., p. 93).
The application is merely an application
for pension; no disease need be named in
it until called for by the bureau; aud if at
the time of adjudication the claimant has
ratahle disease accepted as ratable by the
medical division Of the Office, the claimant
is entitled to know il, and complete the
proof. An affidavit is an application, and
need not be witnessed or have form Evans
has instructed all his clerks, in these ratable
unalleged diseases, to give the claimant no
hint of the fact that the uualleged disease
is found and rated, but to reject the whole
claim because the veteran did not know
there was a difference of understanding
about the diseases. Il often happens that
the claimant attributes his disability to one
disease, and the medical division to another,
differing with him and his family physician
about what the disease is But whether it
is a new disease or an old one, the almoner
of the Government who resorts to conceal
nent and falsehood, should be unceremoni-
ously kicked out of Office. The Commits
sioner admits that the claimant is ratable
from the last medical examination. The
practice heretofore has been to call for the
necessary proof and affidavit from the
claimant. and compl the claim from the
date of claimants aindavit naming the
disease, or the date of that examination,
all in the same adjudication. The practice
has differed or varied between these dates.
The new plan is to defraud the claimant
out of this rate and date, and make him
commence over again. Evans hue and cry
and bold Justification about fraud and per
jury in repeating applications once rejected,
is to discourage and defraud these claim
ants, and delay a new application Evans
fraud is not fraud by omission merely,
but by positive and active commission and
conspiracy. II is to deceive the veteran.
What can such a veteran dor He has no
knowledge of the difficulty which Evans
pretends to have found in the way of giving
the pension. Shall be appeal to the Secre-
tary and wait three years for his appeal to
be reached? OF shall he reapply and take
the chances of being charged with perjury
in Evans next annual report, for which
Evans is being retained in Office by the
President If the veteran reapplies he is
no better of than he was the first time, for
Evans has instructed the clerks to give him
no hint of the difference between him and
the medical referee. This is only one of
the bold frauds for sneak thief stealings
that this wild-eyed Tennesseean has put up
in the bureau.
The inspired newspapers are now saying
that the President should have a Southerner
in the Cabinet, and Evans is suggested as
the proper man. What is the matter with
Secretary of Interior Hitchcock, the glass
blower of Missouri Is not he doing enough
against the veteransf Every important
Office connected with pensions is filed by a
man from a slave state. There is Evans,
of Tennessee, dealer in condemned mules
Hitchcock, who raised $500, 900 for the Nc
Kinley campaign, and Assistant Secretary
Campbell the moot-court lawyer from West
Virginia. The Hanna syndicate knew what
it was about in preparing the anti pension
propaganda of reducing pension expendi-
lures without regard to the pension laws.
(See GLOBE April 20 and Nov. a.
Evans resignation is not to be accepted
until he gets another slash at the reputation
of old soldiers, attorneys, witnesses and
the medical examining boards throughout
the United States in the forthcoming PEN
sion report of June 80. Another batch of
AnloGA0oQ - " nE ADAaAEq INTO the history
Of the Civil War Evans declared that he
was able to reverse Assistant Secretary
Davis as often as Davis reversed him, be-
cause Evans had been given the anti-pcn-
sion key of the Administration The iuuto
got picked up in Davis as badly as they did
in Rassieur The guardian decisions show
that they made no mistake in Campbell
and that Campbell is merely Evans clerk.
When the Hanna syndicate concludes to
let up on some of Evans frauds, Campbell
is permitted to lay the blame on Evans and
Evans is to stand it without murmur, and
be rewarded for his good work" It is
taking the whole Hanna power to hold
Evans in until he gets another slash at the
regulations Of the veterans June 80.
When Evans was appointed Commits
sioner of Pensions, April 1, 1897, there
were pending and in an advanced state of
adjudication ovel 100000 claims, and there
were over 100000 Civil War veterans who
had not applied under any law; and yet the
Hanna anti-pension syndicate gave the
order to Evans that pension expenditures
were not only not to be permittedto in
crease, but that rates should be so cut that
the expenditures should be decreased from
the word 'go" This has been literally
carried out. While the numbers of pen.
sioners could not be prevented from in
creasing, the rates for many claimants
we're illegally fixed or reduced to SO by a
horizontal cut; and as far as possible no
certificate was issued until another pen
sioneg had died, or until a SI2 rated pen
sioner had died to provide places for two SO
pensions, etc; while 10000 claims are
rejected yearly.
CIITC NnWN THE Tpppc