Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-23

against Evans ulIGhloNdblG ny uNe years
contact with him over them, why should
not they comprising as they do a million
and a half Of people taken with their fam-
liesl be given the same consideration
The money power, which has controlled
the Pension Department since Harrisou's
administration ended, now nearly nine
years, ls not interested in scandalzing the
civil war veteran. and manufacturing South.
ern school. book history; but that power has
been indifferent to those things, and has
tolerated them as a means to an end-lafge
rake-offs from the pension appr opriations
TO aid pet Jobs"
General Harrison was sound lawyer
the peer of any in the United States. He
kept close touch on the construction of
pension laws, especially new laws enacted
during his term His Secretary OF Interior,
Noble. likewise, is distinguished scholar
and LAWYER Of extensive practice. Assistant
Secretary Bussey, who had charge of pen
sion appeals, and ex Pension Commissioner
Raum, are also in the same class for legal
experience and scholarship. All of them
had active, long and arduous experience
and service as regimental, brigade, division
and independent commanders in camp,
field, march, bivouac, skirmish and battle
for four years Of the civil war. These
patriotic citizens of ability and integrity had
control of the Pension Department Every
written order construction of law, and
ruling, made in the Pension Department
during General Raum's term sas Pension
Commissioner, will stand the test of legal
Interpretation If submitted TO any civilized
court in the world, or to the present Attor-
ney General Of the United States. General
Raum was cousiderate and careful to follow
the legal construction of the law.
Not one of his orders or instructions was
overruled during his term of Office. In his
second year of Office as Commissioner of
Pensions, Congress passed the so-calied
new law for giving service pension to the
Civil War veterans, the act OF June q, 1890,
which more than doubled the pension laws
of the United States, and which is now the
principal law under which pensions are
granted; we may say almost the only law,
for Evans has ruled the old law nearly of
the docket (GLoBE Feb. 9 and I6) Cen
eral Raum. with the advice and approval of
President Harrison and Secretaries Noble
and Bussey, interpreted the new law, formu-
lated the practice under that law, and put
the law in operation without a single mis-
take or jar in the machinery. That practice,
if submitted TO any civilized court in the
world, or to the Attorney General, would
be sustained to-day throughout as legal and
correct under the law. This practice under
the new law as put in motion by General
Raum closely follows modern ideas in code
practice and equity, and will forever stand
as an enduring monument to the inteli
gence, ability, judicial learning and integ-
rity of those men. II is in trying to cut
loose from this practice of General Raum
that Commissioner Evans has been so fire.
quently and severely overruled by his i'm
mediate superior officer, and the veterans
have suffered such unlawful treatment and
damage at the hands of the Pension De-
partment
The anti pension cabal has never dared to
submit to the Attorney General the changes
which il has from time to time forced onto
the veterans. In private political meetings
the ant-pension junto has decided that the
pension laws we're too liberal and must be
reduced. The surest way to secure reduc.
tion was to violate the laws by pretended
constructions as a starter, and by introduc-
ing crude and medieval methods of divid.
ing up disabilities into separate claims, and
creating abatements, estoppels nOn-suits,
etc, etc, etc, for cutting out large parts of
claims and rejecting in whole and in part
the claims on arbitrary grounds before the
merits of the claims were reached All
these changes were made to order" in po-
litieal conclave, and carried out by the po.
litical branch through the Pension Commits.
siouer and the Secretary of the Interior A
part of the conclave was in favor Of having
the new law reduced or repealed by Con
gress, but the knowing ones insisted on the
illegal plan. and that was carried out
When Mckinley first came into Office AS.
sistant Secretary Davis started to return to
the correct administration and interpreta.
tion of the laws; but Evans says Davis had
not been taken into the anti-pens.on junto,
and that he Evans alone had been en-
trusted with the Administration anti-pen-
sion policy; that Davis would make a good
Secretary of Interior but not a good assist
ant secretary because insubordinate to the
wishes Of the political junto, and was in
sisting upon following the law.
Davis on July 28, 1897 rendered the fol-
lowing decision looking to a return to
Raum's practice;
after careful examination of the var
ious enactments of law going to make up
the pension system, I cannot think il was
the intention of Congress to hedge their
administration with the difficulties and pit
falls of any system of special pleading the
technicalities and refnements Of which may
tend to practically defeat the benevolent
aid intended to be extended to the soldiers
of the Republic. Here, the will of the leg
islature being ascertained, the attendant
proceedings should be as simple as possible
A multitude of rules tends to confusion,
and the way Of the claimant should not be
hedged about with any difficulty that can
be avoided" (See instructions, oP. d., p. 93)
In that decision Assistant Secretary Davis
held that an application for pension under
the new law, should be held sufficient if it
showed that claimant desired a pension,
and was sworn TO- The diseases and the
class or law under which he claimed could
be brought out in affdavits later which
should be read as a part of the original
application, and the whole pension date
from the filing Of first application upon
proving existence Of the diseases as Of that
6rst date. Davis also provided for calls
for omitted diseases when shown before
final adjudication, and for proving them up,
similar to the Raum practice which Evans
was refusing TO adopt This decision caused
r.