Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-02

Pension Commissioner Evans has been
constantly harping on his sham executive
ability, and putting the phrase executive
ability" in the speeches of Members Of Con
gress, whom he selects to carry the heavy
part' in coucealing his frauds against the
pension laws by pulling the wool over the
eyes" of the veterans. He is so indiscreet
that he believes executive ability" to be
something intangible and indistinguishable
from the brazen impudence of the proven
bal hotel clerk of small caliber in which
Evans masquerades to con ceal his lack of
education, and has constantly masqueraded
successfully before the ex-slave voters Of
Tennessee as political carpet.bag boss,
(GLoBE, January Io, 1907
His proclamation proceeds upon the sup
position that his blunderings and frauds
against the pension laws can be effectively
concealed by this sham device however
gross and disastrous TO claimants they
may be, and however many times more he
has been overruled by his immediate
superior officers on his own written orders
(not to mention reflections by his clerks)
than all the overruled orders combined of
all other commissioners combined over
ruled by their superiors combined since
the foundation of the Government.
Evans is constantly trying to gain spuri-
ous credit by false iunuendoes and iusinua-
tions against ex Commissioner Raum's
administration Of the Pension Bureau,
alleging what clean" honest administra~
ton his (Evans) has been with mo
scandals;" thereby intending to impute
scandals" to former Republican admins
trations. There never was the breath of
suspicion against General Raum admins
tration Of the pension laws or against his
frfa ~ off He WA
accused of fraud, and not a single order or
instruction Of General Raums was over
ruled during his administration. GLOBE,
January %, 1902. Evans is finding Raum's
legal orders and Interpretation of the pen
sion laws in the way Of Evans frauds
against pensioners and pension claimants;
and in all the great number of Evans
gross orders in which Evans has been 80
overruled by the Board of Appeals in the
Interior Department, he has been brought
back to the orders, rulings, and instructions
of Commissioner Raum's time. Evans is
laughing-stock in the bureau and has de-
manded an Endorsement from the clerks.
The anti-pension newspapers and Con-
gressmen criticised Raum for putting his
son in as chief of the appointment division
of the Office. Raum, Jr., was duly appointed
by the Secretary Of Interior, and was a
himself on nepotism? He got his son a fat
job as captain in the army, and has put a
nephew aud niece in the Pension Office at
$4,000 same Raum, Jr) as his private
secretary and at 81, 600. How is the appoint
ment division of the office run to day under
Evans9 Raum, Jr., was not connected with
a Mexican sugar plantation scheme as a di-
rector to solicit subscriptions from the PEN
sion Office clerks to discount stock, while
having unlimited control of dismissals, re-
tentions reductions and promotions Of the
clerical force of the bureau. We do not
know that Evans ever had dollar of in
terest in the Mexican Romero sugar planta-
tion scheme for which his clerical force is
being so persstently solicited officially for
subscriptions to the IS per cent, discount
stock through advertisements directed to
each of the l. 700 clerks by name by a Pen
sion Office typewriter during Office hours,
and sent around mot through the nails by
official messenger to the addressed clerk at
his desk during Office hours at Uncle Sans
expense, with the name of the director, who
is chief of the appointment division under
scored with lead pencils standing rules
require clerks to have their mail addressed
20 them at their residences, not at the Of
ice. To estimate each bunch Of Romero
circulars, officially delivered, as taking up
ten minutes in reading them at
the desk Ito say nothing of time
of typewriter and messenger, and
estimating average salary at 81, 200 per
year of 6k hours work per day it took up
As days time of the clerks 20 read each
bunch at a. per day, or SI7a expense for
each time. Then, too the proprieties of
such course would be abhorrent to any
person less obtuse than Commissioner
he ..r 81 r,I,f1,
clerks from even making presents to bureau
officials This is to avoid the appearance
of evil and favoritism. What is to be ex-
pected from such a chief of the appoint
ment division9 The retention Of such a man
as appointment chief can never be explained
away. Had any Of the Democrats any
stock in the Romero sugar scheme who
have recently been promoted to high
salaries over the heads of competent Re-
publicans justly entitled to promotions
You can never make the voters Of the
United States believe that sugar stock is
not communicating. Evans can not do less
towards clearing up this scandal" than to
reduce such a man to what he found him
81, 600 aud send him back to a desk A
man with such blunt perceptions must ever
lie under the imputation Of chicanery and
fraud A man who will accept two such
4nlOn5lsAeuL LuaLe NOhAu never ANnloA AuG
temptation to do evil. He lacks the sensi-
bilities to distinguish the right. The news
papers are full of advertisements offering
large sums Of cash money for preferment or
appointment in Office, with large addi-
tional per cent. of salary 10 the official who
will stoop to personal gain. What could be
more tempting to such division chief as a
director of Romero than 10 roll up a large
amount Of Pension Office stock 2rhis chief Of
the appointment division has made one or
more trips down TO the Romero plantation
IN the interest Of his dual but antagonistic
and incomprehensible trusts. Evans can
not plead ignorance Of the facts. He can
only say she did not know 1t was loaded, "
but that will be too thin" IN man Of sham
executive ability" Had the Romero sugar
stock any influence In selecting the large
number Of new messengers appointed under
Evans2
This is up to Congress When Congress
begins TO investigate the open aud well
fen4art, fratfT. r.Ittol, Tt.sa,a hae