Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-16

Pension Commissioner Evans is the most
unreliable man that ever held an important
Office in the executive departments. His
devious career has no parallel in the Offices.
His five annual reports are mass of mis-
representation; bias and untruth against
pensions for the purpose of carrying out his
anti-pensiOu propaganda against the pen
sion laws. Take his statements against
guardians and wards and against probate
courts in his annual reports of ISeo 1900 and
1901, and in his letter to the Secretary of
Interior Of May, 1901 printed in XI. P. D..
p. 353, in his efforts to scoop the pensions
of wards who have small estates. (See
GLOBE, January 5, -, I9, Feb. and TO-
roo2.)
He represented these guardianships 10 be
in a state of confusion, anarchy and lawless-
ness, with no jurisdiction in the state courts
to protect the funds or direct the guardians;
and even charged the probate courts with
maladministration. This was wholly false,
and the sequel convicts Evans of criminal
intent to deceive his superior officers in the
matter and Assistant Secretary Campbell,
of the Interior Department, charges this
home against him in the final sum-
ming up reversing Evans (I2 P. D.,
case 80, Jan. q, 1907, Geo. Brick,
insane). Evans can see no harm in unlaw-
fully pensiouing las dependent) wealthy
widows who have $4,000 in bank or in wild
lands, or palatial residences OF who have an
income Ia salary of from $500 to 81 900,
which the law makes a bar (GLOBE, Dec.
IS 1901, and Jan. 20. Iooa); but to pay pen
sion to an insane veteran, legally, who has
AN estate worth $4,000, iustihes Evans Ito
his own satisfaction in resOrting to mis-
representation and concealment in order TO
deceive his superior officers into attempt
ing to authorize him to illegally scoop the
pension into the surplus.
Evans first requested Secretary Hitch
cock to authorize him to require guardians
to make annual reports and accountings to
the Pension Bureau, and to withhold the
pension of such as failed or refused. With
out getting this, Evans went ahead with his
scheme, and put these guardians to at least
SIS, 600 aggregate expense per year in max
ing annual reports to him, without any law
for such requirement. On September s.
1899, in reply to Evans request Of June III
1900, requesting to make this scoop, Secre-
tary Hitchcock of the Interior Department
after the Attorney General had been con-
suited rendered decision against Evans
instructing him that there was no law for
his proposed scoop, and that the state
courts alone had Jurisdiction over the ac-
counts Of guardians What did Evans then
dor He merely pigeonhoied that decision
and kept on illegally extorting reports from
the guardians at their expense. If Evans
wanted such reports, he could and should
have written the probate clerks to send him
copies of the last reports of each guardian
desired, and copies of the approval Of the
Judge, and have paid the clerk for it, This
was not matter that Evans had a right to
extort from the guardians at the expense of
the wards,
No sane guardian would take the risk of
making such an unheard of report to Evans
without having it "vised" by his attorneys
for the wards. Guardians make regular re-
ports to the probate courts periodically,
varying from one to two years, according to
the time fixed in the state laws. The re-
ports are made by the attorney from the
data given by the guardian. The usual at
tOrney fee for preparing these reports is
from So to SIS, according to the extent of
the vouchers and transactions.
This decision of the Attorney General
and Secretary Hitchcock did not daunt
Evans, the man of great nerve and ex-
ecutive ability" it only encouraged him to
another step of low cunning for which ha-
bitues in deception become highly expert
He waited until he thought the matter
would be forgotten, and then in May, 1901
applied to another officer of the Interior
Department, Assistant Secretary Campbell
for the same authority to make the same
scoop of wards pensions. Evans had his
experts in the bureau prepare, in advance,
the decision wanted, and accompany il
trrffn fhvy or
resenting the facts and the law, and con.
cealing the former decision. Assistant
Secretary Campbell trusting in Evans
honesty to truthfully represent the facts
and the law, accepted Evans statements,
and ordered the clerks on the board of ap-
peals to make a copy of Evans prepared
decision for Campbells signature, which
among other things directed Evans Ito
take such steps as may be deemed appro-
pirate" See II P. d. p $50, of May ~,
1901 and Stombaugh, guardian of Hall, II
p. d. case No /, of August ~, IooI.)
Evans then proceeded to scoop in the
money of wards, recalling pensions, etc,
etc, until he had large sums Of money
collected back unlawfully. which can never
be returned to the wards without a special
act of Congress, as decided by the Comp
troller Of the Treasury December 2I, 1901
In addition to this illegal collecting back
Of pensions already paid Evans illegally
stopped the pensions of about eight thou
sand wards on the same pretended grounds
of having estates.
After the exposures by the GLOBE, of
this fraudulent scheme, Assistant Secretary
Campbell reversed Evans, saying in the
decision. as a rebuke to Evans: This
opinion and holding of the Secretary Of the
Interior (Hitchcock) of September S, 1899
was not called to the attention of the AS
sistant Secretary (Campbell) by whom the
decision Of the Department of May a. 1901
was rendered. although the same had been
in the possession of the bureau of pensions
evans possession) since the date Of It's
rendition; and the Department decision
of May %, 1901, was rendered in ignorance
of the fact that the Secretary CHitchcock)
had expressed any views with regard to the
matters therein discussed Said opinion
of the Secretary Of September S, 1899, is ad
dressed to the Commissioner Of Pensions