Show GOES FOR EVANS Congressman Curtis is After the Pension Commissioner Washington Jan 19Tue pension appropriation ap-propriation bill engaged Hie attention of the house today Mr Barney of Wisconsin who was in charge of the Pension bill made a general statement of Its contents lie said the Commissioner Commis-sioner of Pensions estimated that lhc amount for pensions during the coming year would largely decrease but owing to time Influx of claims on account of the Spanish war he did not deem It wise to reduce tho appropriation this year There were 25000 Spanish war claims pending The Commissioner thought 0000000 or G000 < 00 would cover these claims ASSAILS COMMISSIONER EVANS Mr Curtis of Kansas assailed some of the rulings of the Commissioner of Pensions Pen-sions tracing their origin to the start hag false and fictitious charge made In 1SD3 that thousands of fraudulent pensioners pen-sioners were on the rolls If the present Commissioner Is not conducting the ofllce properly Is not the remedy in the hands of time Administration Admin-istration asked Air Bartlett of Georgia Geor-gia f dont bellevo that the President indorses the acts of if Commissioner replied Mr Curtis I dont believe he knows what is going on Was not the Commissioner a soldier in the Union army They say he was replied Mr Curtis Cur-tis I dont believe he ever carried a musket GROSVENOR INTERVENES Here Mr Grosvenor of Ohio Intervened Inter-vened to say that Commissioner Evans I was a private soldier in a Wisconsin regiment and later Joined the Army of the Cumberland Before the close of the war lie was made a clerk in the quartermasters ollice at Chattanooga May not all the trouble be due asked Mr William Allen Smith of Michigan to the employees In the Pension ofllce who are out of sympathy with the old soldiers but who are protected pro-tected in their positions by the civil service law HAS REMEDY AT HAND I have been told that that was true replied Mr Curtis but time Commissioner Commis-sioner of Pensions has the power to remedy that condition He Inveighed especially against the lullng which deprived de-prived widows of the benefit of the dependent de-pendent act of 1890 If they had an income in-come of S96 a year Mr Robinson of Indiana joined In the assault upon the rulings of the Pension ofllce Air Sims of Tennessee commended com-mended Mr Evanss course as Commissioner Com-missioner of Pensions Mr Hay of Now York former chairman of the Committee Commit-tee on Pensions characterized as unwarranted un-warranted and unjustifiable Mr Cur tlss attack upon the Commissioner of Pensions QUESTION OF EXPANSION Mr Ball of Texas raised the question of expansion and had read a speech of Abraham Lincoln made in criticism of the Mexican war upon a bill voting supplies to our soldiers in the field Upon that occasion Mr Ball said Mr Lincoln had voted that the war was unnecessary un-necessary and unconstitutionally begun be-gun When the bill was reported to time House time following amendment was unanimously agreed to Provided That the Commissioner of Pensions shall furnish all necessary blanks to claimants and that said Commissioner may in his discretion refuse to pay the fee to attorney of record when he is satisfied that said attorney failed to prepare the case under his or hor personal per-sonal supervision and did not discharge his full duty to claimants The bill which carries 115215250 was then passed and at 103 p m the House adjourned |