The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-21
MIR. TANNER SQUEALS.
Poor Attempt to Answer Seere-
tary Mobiles Letter.
The MAIN QUESTION: IGNORED.
ne Was Trying TO Make she R<publfean
Party Solid with the sofdfers-Good
Intentions and Had Acts.

800 W.
Tanner Is osss tonight in long statement
seIayiIg 30 Secretary Nobsess letter OF July
"a, sae gist OF which was gsven in these dis
PATCHES Friday night Tanner denies at
tne outset that he defiea the secretary On
tse subject OF rersting. or his authority in
tils administration Of the bureau. He
sives out for publication the letter 10 which
Secretary Mobiles reply wss made In II
Tanner says, IN part.
DO not propose in any event 10 have
al honorable lifetime smirched in the
slightest decree at this period of rny ex-
ssiesace, ard where may find wesl-founied
reasons for believing that have been i'm
posed nroa ana misled shall be quick TO
recommend tie condemnation merited by
ne parties concerned desire 70 add.
furthermore, that | have made q compari-
son OF the action in these cases Imeaning
the cases Of the pension office employesl
xith that taken by my predecessor IN SIM
har eases, and find the comparison is en-
uTeiy favorable To the present administra-
iien'
Tanner, IN commenting on the stress laid
by Secretary Noble upon the law relating to
reraslng. says when he took office he found
that on the question of Terating the office
had been since March -. 1856, operating in
accordance with decision rendered by
Assistant Secretary jerks. who, in the case
oil charles Watson. declared that II in any
case adludicated under the act of March 5,
isis arrears OF pensions were not graded
according 10 the pensioners disability,
neither section i,,srts nor any other pro-
Vision OF Law prohibits reaijudication.
Maisons contention was in part for
pension on account OF sunsfreke. but he
made no claim for this disability until fif-
teen years after his discharge. Mr. jerks
states that while the presumption from the
fact that he made no claim until fifteen
years after he was discharged is not in IA
vor of the view that the disability was
great. still he holds that the claimant
should have an opportunity TO show the
extent OF his disability during that period
since his discharge. aud adds that ii the
evidence should show that for any portion
OF the time since discharge he had been
disabled. his pension in that period should
be increased so as to correspond with the
degree of disability.
If Secretary Noble sees fit" says Tan
ner, ito construe the statutes so as TO make
them less liberal TO the soldier than did his
eminent Democratic predecessor, the re-
sponsibility must rest with him, and am
not willing that while SO doing he shall un-
challenged arraign me as operating without
reason and beyond the pale of law.
various statements have been published
over the country about the vast number of
claims of the employees OF the pension Of
flee which have been acted upon during my
incumbency. The fact Is that there were
but thirty y-fhree of them, all toA. There
are nearly 10 soldiers employed II the pen.
sion Office. The public can judge as
well as | how much foundation
there is. regarding point of numbers, for
the criticism passed upon the office in that
respect. Suffice it to say that four gentle
men, men of long experience in Office, and
OF acknowledged character and capacity. in
their report on twenty-fonr cases broadly
iinpeached the correctness of the action in
one case, whereupon Immediately called
for the papers, in that case, and finding
that certificate had not yet been issued,
cancelled all the proceedings taken in the
case. OF the thirty-three cases they re-
ported that three were simply increase
cases and not rerated cases; that the ac-
ton taken in two OF the others was right in
part, and that in one case an injustice had
been done the pensioner, and that he had
not been granted enough. Six cases were
reported as having been wrongly favored.
All the rest were certified to as absolutely
correct.
'On the Goth of June came notice to me
OF the fact that a committee of investiga-
ton had been constituted. When they ap-
peared a day or two afterwards, | in
structed the chief clerk TO place the Office
and all il contained at their disposal il they
desired it, That terminated my associa-
ton with the committee of investigation,
right at the commencement of its exist
ence. l never saw the report Of the COM
mittee of investigation until the afternoon
of the day resigned. when found it on A
table in the White House, and was there
told by the president and secretary that
the report contained nothing which would
in the slightest degree reflect upon my in
tegriiy or impeach the honesty Of my ac-
ton as commissioner"
In regard 10 the secre.ary's assumption
of his INSTRUMENTATION, Tanner presents a
letter which he sent 10 the secretary Aug
ust 5, and in which he expresses regret
that they had fallen apart and attributes
the trouble To too little personal communi-
cation. The letter goes on 10 say: 81
recognize that | sit in a position where |
have the opportunity of my life to serve
our comrades and our country. / desire
10 serve them and TO the fun extent that
the law permits and not one iota beyond
desire Ia help you make this branch of
the administration SO popular with the
veterans and patriotic people over the
coantry at large that in future there can
be no question where the support of the
men who served and suffered viii be
given"
Tanner said this letter was never an
swered. and il closed the communication
between him and the secretary.