St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-08-01
CORPORAL TANNER DEFENDED.


vious, you give considerable space to
pension matters and to commission
er of pensions, James Tanner. can
not but think that some of your
statements and conclusions are errO-
neous, and | wish to enter my pro-
test against them and herewith give
some of my reasons. First, in the
article from the ''Congregationalist, y
copied and approved by you, you
make the common error of calling the
Grand Army the same as all of the
ex-soldiers of the late war. In that
war there were, in round numbers,
100000 enlistments, but as some
re-enlisted as veterans and others
were discharged for disability, and
upon recovery enlisted again so as to
count twice, it is estimated that D.
600, 900 different persons enlisted in
the Union army OF these over 3OO,-
900 died in the service, and an I'M
known number have died since.
There are probably 100000 or
more of ex-soldiers alive now. OF
these 100000 are in the Grand Army
1t is fair to assume that as large a
proportion as the other $50, 900,
who are not members of the society
are as guilty of the crime of applying
for a pension as are members of the
Grand Army. SO of the sum total of
this crime we should not shoulder
more than one third.
You say that certain person, I'M
known to the public, called ''Dr. Nc
Milan" and Secretary Noble are
now running the office" BY what
authority of law is Dr. Mcmillan
running the office? If Tanner is prac-
tically deposed there are assistant
commissioners or assistant Secreta-
ries to succeed in the management.
1t would be clearly illegal to do as
you say is now being done, while
assert and believe that James Tanner
has done nothing illegal. What are
accused? Of "re-rating" pensions
and of making certain cases special"
Both have been done for years. Cas-
es are made especially generally upon
the request of some member of Con
gress. That is, they are taken out Of
| their regular order when they might
have to wait six months or a year,
and are investigated and if possible
are passed upon soon; then allowed
or rejected, or notice of more evil
dence wanted'' sent to the applicant
l do not believe that the practice is
right, but the Congressman who re-
quest it are ten times more to blame
than the commissioner.
What is re-rating? Suppose that
| give an instance by way of illustra
ton. A young man at the age of 10
enlists in the first year of the war,
and serves to the end, giving four
years of the best part of his life to the
service, but doing no more than
thousands of others do. He received
two gun-shot wounds, has his share
of rain and snow and dust and mud,
rebel prisons etc, but comes home in
1865, and calls himself comparative
ly well. He goes to work the same
as others to make a living, and help
pay the debt due to the bond-holders
with the exorbitant rate of interest.
In few years certain diseases begin
to develop, which his friends tell him,
and he believes, are the result of in
juries received in the service of the
United States and in the line of duty.
After time he applies for a pension
and is called upon for the most alb
surd proof that ever the mind of man
conceived. Finally he is ordered be-
fore a board of examination and the
board finds and reports that he has
disabilities, which by law, would en-
title him to a pension of SIG per
month. This not being satisfactory
to the office in Washington, he is
ordered before another board, and
then to another, and finally after
four or five years of affidavits, exami-
nations, hunting up evidence, writ
ing letters, etc, he is allowed the
munificent sum of 81 per month.
This pension is not legal, because if
he is entitled to anything he is en-
titled to SIG per month, but the APP
plicant is not then informed of the
law or of the report made by the exam
lining surgeons. After a few years,
the disability increasing, he applies
for an increase and is promptly
rejected, on the ground that he is ere
ceiving all the pension he is entitled
to-" In the course of time he gets
thecase re-Opened, and upon the next
examination gets the rate increased
to So per month.
1t remains at this rate for several
years and then he applies for a ''re-
rating" believing that under the
proof already made he is entitled to
an increase He is ordered before the
board for examination, and, on this
report, and without any more evil
dence being called for. but no doubt
upon an examina ton of the papers
on filein the case, he is, under demo-
cratic administration re-rated from
the beginning. Starting with So
per month he is allowed that sum for
several years, then So, then $14,
and ending with SIS per month
which is the present rate.
You were pleased to mention this
case in your paper at the time it was
allowed, and gave it your unquali-
fed approval. If it was legal to do
this thing under Cleveland's admins
tration, then it is legal under Harri-
sons. In fact believe that the origi-
nal rating was illegal but that the
last one is just and right.
You say that Secretary Noble is to
appoint commission ':to investigate
all of Tanners doings, etc, but that
it will probably be doctored by the