The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-09-14
TANNER STEPS DOWN.

The letter of resignation OF Corpors
Tanner, commissioner Of pensions, ap
peared la yesterdays daliies, with tn
Presidents letter accepting It, The col
respondence Is very brief. Tanner assign
as the only reason for his resignation tina
II became necessary in order to save tn
President from embarrassment" tn
embarrassment presumably being to decid
whether he shall hold on TO Tanner o
Noble and the President in his reply
facility assents 10 that view, adding his pleas
ure that the corpOrals displacement wa
based on no complaint calling his "honesy
Ia question,
OF course II was both decent and polite
TO smooth the matter over as gently as pos
sible since Tanner, by his loud boasts Of
supreme love for the soldiers and what he
intended 10 do for them, had won their
confidence aud enthusiastic admiration, 70
an extent that any apparent ill-treatment
by the administration could not fail TO be
resented, even 10 the dreadful extent OF the
loss of many thousand soldier votes.
The simple truth of the matter, however,
Is, that Tanner was removed for two very
plain and insurmountable causes First,
his awful mouth =; and secondly, his insub.
ordination and conspicuous incompetency
In office. Not only at public gatherings,
like the late re. union at Milwaukee, but
to newspaper reporters and intervlewers,
Tanner was constantly In the habit Of
shooting of his mouth In a way that was
covering the administration with ridlcule
and giving the President and his friends
perpetual annoyance and uneasiness.
But then this might have been borne
with, had Tanner proved himself trust
worthy and competent officer. But though
no authentic report of the investigation of
bis office under the direction of Secretary
Noble has been made public, enough has
leaked out to show that the Office was found
In an lawful" condition. Everything was
In confusion, The entire system of taking
up cases In their order was lost sight OF
and the office was virtually run by couple
OF leading Washington pension agencies,
whose cases were Systematically "pre
ferred and allowed on the papers present
ed with little or no further investigation.
The worst of the scandals wcs the rerating
business, the ugliest feature of which was,
that II commenced In the pension office
itself, most of Its employees being soldiers,
a dozen or more of whom had their pen
sions forthwith re-rated and doubled with
a splendid douceur as back pay.
Reports of these Irregularities kept con.
stantly coming to Secretary Noble and
almost daily he issued orders for their cor
rection. But Tanner knew his business"
and set his superior officer at defiance
Noble was working for clean and bust
ness-like administration of the office
Tanner was working for buncumb and the
applause of the soldiers No wonder
Noble became desperate and told the Pres
dent that either Tanner or himself must
go.
But Tanner will be taken care of. II
will never do to let him run lose with that
terrible mouth of his. He has already
been rendered the marshalship of Southern
New York, but he has bought him home
IN Washington and wants to live there. The
office he really covets Is that of Recorder
IF the District. 1t Is one Of the latest 10
he gift of the government, but has hither'
% been perquisite of the negroes. But
what Is any negro compared to the import
,nce of putting seal on Tanners dreadful
mouth