The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-17
THE TANNER TANNED.
Secretary Noble Replies to the
Corporal's Falsehoods.
THROWING AWAY THE SURPLUS.
The Ex-Ccmmissicner's Famous Edies as
Unjust 80 Honest Soldiers rs IL Is
IueEai-LAws Liberal.

WasHISGros. Oct. IA statement
prepared n the interior department in
support o: the action o; Secretary Nohse
resembling Commissioner Tanners order
advancing pensions from s. to 81 per
month in certain eases was given ont TO-
night Ii calls attention 10 sections as 9si
- of the revised statutes. providing that
except In cases of permanent specific dis
abilities no increase OF pension viii he
allowed 20 commence prior 10 the date OF
the examining Surgeons certificate, etc,
and enters at length into consideration Of
the various degrees of disability and the
reason for having allowed the s. pension.
If now, by order OF the commissioner"
says the statement. without regard TO
medical examination, the man who has
been receiving s. is advanced 10 81 without
the man who is more disabled and has been
rated at 81 being himself advanced. an
obvious injustice is done 10 the higher
graded man. If. however. the allowance Is
made after an examination By q surgeon,
everything has been done in due order and
according 10 law
IF the arbitrary orders of the commits
sion are the basis, il must result that few
are made favolites and great many who
have TO depend upon examination put at
great disadvantage; therefore il was de-
cided that there was no authority IN law
for an order arbitrarily increasing great
mass OF pensions in the face of the statute,
and which order is not extended 10 all
cases.
Quotations are then made from Tanners
recent letter TO Dalzell, in which Tanner
says he issued the order with view TO
putting these s. men up To at least 81 or
drop them off the rolls, in which he says
he ordered them for examination before
their home board. The statement SAYS;
The order as made was arbitrary, unquali-
fed, and required an advance. without
examination, TO the amount specified, 81
per month. 1t did not propose to drop any
one, as the letter, pretended IL did. and II
did not order anyone for examination, rs
the letter pretended it did. Ii was an I'M
authorized, unqualified and illegal order
for every pensioner to be advanced to 81
who was receiving less. Ii was made April
2S. and it was proposed 10 have it take
effect March 25.
slight consideration of the matter will
show that to give away So, 900 a month OF
public money on such an order as this
would be but the beginning of a system by
which millions could be expended, uncon-
trolled by faw as Ii was unauthorized by
precedent There would be no more harm
in giving Senator Manderson 81 600 or more
than there would be in giving 5000 men
$4,000. In either case ii would be an un-
authorized destruction of public money,
and the door of the treasury might as we'll
be open to actual invasion as to have such
warrants drawn up, to be cashed without
question.
''It lie also obvious that such course as
this would not benefit the soldiers ultima
tely, as it is intended only to benefit those
who are least disabled. There Is no ex-
preston, no disposition to prevent any de-
serving soldier from acquiring all the PEN
sion his disability entities him TO obtain by
original application or application for in
crease. All that is being done is to main
tain the law, to be literally construed, but
by no means disregarded. and to allow
each, without partialty, all he is entitled
20