Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-19

SPICY CORRESPONDENCE
Which Preceded and Explains the Re-
moval Of Commissioners Tanner.
THE coRPoRAL's DECLARATION OF rNpxPEN-
DKNcE-sEcRETARY NOBLE EMPHATIcALLY AS
sKRTs HIS RIaHT TO CORRECT ABUsEs-rHx
lRRATINo SHARPLY CRITICISED.
synopsis of the correspondence between
Secretary Noble and Commissioner Tanner, in
which the issue of conflicting authority between
them is drawn which finally resulted in the
overthrow Of Tanper, was made public last
night.
On the 18th Of July Mr. Tanner wrote letter
to Secretary Noble marked '.unoficial," the
principal point in which was declaration that
while the Secretary Of the Interior has the
power to reverse the decision Of the commits
sioner OF pensions on appeal by claimant,
against whom the commissioner had decided;
on the other hand, il, for any reason, IL be held
that the claimant has been granted too much
pension, tho commissioner himself is the only
person who has the power to call a halt and re-
duce the pension"
THE SECRETARY ASSERTS HIS AUTHORITY.
The Secretary, under date Of Julyj "a, makes
answer to this, asserting his authority in digni-
ned and temperate language, quoting the law
and referring to the opinion OF the Attorney
General and other members of the cabinet in
support Fl. ro Of hi, i. proposition; $500, .
manifest incongruity' IL the Secretary who is
responsible for your bureau, had no power to
correct obvious abuses, or even call halt. and
that If his inferior officer did not act nothing
could be done. You remark yourself this In
congruity should be remedied at the next ses-
sion OF Congress-. The commissioner is labor
ing under great Misrepresentation as to his
relations to the Secretary in this business.
Congress has not committed this incongruty,
and 1t will not be necessary for il to remedy
anything that now exists. The Secretary has
OF pensions or any other bureau in the depart
ment."
CHARGES OF FAvoRITIsM IN RERATING PENSION
Referring to the ''rerating" cases the Secre-
tary says they seem to be largely mere in
creases of pensions allowed for long periods
prior to the date OF the examining surgeons
certificate establishing the same under the
pending claim for increase. In fact, he says,
the commissioner himself acknowledged them
to be cases OF increase of pensions. The Secre-
tary continues: ''These cases referred to were
ten in number. In each one of these the claim
ant was an employe CLERK or other) in the pen.
sion bureau, receiving salary sufficient for his
comfortable subsistence, and at his work daily.
had been in their places under the former ad-
ministration. But they did not prefer their
claims; they made them soon after the advent
OF the present administration. There was no
reason under the existing rules that their cases
should be made special or rushed through
in advance Of all others. On the con-
trary, there was then, and had been for
some years, printed rule in full force that no
cases should be made special except in cases of
desttution or when the applicant was at the
point Of death. Yet these cases were all hurried
through by your order, while hundreds of thou
sands OF other pensioners were awaiting
throughout the land the allowance for the first
time OF the bounty the government had prom
lsed them. These other pension claimants
were, many Of them, supported by no such sal
aries az these particular men were receiving,
and the association together of these men,
whereby this preference in time seems to have
been secured and the subsequent allowances
obtained, is in itself fact that their purpose
was to impose upon the commissioner. The
further fact in each case is that the increase
was allowed prior to the surgeons certificate in
the pending claim, and that the sums allowed
aggregate over $4,000.
CALLING HALT.
He then gives list of the officials Of the
pension Office who were rerated with the
amounts they got. at is in regard to such
cases as these, he says, shat you have thought
the commissioner alone can call a halt, and
IN regard to which the secretary thinks other
wise and proposes to call halt long enough at
least for inspection.
Il do not repel the expression on your part
that you would accept my construction of the
statute quoted by you as Loyalty as you would
the official opinion Of the Attorney General
But neither you nor can afford to act upon
personal considerations in matters of this mag
nitude. We are each bound by law in all
things; great and small, and it is our duty to
take the law as We find it, to fully exercise that
power given to either Of us, and abstain from
the abuse OF it to any degree whatever. Our
loyalty Is due alone to the government OF these
United States and the people who support it, /"
He points out the rule that the depar TIM emit
will not disturb an adjudication of claim by a
former administration, except upon the most
conclusive evidence of error. Cases, he SAYS
may not be reopened except upon presentation
OF new and material evidence.
ALL SHOULD BE TREATED ALIKE.
81 do not say word" he says, .'or entertain
the least objection to an increase of pension
the increase to commence under the pending
claim as the law directs, and upon evidence to
support 1t. Nor do l complain of these very
pensioners whom l have mentioned having an
increase OF pension, to commence as the law
directs, upon proof. and to be considered in
due course and with proper regard to the
right to be heard belonging to the thousands
OF other claimants for pensions who do not
happen to be employees in the pension bureau"
ExHAUsrING THE SURPLUS.
The Secretary goes over several cases of re-
rating of officials and employees in the pension
office and says he finds nothing in them to JUS
tify rerating.
lit may be-" he says, ''that this government
is strong and great and has at its command a
surplus that no other nation has ever had; but
If sums of money to the amounts above mem
toned may be granted without any further
consideration of fact or law than seems to have
been given in these cases it will depend solely
upon single officers disposition whether the
resources Of the government shall be sufficient
for its maintenance or not. There are more
than enough of these applications already in
the field, and increasing daily, to exhaust in
deed the surplus, of which so much has been
said in connection with this matter, and am
informed that the applications for reratings are
greatly on the increase and now reach the
amount OF from seven to eight thousand a
week"
The Separate COlored Church.
The following are the resolutions in regard
to the colored church as considered in the
Episcopal general convention: