The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-24

The administration has been forced to
take notice OF the reckless and wasteful way
in which the demagogue at the head of the
pension bureau is distributing the public
money. Our dispatches tuis morning state
that a commit q has been app inted TO ex-
anime the pension cases which have been
rerated by him, for the purpose If Fl lding
out whether or not the pension laws have
been violated.
1t is sincerely to be hoped that the COM
mittee will not make a whitewashing re-
port. There is too m Oh at AXE for a
report Of that kind. The country is thor
oughly arou ed over Co umissioner Tanners
methods Of administering the great trust
coufided to his care, and will be satisfied
with nothing less than the truth.
1t was quite generally believed, when he
was appointed commissioner of pensions,
that he was unfit for the position. He
hasn't sufficient ability to discharge its
duties properly. 1t is doubtful if he has
any business capacity whatever. There IS
nothing that gives him 50 much satisfaction
as the sound Of his own voice, and before
his appointment he was regarded as a
blatherskite
Ever since he has been at the head of the
pension bureau be has been a source Of an
noyance and trouble to the administration.
Boast III, vain aud empry-heaied he has
done more foolish talking than nybody
else connected with the administration. He
has acted as if he thought that the govern
ment could not exist without him. and be
hoe g l. a.
solve the surplus problem for his party.
1t must be admitted that he has been
making enormous st ides toward solving
that problom. 1t was stated in our dis
pate es a day or two ago that the impressiol
in Was liugton was that if he were permit
ted TO continue to carry out his policy Of
rerating pensions he would not ily get rid
Of the surplus before the end of his term,
but, also, would impose obligations upon
the government equal to the national debt.
From the reports which have been pub
lshed it appears that Tanners employees,
with his consent, have been filing their
pockets at lively rate They made prec-
edent for rerating by increasing Senator
Manderson's poison, dating the increase
frl the eginning of the origi al pension.
By this means they put 81, 900 il lump into
the senator's pocket, d then they set about
filing their own )ckets. They rerated thei +
pensions aud succeeded in grabbing very
handsome sums.
Some OF the republican journals have at
tempted to defend the comm .ssioner Tney
have had uphill work. II will be interest
ing to see what they say of the Preside It's
action ordering an investigation of the
pension officer Perhaps they will condemn
the President and assert that he has permit
ted himself to be AIRED by the democratic
and mugwump jounlls If they do they
will not have the support Of the public
Even the better class Of republicans don't
want to see the public money recklessly
squandered. They have sense enough to
know that their party will be hold resD1nsi-
bic for eve y dol.ar that is not wisely spent.
The Preside { would have disms so Tan
ner long ago, probably, if no had been
afraid of Tanners influence with the grand
army. 1t is not improbao ole that the investi-
CATION he has ordered is intended to furnish
him with reas ms for getting rid of his dem
agogical pension commissioner. If it is,
the chances are that there will be a new
pension comm ssi jner in a short time.