Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-07-12
TANNER ON THE TOBOGGAN

It seems to be certain that the great and only Corporal Tanner has reached the to- began. And if the reports from Wash ington mean anything he is soon to be- gin the slide. Secretary Noble and Presi- dent Harrison have fabricated the chute and the descent is being made easy for the surplus raider.
 So long as Tanner confined himself to knocking the bottom out of the surplus and didn't talk about it the administration was disposed, for the sake of the influences that secured his appointment, to put up with him. But his recent vagaries, and particularly his propensity for talking to reporters, have seriously annoyed the president and secretary of the interior, so
 much so that it is unqualifiedly intimated
 that the corporal must go. Repeated eau tions from Secretary Noble seem to have had no other effect than to give Tanner
 the big head and make him believe that he is bigger man than the secretary o1
 the interior. Naturally this has not
 been relished by MT Noble, and
 he is represented ..as being somewhat less impressed with Tanners greatness than he had previously been. With the president and members of the cabinet he has come to realize that Tanner is dead failure as commissioner of pensions; that his ap- pointment was not only blunder, but q freak; that he is utterly incompetent, un.
 businesslike, reckless and incorrigible. II is hinted that President Harrison and Secretary Noble have had enough of hif nonsense and have plainly intimated tc him that his resignation would be the most acceptable thing he has done since his appointment. The administration if particularly solicitous that no scandal should attach to the pension bureau, and il
 is recognized that no power on earth car save it from scandal if Tanner continues in office. The recent sacrifice of Confidential Secretary Squires and his friend Van Brunt was merely hint of what is in store for the Harrison administration unless the dough.ys corporal is Sc 1t flying away on the toboggan without return cheek.
 We have no idea that the Grand Army of the Republic sanctions the position
 which Corporal Tanner has taken in his
 administration of the pension bureau
 This patriotic organization recognizes
 better perhaps than it is credited with doing, the ridiculous and outrageous claims that Tanner has set up, and it is 6 9ratuitous insult to it's members to suppose
 that they favor such an extraordinary
 attack on the surplus as Tanner has de
 clared himself ready and equipped te
 make. A man who makes himself the special champion of certain pension attor neys, even though he has been brave
 soldier who was terribly maimed in the
 service of his country, has no right to sci himself up above secretary, president and congress. This is precisely what Corpora
 Tanner has been doing, and the taxpayers of the Grand Army no less than others
 have como to realize that the screws must
 be put on. His bumptiousness must be squelched and himself made to feel that
 he is not the solo custodian and distribu
 tor of the public moneys.
 AS a man and veteran of the war Cor poral Tanner is irreproachable as com missioner of pensions he has shown him self @ conspicuous misit. Tho sooner he Is seated on the toboggan and given ( vigorous push the better will it be fo, President Harrison, the republican party
 the country generally and even the pen
 sioners themselves. Tanner has got to the
 point where he is bowling, intolerablt nuisance.