Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-10-03
regret it by saying anything about this
letter. 1t is to you solely.


WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. 26.-Pen-
sion Commissioner Tanner was to-day
seen at his residence and questioned as
to the genuineness of the letter pur-
porting to have been written by him to
Private Dalzell and telegraphed this
morning from Caldwell, o. "Yes," re-
piled the commissioner, "the letter as
printed is substantially as wrote it.
1t was ". .itten, however, in the strictest
confidence to man whom believe to
be my friend. A man, under those
circumstances would not and should
not have been written. The letter. he
continued, Twas evidently stolen. can
not believe any man. would so betray
his friend"
This evening Commissioner Tanner
telegraphed Private Dalzell to know
whether that letter had been stolen or
had reached the public in some other
manner. To reporter he made the
following statement respecting and re-
rating of first Deputy Commissioner
Smith:
'The rerating cases that came before
me were in a batch. Among them was
that of Deputy Commissioner Smith.
His case was not made special. There
were nine other cases where the dis
abilities were about of the same char
acter; namely, the loss of an arm and
leg. 1t was last May when these cases
came before me. The case of the deputy
commissioner went along with the
others. Ido not recall whether signed
it subsequently or not. If did it was
with rubber stamp, the way in which
the signature of the commissioner and
secretary of the interior is usually at
tached to the certificates. IfMr. Smith
signed it, his own signature will appear
OH the certificate"
PITTSBURGH, Pa, Sept. 27-J. NJ.
the Pittsburgh Post (Dem.) without any
explanations:
CALDWELL, o., Sept. 27, 1sS9.-The
following kilograms passed through this
office to-day. They are furnished ex-
clusively to the Pittsburgh Post:
WASHINGTON, d. c.. Sept. %. 1885,
James Dalzell, Caldwell, O.-Was my
letter stolen from you?
JAMES TANNER.
CALDWELL, O., Sept. q, 1SS9-James
Tanner, Commissioner of Pensions,
Washington, D. Co.: You ask if your
letter was stolen from my Office. No.
There are no thieves around my office
now-all gone east and locked up in
some office. Your letter cannot injure
any honest man. 1t corroborated and
vindicated me in all my statements
about you and the deputyship which
was promised to me. My family de-
manded its publication to settle finally
and forever the truth of all my pub
lished statements, as it was the only
means in my power to do so. With
the question of veracity it rises between
Sherman, Taylor, Harrison and others l
have no further concern except to Of
fer to publish their letters to me. 1
never wrote one yet myself that the
press may not have freely tomorrow.
A journalist for thirty years, know my
duty to the public, hence I have never
retracted, explained, or modified letters
yet. With its political effect L have
nothing to do or say. You have my
sincere sympathy, and your enemies
my bitter curses. have risked much
to vindicate you, even the wrath and
curse of many of our leading Republi-
can journals; they have tried to read
me out of the Republican party that 1
helped to create because of my defense
of you this fall. I could have done
nothing more impolitic than thus de-
fend you.
You have more than repaid my SER
vices and sacrifices by exposing to pub
lie contemp the intriguers who, by
treachery and falsehood, betrayed us
both, and with us the entire conrad
ship who raised them from the dung
hill to the throne of power.
1t is only falsehood that needs con-
cealment; the truth loves the light of
publicity. God is truth. Truth is god
like. Therefore 1 worship truth and
have no concern about the consequent
ces of telling the truth, no matter where
l find it out, or from whom, or where,
or when. DALzELL.