The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-17
GOING FOR TANNER.
An Official Statement on His
Famous Order
INCREASING SOLDIERS PENSIONS
From 50 to 81 Month-A Great Cronin Dis
covery-Watching Alexander SullivaD's
Residence Secrets Betrayed.

WASHINGTON Oct. 16.-The statement
prepared at the interior department in sup
port of the action of Secretary Noble in
resembling Commissioner Tanners order
advancing pensions from 81 to 81 per month
in certain cases, was given out to-night. 1t
calls attention to section 1885,, revised
statutes, providing that, except in
cases of permanent specific disabili-
ties, no increase of pension shall be
allowed to commence prior to the date
of the examining surgeons certificate etc,
and enters at length into a consideration
of the various degrees of disability and the
reason for having allowed the 81 pension.
IF now, by order of the commissioner, -
says the statement, ''WithOut regard to
medical examination, a man VINO has been
receiving - is advanced to 81, without a
man who was more disabled and had been
rated at 81, being himself advanced, it is
obvious that an injustice has been done to
the higher graded man. If, however,
the allowance was made after examination
by a surgeon, everything has been done in
due order and according TO law. If the
arbitl Y order of the commissioner are the
basis, 1T must result that ii few are made
favoriteS and great mass who have to de-
d great disadvantage. Therefore it was
decided there was no authority in law for
the order arbitrarily increasing a great
mass of the pensions in the face of the
statute, and which order is not extended to
all cases.
Quotations are then made from Tanners
recent letter to Dalzell in which Tanner
says he issued the order with view to
setting these 81 men up to at least 81 or
HrOn them off the rolls and N which no
said he ordered them for examination be-
fore their home board. The statement
says:
E''The order as made was arbitrary, I'M
qualified and required an advance without
examination to the amount specified-S4 per
month. 1t did not propose to drop anyone,
a the letter pretended it did; and it did not
ocder anyone for examination, as the letter
pretended it did. 1t was an unauthorized,
unqualified and illegal order for every pen
sioner to be advanced to 81 who was re-
ceiVing less. 1t was made April %, and it
was proposed to have it take effect
March "a.
"a slight consideration of this matter
will show that to give away s66, 900 month
of the public money on such an order as
this, would be but begging of the system
by which millions could be expended, I'M
controlled by law as IL was unauthorized by
precedent. There would be no more harm
IN giving to Senator Henderson 81, 900. or
more, than there would be in giving
81, 900 men, $4,000. In either case it would
be an unauthorized distribution of public
moneys, and the door of the treasury might
as well be open to actual invasion as to
have such warrants drawn upon it to be
cashed without questioning. 1t is also OBJ
vious that such course as this would
not benefit the soldiers ultimately, as
it is intended only to benefit those
who are least disabled. There is
no expression, no disposition to prevent
any deserving soldier from acquiring ali
the pension his disability entities him to,
either by original application or application
for increase; all that is being done is to
maintain the law, to be literally construed,
but by no means disregarded, and to allow
each in his turn, without Partially, all he
is entitled tor