The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-10-21
THE CORPORAL TO THE SECRETARY.
Tanners Endeavor to Justify His
Course as Commissioner.
His Successor, General Raun, APP
pointed and Qualified.
Amarica's Opportunity In the Open
Markets Of Chilli.

WASHINGTON, October 20.-Ex- Commits
sioner of Pensions Tanner is out tonight in
long statement in reply to Secretary No
ble's letter of July oath, on the subject of
the re-rating of the pensions of pension Of
fee employees. Mr.. Tanner denies that he
defied Secretary Noble on the subject of re-
rating, or on the question of the dominant
authority in the administration of the PEN
sion bureau. II did submit" Tanner says,
ito him in an official letter, question which
arose in my mind as to whether the power to
put to the test pension which might be uR-
der suspicion of having been granted in ex-
cess, rested in the hands of the Secretary or
the Commissioner, and l quoted to him a
section Of the Revised Statutes which had
raised the question in my mind.
In submitting the question to the Secretary
for his decision, did 1t In the most courte-
GUS and respectful manner of which was
capable. II is proper that | should state
when took the office of Commissioner, |
found on the question of re-rating the Office
was, and had been since March %, 1886, op-
Grating in accordance with the decision rem
dered at that date by Hon. George A. jerks,
then assistant Secretary f,the Interior, who
in the case of Charles A. Watson, in broad
terms declared that if in any case adjudicat-
ed under the act of March Sd, 1879, arrears
of pensions were not graded according to
the pensioners disability, neither section
469Sa nor any other provision OF law pr0hib
tied the REHABILITATION of the case. The
claimants contention was in part for pen
sion on account of sunstroke. but he made
no claim for that disability until fifteen years
after his discharge.
''Jenks states that while the presumption
from the fact that he made no claim until 10
years after the discharge was not in favor of
the view that the disability was great, still
he holds the claimant should have the oppor-
tunity to show the extent of his disability
during that period since his discharge and
adds that If the evidence should show that
for any portion of the time since the dis
charge the claimant has been disabled in
degree greater than that for which pensioned
the pension for that period should be in
creased to correspond with the degree of
disability. The legal contention leave to
ana ns 6s n oE SSo
Jenks's ruling was the law through
the department until revoked. l must say
that in so far as it permits man disabled in
the service of his country to prove disabil-
ity and receive the compensation which the
law provides, am in hearty accord with it.
Secretary Noble sees fit to c0nstrue the
statutes to make them less liberal to the SOL
diers than did his eminent Democratic pre-
decessors. The responsibility must rest
with him. am not willing that while SO
operating without reason beyond the pale of
law"
Mr.. Tanner relates the circumstances pre-
ceding the appointment of the committee to
investigate the rerated cases " hich led up to
it. Gen. Bussey told him that the Secre-
tary's suspicious were aroused as to the cor
rectness of the action in the cases of the ten
employees and that he had been instructed to
investigate. Tanner said he placed
the papers in the cases at Bussey's
disposal. Il told him." says Tanner,
first took the Office that there was a mighty
tide of humanity surging into the pension
Office, claiming my personal attention. AT
the same time good many cases in one way
and another pressed on my personal atten-
tion.. was thoroughly imbued with the be-
lief that what we expressed in the press and
on the stump in the late campaign as to the
restrictive policy of the pension Office on the
soldier claims. had thought until became
familiar with the working of the bureau so
long as pursued the practice laid down for
me by men of experience in the office, the
last thing was in danger of doing was OF
doing too much" Mr.. Tanner says he or
dered the rerated cases of the em-
ployes reviewed in the pension office
by Office experts. OF 33 cases they reported
the action taken in two was right; in one
case injustice was done the pensioner. He
had not been granted enough. Six cases
were reported wrongly favored. The rest
were certified to the commissioner as abso-
lutely correct. 81 mentioned these things"
Tanner said, "to the Secretary and made de-
tailed report to him of the action takenlin con-
nectiOn with the cases. stating that proposed
to take the step the law prescribed TO put the
impeached cases to the test and cause re-
fundment to the Treasury of the money paid
out, if cases would not stand the test pre-
scribed by law. To my surprise received
reply from him under date August 1st in
which he stated: You have endeavored to
hasten for your own means and to
get the board to arrive at con-
clusion in anticipation of anything
1 might do. / consider this not only disre-
spectfu but insubordnate to the last de-
gree and hereby direct you to withdraw any
cases you have under consideration in re-
gard to which | have heretofore told you l
intended to act. You will report your i'm
mediate obedience to this order to me and
you will disband any board you have under
taken to form for the purpose of investiga.
ting business still in my hands and upon
which / am officially engaged, l replied at
once signIfying my obedience to his peremp-
tory order and totally repudiated all thought
of insubordination, disobedience or the
slightest disposition to proceed in any insid-
ious manner. People not extremely nervous
will be able to judge whether if | had de-
sired to so proceed, would have voluntari-
ly reported in full to the secretary what l
was dniupv