The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-09-18
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER is.
Harrison. Tanner and the "vets."

a vigorous and effective war upon TANNER
and Tannerism, says of the late commits
sioner:
Now that he has been dislodged, and, conse-
quently. is no longer responsible for the in
famies involved in the raid the treasury. 1t is
but Just to Corporal TANNER to say that he was
less a malefactOr than dupe and victim. Ills
primary mistake was in taking seriously the re-
publican pledges made before the election in
order to gain the Soldier vote" His claim
that he has been doing only what Mr.. HARRI-
son promised while candidate, was, no doubt,
made in sincerity ana Is, unquegtionably, true.
Not only did Mr.. HARRISON make the pledges
which Commissioner TANNER thought himself
bound TO fulfill, but there is not the slightest
reason 10 believe that as president, he has at any
time disapproved of TANNERS liberal policy"
until he was made to perceive that in squander-
ing the surplus in order TO hold the soldier
vote" he was running the risk OF alternating
that large number OF ''civilians" who are not
vet quite prepared TO surrender the treasury
and the taxing power Of the government to the
organized rapacity OF the g. A. X
Here is the whole philosophy of the sit
uation in nutshell. II is the legitimate
and inevitable sequel OF the campaign OF
fraud and false pretenses made by the re-
publican party last year. The party made
a special effort to capture the soldier vote,
and, in order to secure it, made the most
extravagant contemporaries which b.
II 4RRIsoN and the other leaders of the
party knew could not be carried out with
out bankrupting the national treasury,
impairing the public credit, Gripping the
business interests OF the country, and pre-
cipitating social disorganization and finan-
cial chaos throughout the body polite. In
the face OF payments to pensioners aggre-
eating the enormous sum of SO, $40, 1867
duringthe fiscal year then just ended, and
of an increase in the number Of names on
the pension-roll during the same period
of 1850 the republican "spellbinders"
and newspaper organs denounced the dem
ocratic party and the administration OF
President CLEVELAND as hostile to the
Union soldiers. Il. HARRISON, in an i'm
piled condemnation OF Mr.. CLEVELAND for
his efforts to keep the pension-roll roll
of honor by preventing, frauds, dead
beats, bounty-jumpers, deserters, ma
lingerers, shirks, towards and campbell
lowers from getting their names inscribed
upon il, declared that he was not in favor
OF using an apothecary's scale in melting
out rewards 10 the men who saved the
Union. The cry was taken up all along
the line. pensions for everybody" who
wore the blue alternated with STEADY
work and high wages for labor" and
"Down with British free trade" as
the republican shibboleth. The wealthy
pension sharks of Washington who
divide their energies between pluck
ing the old soldiers and plundering the
treasury, rallied to the charge, under the
leadership of the notorious LEMON and
dBloeks of Five" DUDLEY. A "house-to-
house canvass" was made of the veterans
aud all were promised a whaCk at the sur
plus should HARRIsoN be elected. Those
already drawing pensions were promised
an increase; those who had been unable
10 get on the rolls were assured that HAIR
RIsoN would have their names put down
directly after he reached the white house !;
arrears, reratings, service pensions and
increased pensions for widows and or
phans were pledged as glibly as if the
money TO pay them grew on bushes instead
of being taken out of the earnings of the
producers of the country. To redeem all
these promises would require many hun
dreds of millions of dollars every year !;
and b. HARRISON and his campaign mana
gers had no more intention of redeeming
them than they had of paying the national
debt out OF their own pockets.
TANNER, however, seems to have sup
posed that these promises were made to be
kept. and that they could be kept. In his
simplicity and ignorance he seemed to
have an idea that the treasury contained
an inexhaustible store OF money, and that
all that was necessary to be done was to
oDen the vaults and tell the G.. 4. r. bows
to help themselves. lie was actively
on the stump throughout the canvass
telling the vets of the glorious good
times that we're coming when the
wicked traitor CLEVELAND stepped out
OF the white house, and the liberal patriot
HARRISON stepped in. The vets-enough
Of them to determine theresult--swallowe
the bait. They voted HARRISON into the
white house with the understanding that
they were 10 have the run Of the treasury.
w ntu tic new DitHiICAAb Alld1lc lANNEK
commissioner of pensions, they felt that
the good time coming. so long hoped for
and PRAYED for, was finally at hand. TANNER
started in with a will to carry out the
campaign promises. lie proceeded at
once to have all the boys in the pension
bureau rerated, and after dividing S92, 900
among them began on the outsiders. The
wealthy Senator MANDERsoN of Nebraska
came first. 1t didn't take more than
minute to rerate him and sign check for
S4.0O0to his order. A few other heightened
and wealthy patriots were taken care of
in like manner, and just as TANNER was
about to give the ''boys in the trenches
the privates and non-commissioned officers
their turn, the ak fell, TANNERS head
dropped into the basket, and the "vets"
found that they were Gin the soup"
No wonder they are disgusted-mad,
swearing mad-vowing vengeance upon B.
HARRISON and all his tribe, and proclaim
beg that they will put TANNER himself
into the white house in 1892. They are the
victims of misplaced confidence. Their
votes were gotten from chem under false
pretenses. Like the farmers who voted
for HARRISON and home market" and
the workingmen who voted for "HARRIsoN
--.~.n. - 49,. b..,o Loo.. I..--I