The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-19
FOE OF THE SURPLUS
Mobiles First Letter to Pension
Raiser Tanner.
SOME CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
Raid On the Treasury BY the Csmmis-
sioserss Cserks-lt Was Time 80
Call Halt.

aasHIxGrDy. Oct fS--Secresary Mobiles
Hfsf ietstr 10 Commissioner Tanner on the
saaeJess Of rsrsting oil rensions Is made
Pahaac tonight IL n dated July - The
secretary Scsnoviedges The receipt OF Tan
nef letter Of July H. marked -gnuSilcizi. =
Dat which be coald not reesive IS anything
Ds.i al official paper. raising as il did the
question oa authority between the commits
saoner aud the secretary, AMI asserting that
"i the commissioner TO he Superior ss 70 the
matter discussed. Your position in your
oNn language. says the secretary. is that
the secretary OF the interior has power
TO reyeEse q decision of the commissioner
of pensions OF ar appeal by claimant
against whom the commissioner has de-
ueeiaesi- On the other hand, If
Tor any reason it De held
that the claimant has been granted too
much pension the commissioner himsief is
the only person who has power Ia call a
bait and resiuce the pension. the commits
sloilsr l. iaho.ing under great misappre-
heiaston- The secretary has the control to
correct any abuses in the bureau OF pen
sions or any other bGrcaa in the depart
iiisff- The secretary in support OF his
position quotes eopiousiy from the revised
statutes and aids that it will not do to
say that the secretary may not interfere
aid stop by his own poser the execution
OF any orders obviously Illegal and arbi-
trafy.
The commissioner IS bound To see that
The Law Is enforced; that the public treas
ury IS not unlavfuIly invaded, and that
one citizen entitled 10 a right. whether OF
time oil hearing. time OF allowance or
pension or land or ny,hinc else is
mol unduly preferred. either in
money. The secretary takes up the re-
rating Case, which. he says, seems to be
Largely mere increases of pensions allowed
Tor long periods prior 10 the date of the ex-
anining surgeons certificate, establishing
The same under the pending claim for in
crease. In fact. he SAYS. the commissioner
himself acknowledged them to be cases of
increase of pensions.
The secretary continues: The cases re-
ierred 10 were ten in number. In each OF
these the claimant was an employe in the
pension bureau, receiving salary sufficient
for his comfortable subsistence, and at his
work daily. They were associated together
Most OF them had been in their places un-
der former administration. but they did
not then prefer their claims They made
them soon after the advent of the present
administration. There was no reason un-
der the existing rules that their cases should
be made special or rushed through in ad-
vance OF all others. On the contrary, there
was then and had been for some years q
printed rule in full force, that no cases
should be made special excent
IN case of destitution or when the applicant
vas at the point of death: vet these cases
were all hurried through by yesr order,
While hundreds of thousands OF other pen
sions were awaiting throughout the land
an allowance and for the first time the
bounty the government promised them.
These other pension claimants were many
oil them supported by no such salaries as
these particular men were receiving, and
the association together of these men
whereby this preference seemed to have
been secured and subsequent allowance
obtained. Is in itself a fact that their pur-
pose was TO impose upon the commits
sioner further fact in each case is that
increase was allowed prior to the surgeons
certificate in the pending claim. and that
the claims allowed aggregate over SIG 600.
Neither you nor can afford TO act upon
personal considerations in a matter of this
magnitude. We are each bound by Law IN
all things and ii is our duty to take the law
as We find it, 10 fully exercise that power
given to either of US and abstain from the
abuse of it to any degree whatever"
The secretary refers to the duties of the
board OF review and says it is an established
and we'll known rule that the department
will uniformly refuse to disturb am adiudi-
sf t.x.f
except upon the most conclusive evidence
that errors have been committed When
the question as to the properly given
reasons for oRe of the judgments, merely de-
pending upon the weight of evidence. the
department will not allow the opinion of
yesterday. and furthermore. old eases will
not be reopened, reconsidered nor re-
adjusted except upon the presentation OF
new material evidence tending To show the
existence of palpable error or mistake The
department does not entertain the least OBJ
lection 10 an increase of pension, the in
crease to commerce under pending claim
rs the law directs, and upon evidence to
support it.
The secretary then reviews at consider
able length the eases Of three OF other pen
sion office employees whose pensions were
rerated. and concludes that the rerating
was Illegal and unvarranted.
He adds, Il will not 90 into the cases
They are before you. have said enough,
think, to show that the secretary may
well call halt until these cases can be
more sarefaliy examined. | notice you
say in your letter that Won have such re-
gard for your official and personal reputa-
ton that you viii not permit these cases Ia
remain a they are, but will order each of
these claimants for medical examination.
The question is not what may vet aud
hereafter Re found out about these men. The
question IS what should have been done
upon their record as il stood when the judg-
neui Was rendered. IL may he
that this government is strong and
great and has AZ its command a surplus
that no other nation ever had, but il sums
oE money to the amounts above mentioned
may be granted without any further con
Sssierstiou os fact or law than seems 10 have
been given these cases, il will derena solely
upon a single ogheer's disposition whether
the resources Of the government shall be
sufficient for is maintenance or not There
are more than enough ol these applications
already IN the Geld and increasing daily 60
exhaust the sarplus OF which so much has
aeen said in connection with this matter.
and | am informed applications for re-
rasings are greatly on the increase and now
each the amannt OF from 60 Ia s.osso
xeek +"
The secretary further SAYS that ne in
lends ta hare ali these cases re-exalnsned
and has ordered 81 investigation of The
tension office pending the report Of the IL
veStigatsng board