The National tribune., 1889-07-18
THE CLAMoR AGAINST TANNER.

THE CLAMoR AGAINST TANNER.
Like the wild ass of the desert the soldier
hating editor fills his belly with the east
wind and brays Though he knoweth not
wherefore he brayeth, yet brayeth he con-
tinually all the same.
1t is against Commissioner Tanner that
his braying gOeth out now, all day long,
from the rising of the sun until the going
down thereof-yea, far into the night 1t
were vain TO attempt TO answer his bray
ings according TO their falseness aud folly,
but the statement Of few plain facts may
serve a useful purpose, while our ears are
being dinned by his harsh clamor
The first of these is that Commissioner
Tanner is not, rs these shriekers would make
appear, running a wild muck through the
Treasury, handing out, as fancy seizes him,
greater OF smaller sums TO this man or that
one. He is a conscientious administrator of
the laws that he finds upon the statute books
He is carefully hedged about by a compli-
Gated system of legislation and practice Of
decisions by former Commissioners, Assist
ant Secretaries and Secretaries of the IN
terror He considers all these in every step
that he takes, and, as every other conscien-
tiOus official, is careful to keep within the
limits Of the law, and the rules laid down
by his official superioEs
1t is absurd to say that he does not, for to
do otherwise would he official suicide
There are too many vigilant, remorseless
enemies lying in wait for him to allow the
slightest overstepping of the limits to escape
observation and immediate punishment
Every official act of his is upon record fol-
the inspection of all men. There is nothing
done in a eorner-rothing that is not open
to the inspection of all men who may choose
to inspect. The Pension Bureau has never
in Its history been as open TO the scrutiny
of friend and foe as it has been since Com
missioner Tanner became its head. Com.
mon sense will tell any man that if he bad
been guilty Of -hundredth part that the
soldier-hating press accuse him OF, he would
have gone out long ago. Even if there were
no other reason, the certainty of investiga-
ton by a hostile committee of the House Of
Representatives would have compelled his
removal rs a measure Of ordinary political
prudence.
The malicious faIseness Of the elamor j:
shown by the careful avoidance of citing
any special acts. If money were really be
ing flung right and left, it would certainly
be very easy to show where unworthy mer
had received great amounts 10 which they
were not entitled. The lists of the allow
ances are published in the local papers. The
neighboTs Of The men TO whom they arr
4 given know all about their services ant
merits. DO we hear Of anything Of the kind
Not in a single instance. The very paper
which are yirulently assaulting Tame
in their editorial columns, are in their loca
columns speaking Of justice being done #
deserving men in their locality who bav
long been denied their rights. All tn
allowances in their neighborhood are emf
nently proper; the money is squandered il
/ some indefinite place that they do no
specify.
Does not anybody with an atom Of sens
know that if an instance could be show
where the Commissioner really violated o
even strained the law, he would be brOugh
TO speedy account?
When this is thought upon, the hollow
ness Of the clamor will be at once apparen