The National tribune., 1889-06-27
THE OLD TACTICS REVIVED.

NAA~
tain class Of papers from Maine to Califor-
MIA, and from the Lakes to the Gulf blazed
out with vicious assaults upon the manage
ment of the Pension Bureau, upon Corporal
Tanner personally, upon THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE, and upon everybody prominently
representing the veterans, or identified with
getting pensions. The most malignant and
untrue statements with reference to all these
ill their columns; old, long-ago disproved
lies are revived and amplifed; new ISLANDERS
are invented, which are on their face pal
pably false, and nothing that unscrupulous
mendacity can suggest is left unsaid to
prejudice the public mind against those who
are doing the best and most unselfsh work
for the veterans.
1t reminds the veterans Of former years.
when the Dependent Pension Bill, the Ar
rears Bill, the Widows Bill and other meas
ures dear to the veterans hearts were under
consideration, or the President was to be de-
Tended for his vetoes or for his flag-returning
order. Then, at the word of command from
Washington, these same papers simulta-
neously opened every vial of abuse upon all
who advocated justice to the veterans or
represented them in any way. The veter-
ans themselves were "coffee-boilers," y" skulk-
ers," "shirks," bountyjumpers, etc, and
no contumely was too vile to lavish on Com
rades Fairchild, Tuttle, Tanner, Foraker,
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, and others, who
committed the objectionable crime of stand
ing up for the comrades and voicing their
sentiments.
The veterans showed their opinion OF
these organized and venial slanderers by
giving the objects OF their vituperations a
loyal and enthusiastic Endorsement, and
they viii do it again.
The cause Of the present outbreak of viru-
lence is easily stated. The Democratic Ma
tional Executive Committee recently held
meeting to reOrganize and elect Chairman
Mr. Calvin S. Brice being elected. Plans
of hostile operations against the party in
power were discussed, and it was decided
that the present Administration was making
too much capital by its liberal pension pol
icy, and that it must be attacked, and, if
possible, embarrassed in that direction. The
most feasible plan seemed TO be to direct
concentrated assault on Commissioners Tan
ner, with the hope of overthrowing him.
Much, it was argued, might be gained by
this. The great mass of ofsoldier-haters would
be gratiied at any attack on the pension sys-
tenn; the veterans might be led to distrust
the men who are rapidly rising in their esti-
nation; weak -kneed friends Of the veterans
might be frightened by bluster about reck-
less and extravagant pension expenditures,
and the Administration become seriously en-
barrassed, and forced to stringently modify
its pension policy. II, by fair or foul means,
Commissioner Tanner could be broken down,
it would greatly damage the prestige of the
Administration and benefit the opposition.
The word was passed by telegraph TO
every organ of the party in the country TO
Pound Tanner" and the virulent soldier
hating portion Of the press was only too glad
to get the signal. The next day after tie
word was sent out from Washington every
daily paper in the country Of the kind re-
| ferred TO rioted in the most yenomous at
tacks upon the Commissioner of Pensions.
Everybody who could be dragged into dis
advantageous association with him was
| lugged in, without cause or pretext. No re-
gard whatever was paid to truth in these
assaults. The only effort was to say what
ever would be hRrtful, and promise to help
in prejudicing public opinion against him.
We will not attempt TO enumerate-much
Iess controversial these malignant false
hoods: They were as reckIessly untrue as
the ISLANDERS and vituperations that the conn
try was deluged with on the previous occa-
sions we have referred 10.
The simple truth is that in every official
act since his entry into Office Commissioner
Tanner has carefully and scrupulously
obeyed the law. He has done nothing but
what the law prescribed that he should do.
He has shown no favors TO anyone, has been
partial TO nobody, has not strained or ex-
ceeded his powers in single instance. All
his acts are upon the record, and he conf
IDENTIFY challenges the seyerest scrutiny-not
by his friends, but by his opponents
every step that he has taken. He has la
bored zealously and with intelligence to in
crease the efficiency of his Office and make
it fulfill the purpose for which it was ere.
ated. II is nonsense for these papers to talk
about investigation" They dare not in.
yestigate. They are welcome TO go oyel
every part Of the record with microscope
II all lies open TO the scrutiny of whoever
chooses 10 scrutinize. The whole mass o.
sbriekers are challenged to pause in theil
shrieking for little while and point out {
/ L. II