Evening journal., 1889-10-21

tremely nervous will be able 20 Judge
whether, il | had desired to so proceed,
would have voluntarily reported IN iall to
the secretary what | was dong.n
The Investigating Committee.
On the wors and report Of the committee
Mr. Tanner says:
"On the 90th Of July came notice 10 me Of
the fact that the committee OF investigation
had been constituted. Whom they appeared
a day or two afterwards | instructed the
chief clerk TO place the office and all It CON
tanned az their disposal il they desired it,
That terminated my association with the
committee ot investigation right at the com.
mencement OF its existence had no word
from them; | was not asked to explain any
thing; | was not offered the slightest oppor-
tunity 20 defend any action had taken. 1t
was a star chamber proceeding 10 the utter
most degree In fact the only information l
had about the result Of their operations was
whom the honorable secretary himself one
day whnn | was IN his Office asked me II /
knew what the commission said about the
operations Of the pension bureau. l told
him had not been favored IN that respect
in the slightest degree. He replied that they
said that had granted more pensions and
paid out more money in the same time than
my distinguished predecessor did. | replied
that hoped to God that charge was true
ON the record, for | had plastered Indiana
with promises last foil that that should
be the fact II Gen. Harrison came into power
as president | never saw the report OF the
committee OF investigation antil the after
noon Of the day resigned, when | found il
on the table IN the White House and was
there told by the president and the secretary
that fhp fas .s5ltaH In
ths slightest degree reflected upon my in
tegrity or impeached my honesty OF action
as commissioner.
Too Much Speed and Liberaiity.
"Granting all 10 be true that is charged
in the report, il sums up too much hber-
ality and too much speed or course dis
pute the conclusions of the commission in
vast majority Of the cases they cite, but in
any case which was open to suspicion at all
! was ready at any and all times 10 put them
10 test under the well established forms Of
law Justice TO the gentlemen in the bureau
demands that | should state that very early
in my experience as commissioner my attens
tion was called 10 the Fowler case az a prece-
dent have not the slightest desire 20 em-
barrass the honorable secretary, but he has
right in Judging officials OF the pension
bureau 10 bear in mind that only four days
before ! took office they saw his personal
friend, who had been his candidate for the
commissionership walk into the office as
am Informed, with a note OF introduction
from the secretary TO the commissioner ask
ing him to do all he could for his friend,
Col. Powell. The colonel had a gunshot
wound in the shoulder, for which he was a
quarter pensioner Had he been private
It would have been ~ a month; as he was
colonel IL was 400
The Secretary Arraigned.
Il am informed that a medical examina.
tion hy the Office board was suggested 10 him
/ He declined 70 submit to it. He had moi
been examined since Nov. 3, 1870, but hii
case was rerated then and there and his pen
sion increased 70 full rate, dating back t,
the day Of discharge, and COMMISSIONS
Black and Secretary Noble signed the certifi
cate which gave Col Powell little owe
s6iJO0. II seems as II the pace on reratin.
was st after the secretary took hold and be
| fore / got in 2