The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-03-25
A FRIEND To THE NEEDY VETERANS.
The New Pension Commissioner
Wants Them Literally Treated.
Corporal Tanner, His Suffering In
War and Services In Peace.
other Topics Of interest In the Ma
tlonaI Capital.

WASHINGTON. March 24.-Corporal Tan
ner, the newly appointed commissioner of
pensions, when asked what policy he would
pursue in dealing with the affairs of the
bureau said: II can best answer by quoting
one of Gen. Harrisons remarks made dur
ing the last campaign lie said, Gentlemen,
it is no time to use AMI apothecary's scales
when you come to weigh the services of the
men who saved the nation If / were asked
to define my ideas on the pension question /
should unhesitatingly reply, pension for
every surviving soldier who needs one. No
soldiers widow, father or mother should be
in want. l am going to take hold of this
mighty machine. l am not fool enough to
think have nothing to learn of its work.
ings. am opposed TO these 81, 50 and SO a
month pensions. 1t you are going to give q
man anything, give him enough that he may
realize he is getting something. If there is
an old soldier who has claim that you are
satisfied is good one and he has not quite
proven il, my policy is to assist him to secure
proof. You may say am opposed to knock
ing out soldiers claims because of technical
short coming"
Corporal james Tanner was born in Scho-
harie county, New York, in 1874, and in Sep
temDer, 1861, when only IL years of age. he
enlisted as private In the 8th New York in
try volunteers, which was assigned to Kear-
ney's division of the Third Army Corps. In
the second battle of Bull Run, Tanner, who
then wore the chevrons of corporal, was
struck by piece of shell, and the result was
amputatlon OF both legs on the battlefield.
In 1864. Charles A. Dana, then Assistant
Secretary of War, appointed the disabled
ex-corporal to clerkship in the War
Department, which he held for year.
An incident of his life as a clerk was
his being called into the room in which Alb
raham Lincoln lay dying TO take in shorthand
certain testimony bearing on the assassina-
ton. Later, he studied law and was admitted
to the bar in 1863. In the same year he was
appointed clerk in the New York custom
house, where he renamed until he resigned
in November, 1877. In the custom house he
rose through all grades from clerkship to
deputy collector, which Office he held for
three years under General Arthur. Mr.. Tan
ner resigned from the custom house to accept
the office of collector of taxes for the city of
Brooklyn, to which he was appointed by
Mayor Schroeder, and which he held eight
years, being three times reappointed by May
or Howell and Mayor Low. AS incumbent of
that Office Corporal Tanner collected about
S6O, 1000 600 every penny OF which was account
ed for. The confidence of his townsmen both
in his integrity and his ability was attested
by the fact that he never experienced diff
Guilty in obtaining suretes on his official
bond, which exceeded $l,000,000. In 1876 he
was defeated as the Republican candidate
for register, and in the next year met the
same fate when he was the Republican can
didate for sheriff, but be ran several thous-
and ahead of his ticket on both occasions.
Corporal Tanner has been for twenty-five
years member of the Grand Army of the
Republic, and has twice served as depart
ment commander of New York. He has
been an active member of the committee on
pensions of the Grand Army, ever since that
committee was raised, and he has always
been faithful ana most Jealous advocate of
the claims of the deserving veterans of the
union army and navy.