Wichita eagle., 1889-10-17
NOBLE EXPLAINS.
Why Tanners So Advance Order Was
- Rescinded-Tanner Talks.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16.-An authoritative
statement has been prepared at the inte-
rior department in support of the action
of Secretary Noble in resembling Commits
sioner Tanners order advancing pensions
from 50 to 81 a month. The statement
shows that the pensions of %, 000men were
rerated in manner similar to that am-
ployed in the case of Senator Henderson
and gives quotations from the revised
statutes TO show that such rerating was
contrary to law. The increase of 81 a
month TO the $4,000 men was, says the
statement, unauthorized and unqualifidely
illegal.
"A slight consideration of this matter
will show that to give away S66 900 of the
public money on snch an order as this
would be but the beginning of a system by
which millions could be expended, uncon-
trolled bv law as it WAS unauthorized by
the president. There would be no more
harm ia giving Senator Henderson 81 900
than there would oe in giving % 900 men
$4,000. In either case it would be an I'M
authorized distribution of the public
money and the door of the treasury might
as well be open TO actual invasion as TO
have such warrants drawn upon it to be
cashed without questioning.
II Is diSO obvious JDaU SucD course as
this would not be of benefit to the soldiers
ultimately. as it is intended only to bene-
fit those who are the least disabled: in
other words, those VINO have the least
claim for disability. If one may Judge that
these men are to be advanced upon mere
opinion as to what should be the least
amount of pension the others might Justly
claim that their more severe wounds and
disabilities were quite as uncompenSated
as those of the less degree. In other words.
whenever the opinion of commissioner
without investigation is subStantIated for
actual examination as disability every
mans pension Is put at risk either to be
so exaggerated as that the government
or people would not allow it
or to be so disparaged as that nothing
could be obtained. III you can drop man
who is receiving 81 per month from the
pension rolls on Il mere opinion of the
commissioner, you can drop off great
many Others receiving more on the same
principle. 1t is a mere question of within
or caprice. 1t is upon that that il has been
insisted that the law should he adhered to
aud the presidents established should have
weight 1t must also be obvious in all
this that there Is no expression as there is
no disposition. TO prevent any deserving
soldier from acquiring all the pension his
disability entities him-either by original
application or application for increase
All that is being done is to maintain the
law to be literally construed
allow each IN his turn without
partiaiity all be is entitled to. If the law
is abandoned the weak the distant and
those without powerful friends will suffer
while fsvorites viii flourish"
Pension Commissioner Tanner was
asked this afternoon whether he had any
thing TO say respecting the recent decision
az u ~,
the commissioner order of April - last.
He said: Ii seems to be necessary in the
interest of truth that L should pay little
attention to the honorable assistant secre-
tary of the interior, General Cyrus Bussev,
IN relation 10 his overruling of my order
OF April = IN regard TO those
pensions rated ut less than 81
per month. As General Bussev
refers 10 me as the late commissioner /
may be pardoned for not being uuduly
bound by official etiquette | feel less
bound by ii in the present instance hy rea-
son of the fact that ii is an open secret in
department circles that the judicial
reasons of Judge Bussey are the evolu.
lions of the MUD of a gentleman from
Kentucky, who was appointed under the
late administration on the labor force of
The patent office, tired before the civil
service commission for principal examiner
in the pension Office, failed TO pass, and
was after wards appointed mem Der or the
pension beard Of appeals in the secretary's
office, salary $4,000 per annum, to sit in
lud gmeut on the acts OF the commissioner
Of pensions
Having myself seen in his own hand
writing his statement that be is a life long
resident of kentucky and for twenty years
editor OF Democratic paper and his
further statement in answer 10 the CUES
ton II he had served in either the army or
navy, that he served in neither army and
therefore was particularly qualified TO do
justice IN place in the pension office
am not surprised that such man should
pronounce favorably on the presumed
sufficiency of q : cents a day pension for
veteran who, as result OF the contact
with the miasma and foul weather OF the
swamps rs now sufferer from chronic
diahrroea: but what | fail TO coinpre-
bend is how General Bussey comes TO
permit himself 10 put his name to such a
decision. He has little regard for Harri-
sons declaration last fall which thrilled
every veterans heart when he said: 1T is
DO time TO use the apothecary scales when
YOU come TO weigh the services of men who
saved the nation IL it be the gait TO
weigh out cents per day for chronic
Giahrroea | had much rather General
Bussey should be the weigh master and
have no assistance from me. / do not be-