The Arizona champion. [volume] (Peach Springs, Mohave County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1883-1891, 1889-08-03

Q
self and the Secretary. The princi-
pal objection urged upon the Pre-
sident against the Corporals appoint
ment was thai he would be 80
liberal" It appears now, however,
that he had dev',loped great talent
for simple blundering. When he
appointed George b. Squires, who
was removed in disgrace at the end
of eight weeks, his privat secretary,
he followed the error by the scarcely
better mistake Of appointing his
daughter, an inexperienced school
girl, his private secretary. Another
personal appointments of his was that
OF Harris Fhillipps, Brooklyn man,
as chief of a division. Phillips
appointment was objected to by
Secretary Noble on the ground that
he seemed without endorsers except
the Commissioner himself. AT last
the appointments was made and
charged TO the Commissioner. That
is only little ever two months ago,
and Phillips is already implicated
in the re-rating frauds that Secretary
Mobiles Commission is investigator !,
The re-rating frauds that are the
principal subjsct Of tho present
investigation are among the most
daring swindles ever perpetrated
About a dozen Pension Office clerks
that have been drawing pensions for
years got together for mutual benefit,
and agreed TO apply for re-rating
from the date Of discharge. The
combine invited prominent Grand
Army men to join them, but for
some reason, cnly reached half
dozen men and they were in govern
ment employ.
Re-rating is authorized by law
only "when manifest error" is found
to have occurred, These men were
old and experienced clerks in the
Pension Bureau. and had never be.
fore discovered that there was any
error, under the law, in their ratings.
Still by the combination, and by
literally pressing in the merits of
each others claims, this combination
managed, every men Of it, to secure
from s25oo to $1,000 each. No
claim was rejected and while in
several instances, six months or a
J ear passed before claims are reached
for consideration after they are filed
in the Pension Bureau, these claims
were all rushed through in two
weeks from the time they we're filed.
The champagne suppers Of the vic
tors could not be kept quiet, and
the press soon got possession of the
facts. The exposure followed.
For some reason Commissioner
Tanner paid no attention to the
matter, and it remained for the
Secretary to recognize the scandal
by discharging three members Of
the Medical branch Of the Bureau,
and by the appointment Of thi,
commission. Nobody dare accuse
Mr.. Tanner Of dishonesty, or of
guilty knowledge of these fraud ,
but his opposition to the appoint
ment Of the ooapission places him
in most unfortunate light. The
Secretary is also damaged in the
opinion of many by the breach
between him and the Commissioner.
Some look upor it ss an attempt to
restrict the liberal policy toward the
soldiers. Such is the substance #
Gov. Foracker's dispatch to & r oral
Tanner this week. The newspapers
who dare talk are full OF the matter;
only a few over jealous Republican
newspapers of the musty order fail
ing TO recognize the Importance of
the trouble.
The census work is shaping itse.f
and Mr. Porter'.i desire to have the
work limited to what is lasitim 'tely
included in the bill to provide fol
the work beeomes evident. In many
branches the etperts have already
begun work. The most difficult
schedule to arrange appears to he
that Of manufactures, A table Of
this subject will be presented to
Superintendent Porter next week,
and BY him will be submitted to
various free trade authorities, as
| we'll as 10 rnanufa ,fnrn,.u with .,ro-