The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-09-21

He Gets the Grand Bsunee Frsn III
President.


His Letter Of Resignatien and the Pres
ident's Reply.
Commissioner Tanners letter of
resignation, handed to the President
in his nightshirt at l o'clock last
Thursday morning by District Mar
shall Ramsdell Of Indiana, his per-
sonal chum, and accepted in a cold
chilly letter at noon to-day, has let
Mr.. Harrison out of an exceedingly
awkward dilemma. So, at least, the
President thinks and freely says to
his intimates. Whether the after
events will sustain these hopeful an.
ticipations remains to be proved.
Here is Tanners letter of resigna-
ton:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
| BUREAU OF PENSIONS,
"WAsHINGToS, d. c., Sept. IL, 1889.
"To the President.
The differences which exist between
the Secretary Of the Interior and myself
as to the policy to be pursued in the adj
ministration OF the Pension Bureau have
reached stage which threatens to en-
barrass you to an extent which feel !
should not call upon you to suffer, and,
as the investigation into the affairs OF
the bureau have been completed, and, i
am assured, both by yourself and by the
Secretary of the Interior, contains no re-
Election on my integrity as an individual
or as an officer, l herewith place my
resignation in your hands, to take effect
at your pleasure, to the end that you
may be relieved Of any further embar-
rassment in the matter. Very respect
fully yours,
And here is the Presidents letter
accepting it:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, !
| WASHINGTON, Sept. IL, 1889.
lion. James Tanner, Commissioner OF
Pensions.
DEAR SIR-Your letter rendering
your resignation of the Office of Commits
sioner of Pensions has been received,
and your resignation is accepted to take
effect on the appointment and qualifica-
ton of your successor.
81 do not think it necessary, in this
correspondence, to discuss the causes
which have led to the present attitude OF
affairs in the Pension Office. You have
been kindly and fully advised of my
views upon these matters.
at gives me pleasure to add that SO
far as am advised, your honesty has
not at any time been called in question,
and beg to renew the expression of my
personal good will. Very truly yours,
BENJAMIN HARRIsoN.
Secretary Mobiles desk was fairly
showed under by protests from Grand
Army posts againt Tanners removal.
They were not simply circumstances /;
most of them were couched in Ian
guage which might fairly be called
threats. Very many of them came
froin Ohio, where critical election
campaign is now in progress.
Corporal Tanners third and final
ly acceptable and accepted letter of
resignation was so phrased to relieve
the President from his complicated
position with the Grand Army. The
whole blame of Tanners compulsory
resignation is laid upon Secretary
Noble. The President, in accepting
it, lets the responsibility rest where
Tanner places it, without seeking by
one word to assume any participa-
ton in the change himself.
Secretary Noble is to be the scapc-
goat, and, if necessary, will be sent
into the wilderness. The wilderness
in his particular case implies a
pleasant and honorable position on
the Supreme Bench. The state
ments, are revived with great force
tonight in quarters having access
to the best sources of information.
All the indications as to Commits.
sioner Tanners successor point that
way.
Tanners resignation is accepted,
not to take effect Immediately, but
ION the appointment and qualifca-
ton Of your successor" Deputy
Commissioner Hiram Smith of Mis-
souri, can continue to act as Com
missioner by designation for some
days yet.
In the mean time ex Congressman
William Warner of Missouri, the
late commander of the Grand Army,
has been summoned here by tele-
graph, and it is confidently expected
that he will be rendered the appoint
ment, provided satisfactory assur-
ances can be obtained that his selec-
ton for the position will satisfy
Grand Army demands and quiet the
howl which Tanners removal is
causing. But if Warner should be-
come Commissioner, some changes
in other Missouri appointments in
the Interior Department would be
inevitable. Noble of Missouri. as
Secretary of the Interior; George
Shields of Missouri, as Assistant
Attorney General for the Interior;
Warner of Missouri, as Commission
er OF Pensions, and Hiram Smith of
Missouri, as Assistant Commission
er of Pensions, would be too much
of Missouri even for Mr.. Harrison
to stomach, Notwithstanding his dull
sensibilities in these matters, especi-
ally as Missouri is Democratic
State and has given abundant evil
dence of repentance Of her stray
spasm of Republicanism in the city
of St. Louis, last November. There
will have to be some changes.
Mr.. Mobiles retirement and subse-
quent promotion to the Supreme
bench would effect one displacement
in manner agreeable all round.
Hiram Smith was Mr.. Warmers
man. The record of inefficiency
and unseemly rerating, which was
deemed sufficient by Secretary Noble
to demand thereon Mr.. Tanners re-
involves in its meshes
Assistant Commissioner Smith.
Tanners friends say that Smith
himself, as acting Commissioner, ap-
proved his own rerating, which car
ried with it arrears of over $4,000,
while Tanner was absent attending
soldiers reunion at Chattanooga.
Warmers appointment would remove
any obstacle to Smith being relieved
from duty as Deputy Commissioner
and fitted with a small place some
where else.
Warner himself, is somewhat of
political rival of Mobiles. He comes
from the Kansas end of the State,
which is bitterly hostile to the St.
Louis end, and jealous of it. If
Warner comes in, it is almost safe
to assume that Noble will 90 in the