Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-10-03
TANNER A MARTYR.
An Abused Individual of Whom Harrison
Will Hear in the Future.

The Administration can not load all
its sins. blunders and extravaganza on
the back of Corporal Tanner and send
him out as scape-goat into the will
derness. The evidence is too strong
in his favor. He has been accused of
rerating and spending the pension ap-
preparation in an improper manner.
But he did not insult the Grand Army
of the Republic by announcing that
deserters. bummers and bounty jump
ers were as much entitled to pensions
as those who were honest and brave
soldiers That was the edict of the
Assistant Secretary of the Interior,
Bussey, who has been Tanners enemy
from the beginning. The dismissed
and disgraced Commissioner of Pen
sions, with all his faults. plumbers and
perverse ways. is worthy of more re-
spect than Bussey. who tried to bring
down the pensions to the lowest level
and to make the Union veteran the
fellow of the BLACKBOARD and mercen-
airy. Tanner did not spend all the
money that has made such hole in
the Treasury. Bussey's decisions in
cases which were passed upon during
the former administration form no in
considerable amount of the enormous
expenditures for pensions during the
past three or four months. There
were seventy-seven of those decisions
alone which cost the Government in
the neighborhood of 100000 But
Bussey is Mobiles creature and Noble
has the ear of Harrison.
When he was at Indianapolis, last
summer and fall, and the pension
sharks were crashing their teeth be-
cause the Democratic President and
the Democratic Commissioner of PEN
sions stood between them and the ap-
preparation for Union veterans, Har-
rison was loud in his demagogic
speeches on unrestrained liberality to
the veterans. It was easy for him to
promise every thing there and to in
innate that the veterans had the first
call at the treasury without limit He
outlined a policy that made the
mouths of the pension sharks fairly
water. He took the man the sharks
wanted and made him Commissioner
of Pensions, clapping him on the back
and telling him to go ahead and take
care of the boys" Tanner, un-
fortunately for himself, took Harri-
sons words literally and went ahead.
He did not know that the words were
to be taken in Pickwickian sense.
and that scattering millions by ante
election promises and fulfilling those
promises were entirely different
things He was not enough of a
hypocrite for this Administration, and
consequently he had to walk the
plank. And what disgusting dis
play of hypocrisy there is about his
dismissal. Harrison administers taffy
in regard to Tanners honesty and the
private secretary, Lie" says that
there never was any trouble between
Noble and Tanner. and there was no
question in the Presidents mind as to
which of them should 60. The most
nauseous compliments are poured over
the head Of the fired representative
of the Grand Army by Harrison and
his spaniels.
The most disgusting part of the at
fair is the sudden change on the part
of the Republican organs. Tanner is
no longer the model Pension Commits
/,
the most valuable member of the Ad-
ministration. It is said that when a
traveller in Russia is pursued by wolves
he contrives to gain little on the
ravenous pack by shooting some of
them, which causes the others to stop
and devOur their fallen companions.
How the Republican papers pounce
upon the stricken Tanner and tear him
to pieces in ''ghoulish gleer' But
they seem to forget that, apart from
their inconsistency in abusing what
they a few days ago slobbered over,
they are making serious mistake in
thinking that Tanner has no friends.
The burden of the Republican organs,
Rattle his bones over the stones,
He's only pauper whom nobody owns,
will be considera bly, altered when the
Grand Army is heard from. Tanner
labored zealously for that organiza-
ton, and is entitled to its support.
While the Grand Army demands un-
limited pensions it can not find fault
with the m an who was doing his best
to procure them. The Republican
party is pledged to unlimited pensions,
and on the very day that Tanner was
bounced the Republican President pro
tenn. of the United States Senate, Sena-
tor Ingalls,, who represents the banner
Republican State, said. at gathering
of Kansas veterans: There are Just
three things that ought to be done:
First. the Limitation ON pensions ought
to be removed; second. the disability
pension bill ought to become a law:
third, every soldier who received an
honorable discharge ought also to re-
ceive a pension. These were the re-
suits that Commissioner Tanner had
sought to attain in his admin stration
of the Office of Commissioner of Pen
sions, and honor him for his high
desires and brave efforts in behalf of
the veteran soldier. The only fault
have to find with Tanner is that he
did not have two feet while he was in
Office, SO that he could have made
more rapid progress in the attainment
of his policy" Evidently Harrison
has not yet heard the last of Tanner.
The martyr of the Grand Army is very
much alive and kicking