The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-06-24
Who Feel Aggrieved at the Many Exposures
Of Injustice to Ex-Soldiers Brought Ont
in the Re-Rating of Pension Claims.
How Mr.. Cannon Related an Old Story
to the Discontinue of His Listeners.
A Puzzle that Yielded Little to the Original
Inyentor-An Interesting Question Grow
ing Out of Queer Marriage.
HOUNDING TANNER.

Evidence Accommodating to Show that Gen.
Black Is Prosecuting His Successor.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, June 23.-The more the
daily abuse heaped upon Commissioner Of
Pensions Tanner by the Democratic and
mugwump press, the more convinced are
many politicians here that conspiracy
has been hatched by the followers of Gen.
Black, his predecessor, to smirch his char
acter. Criticisms are alone made on acts
committed in order to correct glaring er-
rorS. OF which Black was guilty. Tanner
has been charged with re-rating pensioners.
regardless OF law, without filing additional
testimony. Mono is required in many cases
OF gross injustice perpetrated under Blacks
regime During the last administration
Democratic board of medical examiners
at Boston examined an applicant for
q pension, who was wounded in
the knee. The rate of pension was
81 per month. This was recommended. The
Democratic members of the reviewing
board cut the allowance down to 81 per
month. The case was reopened by Com
missioner Tanner. and the amount of pen
allowance of the claim. Under General
Black, the custom was to cut down the rec
concentrations of all examining physi-
clans at least one-fourth. The surplus
could be kept intact in that way.
1t can be stated positively, and with
authority. that no re-ratings have been
made, except in cases of specific disability
or permanent injury. In such instances no
additional evidence is required by law.
Senator Manderson's case has been
cited as an illustration OF the Com
missioners fiagrant misuse of power.
The Senator was brevet majOr-gen-
eral. and was shot through and through.
Since then he has never been able to do any
manual labor, and is physical wreck. He
was entitled to the amount of pension he
now receives when he was first placed on
cient to show this.
General Black was always seeking oppor-
tunities to throw technicalities in the way
of soldiers. An attache of the staff of Fitz
John Porter was captured by confederate
cavalrymen. He tried to escape, and was
beaten until he was senseless. He was
placed in Belle Isle, and since then he can
not read at night, suffers severe pains, has
to wear blue goggles and the sun prostrates
him. General Black refused him pension
because he could not prove the injuries by
two comrades who were eye-witnesses.
An Iowan applied to Black for pension.
He was sent to carry orders to an impor-
tant post. He was fired on by the cOnfed-
ates and was thrown from his mule. His
knee was so badly injured that he was dis
charged. The testimony of cOmrade was
sent in. but General Black refused to grant
the pension because the testimony of two
comrades was not given.
Commissioner Tanner has granted the
pensions, and says in such cases the teSti-
mOny of one man is sufficient There are
hundreds of cases like these, and it is for
such that Commissioner Tanner is being so
severely criticised, and that such COM
bination has been formed to hound him
from office. General Black. no matter how
meritorous the case, ran the Office in the
interest of red tape, technicality, reform
and free trade. Corporal Tanner, if the
case is meritorOus. cuts through the red
tape and technicality, and orders the man
paid. Each is physical wreck, one was
an officer and Democrat, the other pri-
vate and Republican. Hence the Dem
Ocratic crusade.