The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-09-05
A PAT ON THE BACK.

km0 nrHUu army DGIGK0uGB III MlIW0uW00
Administer It to Corporal Tanner-He II
Prai.ed for His Course rs Pension Conn
/ missioner - Important Matters LeRis-
lated Upon at tho E,,csmpment-Tbe
Naval battle . Grand Spectacle.
/ MILWAUKEE. Aug 3l-At yesterday morn
ing's session OF the National encampment
the election OF officers for the ensuing
\ year was completed DR. Horacc r Porter,
Of Kansas. was chosen SurgeOn-Cieneral: :
W. H. hilders. OF Kentucky, Chaplain,
and Comrade Lovett. Junior Vice Com
mandcr.
General Alger, president of the Logan
/ monument fund. reported that the
collections to date aggregated sl1.-
1890. A committee of iye was author
lied to place before Congress q
! proposition to set apart portion Of the
$40, 100 appropriated for the site, to be ad-
ded to the fund for the monument Gen
eral Warner left the chair and made .
strong npreal for the monument scheme.
4 Congressman Perkins, OF Kansas claimed
the recognition of the chair for resolution
/ by which tho encampmen. heartily thanked
| the Administration of President Harrison
Tor the honor 1t had conferred upon the
Grand Army in appointing Corporal Tanner
MS Commissioner uf Pensions, indorsing his
management of the bureau that had been
created for the benefit OF the soldiers and
sailors OF the war; and denouncing the bit
ter and malignant criticisms of portion of
the press ubon his official conduct
1 Applause greeted tho resolution. but
General Barnum. OF New York, WIS quick
" upon his feet with q substitute. dec,ar-
! ing that notwithstanding the assaults Of an
nnfriend y press, the encampment declared
It's belief in the integrity Of the Commis-
sioner, and expressed Its approval Of his
efforts to do all for the soldiers and sailors
of the country that the laws allowed. 1t
suggested, however. that committee
should be appointed to investigate the
workings of the Pension Office.
\ An animated discussion Of three hours
duration ensued Comrade Campbell, of
Kansas, voiced tho general sentiment as
expressed by score of delegates In tho
following language:
For fifteen years we have been declaring,
and others have been ut;ering. sentiment
that the country can never pay the debt due
/ the old soldiers; but Corporal Tanner 10 the
first officer that has based that sentiment upon
, n practical reality l believe it Is the h. gh
duty OF the encampment to sustain him in
I W0lk ne out that sentiment II the Grand Army
+, OF the Republic ever had q duty TO per-
form, looking neither 10 the right nor TO
the left to the committee that is investigating
\ the workings OF tho Pension Bureau or to the
/ Commiss oner himself, 1t Is now. and we ought
to pass this resolution. The substitute differs
from II in only one particular It expresses a
belief in the integrity OF Comrade Tanner and
would not influence the action of the com.
mittee charged with the investigation. II
may be better than an endorsement
like that offered in the original
resolution. but We should make
our Endorsement strong enough The original
resolution expresses our sentiments exactly.
/ II Tanner IS dishonest or has done any criminal
| act we will lind II out when the committee
makes its report The presumption OF law is
that every MAN Is innocent until he is proved
guilty, and, as far as am concerned, l will
make that presumption 60 10 the fullest extent
in this case"
declared that he would not dare to 60 back
to the soldiers of Minnesota after harming
. hair of Tanners head. any more than 10
ride through band OF Sioux Indians with
Their war-paint on. The encampment, he
urged. should stand by Tanner an II some
thing wrong had been proven against him.
General Wagner. of Philadelphia. took
the ground that both resolution and substi-
tute was club in the hands Uf Tanners
enemies. The encampment ought not tO
force the Administration TO suspend q
necessary investigation. Another delegate
IN the course OF a lengthy speech said:
Twas in inWashington last week. and heard Il
(. charged uron the streets and everywhere else
that men EN- loycd In the bureau we're all get
(, ting their cases made special and taken up I'm
1 mediaiely aud re-rated much higher. while ths
poor devils of the rank and .i.e have to stand
back and wait. ! told them that it was .
lie. bu: il he has done that and we pass
thc orig nal resolution We fndcrse such action
on his part. Tue substitute is broad enough
This encampment knows nothing of Tanner
work and can not pEe, judgment upon II. VIZ
may believe it is all right. but we do rot know
it. II We rass the original resolution and ihe
committee OF Investigation should exoneratt
him the opposition press would say that the
Administration dare not oppose the q. A. r.
and they would have good reason to Soy IT,
Corporal Tanner himself took the floor al
this point, and in an impassOned speech
declared that he not only courtei. bnt de.
manded, an investigation OF his admiEistra
tion of the Pension Department.
Ultimately the substitute OF General Bar
mum was amended to read as follows:
THAT We thank the President OF the United
States for the appointment of our cOnlrade
James Tanner, as Com missioner OF Pensions
and that Notwithstanding the assaults upol
him we declare our complete confidence Ia hii
"
pose to do all that is ross BILE to be done undel
the laws CT the land for the veterans Of tn.
war. and with him we ask for the fullest In
vest cation OF the management OF bis ofIice."
In this shape it was unanimously adopted
For the balance Of the day the encamp
ment devoted itself to routine business
It was decided to appropriate the sum o.
81 ,UOO annually for the maintenance Of Tho
Grant cottage on Mount McGregor, to b.
expended under the auspices Of the de
partmcnt OF New York. 1t was decided
that In all the official documents of til.
order the words sailors and ma
rines should be added to the wore
"soldiers' General Alger's resolution
deprecating the practice of turning
Memorial Day into q day of festivity wa
unanimously adopted. By another resolu
ton veterans OF the navy were permitted
to add an anchor to the Grand Army badge
1t was decided that as the Military Teleg
raphers Corps constituted part o
the Union army, and as that bod,
had been ignored by Congress-,
was the sense OF the encampmen
that Congress should recognize the statG
Of such corps by appropriate legislation
Hearty approval of the action of the Com
mander-inch ef and the department
comrades who had endeavored to secur'
| q one e-cent rate to the present encamp
ment wns expressed. ana the committe
having charge OF the encampment to b.
held next at Boston was instructed 4
carly secure pledge from the hotel keep
ers that no higher rates than that given 4
the travelling public be charged to the del
cgates. In tho event of no such pledge be
ing obtained. the Adjutant- General. in con
nection with the council OF administration
was autfS :izcd to change the location .
the eneanpment at least three months be
forc the regular date ot meeting TO any 10
cality where reasonable rates could ~
secured.
4 lengthy report reviewing the differ
ences between the Sons of Veterans an,
post system recommended that TO forne
be recognized and that tho sons OF Iniol
soldiers be urged to become identified Wit
It This was adopted.
4 proposition to indorse the order know
rs thu ladies OF the q. A. r. created
commotion. Violent opposition was ex
pressed by delegates favorable to tn
Women's Relief Corps. The privilege o