Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-23
TANNER MAKES 4 REPLY
He Talks at Length Regarding
His Trouble With Secre-
tary Noble
And Denies That He Defied the
Secretary on the Re-Rat-
ing Question. L

statement in replying to Secrstary Noble'
letter OF July "a, theg gist OF which was giyel
in these dispatches Friday night. Tanne
denies at the outset that he defied the sec
rotary on the subject OF rerating, or author
ity in the administration OF the bureau. II,
gives out for publication the letter t,
which Secretary Mobiles reply was made
In it Tanner says in part, II do not pro
pose in any event to have al honorable
Ii e-time smirched in the slightest degree a,
this period OF my existence. and where ]
may find wellfounded reasons for believing
that have been imposed upon and misled
l shall be quick to recommend the com.
mendation .merited by the parties con.
cerned. desire to add furthermore that
have made q comparison OF the action in
these cases (meaning the cases of the pen.
sion Office employes) with that taken by
my predecessor in similar cases, and find
that the comparison is entirely favorable
to the present administration"
Tanner, in commenting on the stress laid
by Secretary Noble upon the law relating
to rerating, says that when he took the
office he found that on the question of re.
rating the Office it had been since March
%, 1886, operating in accordance with q
decision rendered by Assistant Secretary
jerks, who, in the case OF Charles Watson,
declared that il in any case adjudicated
under the act OF March 3, 1879, arrears Of
pensions were not graded according to pen
sioner's disability, neither section 4, 69Sk,
nor any other provision OF the law pro-
hibits rehabilitation.
Watson's contention was in part for q
pension on account OF sun stroke, but he
made no claim for that disability until Is
years after his discharge. Mr.. jerks states
that while the presumption from the fact
that he made no claim until Is years after
discharged, is not in favor of the view that
his disability was great, still he holds
that the claimant should have an oppor-
tunity to show the extent of his disability
during that period since his discharge, and
adds that il the evidence should show that
for any portion of the time since the dis.
charge he had been disabled in that period
it should be Increased SO as to correspond
with the degree OF the disa ability. "If Sec.
retary Noble sees fit," says Tanner, "to
cOnstrue the statutes so as to make them
less liberal to soldiers than his eminent
Democratic predecessors, the responsibility
must rest with him. and am not willing
that while so doing he shall, unchallenged,
arraign me as operating without reason
and beyond the pale of the law"
Various statements have been published
over the country about the vast number
of claims OF the employees OF the pension
office which have been acted upon during
my incumbency. The fact is there were but
of them all told. Th,re are
nearly 700 soltiiers employed in the pen
sion Office, SO that the public can Judge as
well as how much foundation there re-
yarding the point OF numbers. For the
criticism passed upon the Office in that re-
spect, suffice it to say that four gentlemen,
men OF long experience in the Office and of
acknowledged character and capacity, in
their report to me on twenty-four cases,
broadly impeached the correctness of &C.
lion in one case, whereupon immediately
called for the papers in that case, and, |
finding that a certificate had not yet been
issued, l cancelled all proceedings taken in |
the case. OF the thirty-three cases they re- |
ported that three were simply increase |
cases, and not rerattd cases; that the &C.
ton taken in two of the others was
light in part, and that in one case injustice |
had been done the pensioner and that he |
had not been granted enough. Six cases |
we're reported as having been wrongly |
avored, but all the rest were certified to as |
absolutely correct. On the goth OF June |
;ame the notice to me of the fact that the |
OF investigation had been con.
ul' ed. When they appeared day or two |
instructed the chief clerk to |
place the Office and all it contained at their |
disposal il they desired it. That termi. |
lated my association with the committee |
~ invoafiUQ tian riUhf Of tho m l
II it's existence. never saw the report of |
he committee on investigation until the |
afternoon OF the day resigned, when l |
ound it on table in the White House and |
vas there told by the president and secre-
ary that the report contained nothing /
which would in the slightest degree reflect |
lpon my integrity or impeach the honesty
II my action as commissioner.
In regard to the secretary's assumption |
# his insubordination, Tanner presents
he letter which he sent to the secretary
N August 5th and in which be expresses
he regret that they had fallen apart, and
attributes the trouble to too little personal
The letter goes on to
ay: II recognize that sit in a position
there have the opportunity Of my life to
erve our comrades and our country. I
esire to serve them, and to the full extent
hat the law permits, and not one iota
eyond. desire to help you make this
ranch OF the administration 80 popular
nth the veterans and patriotic people over
he country at large that In future there
an be no question where the support Of
he men who served and suffered will be
iven." Tanner said this letter WAS never
answered and it closed communication be
ween him and the secretary.