The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-10-03
TANNER TELLs n ALL.

TANNER TELLS HI ALI.
The Ex-COmmIssioner of Pensons
Writes Letter 30 Private DalzeR1.
The following letter appeared in
yesterdays st. Louis Republic. It's
authority is fully vouched for:
Department Of the Interior Bureau OF Pen
siOne, once Of the Commissioner, Washing
ton. u. ca Sept. ls. 1889. Confidential
Hon. j. NJ. DALZELL, Caldwell, O.:
My DEAR SIR-I have yours of the
18th. / think have read all that has
been printed as coming from your lips |
or pen. For your great warmth of /
good feeling, thank you from the bot
tom of my heart.
tsAnd now, once for all about the /
deputyship. I want TO say to you that |
the president never said one word to |
me about you, 1 cannot come out and |
say that publicly; you must not quote |
| it; but it is Gods truth. The only APP
| pointed first deputy was from Mobiles |
state, and had lost two limbs. OF
course / could not kick. l imagine
| that your keen eye has caused you to
discern, and that you are contemplat-
ing the effect in Ohio OF tWo-thirdS re-
Gently done in the pension Office. When
say recently, mean since / practi-
lseally went out, for, while am COM
missioner, and will be until my success
sor is appointed and qualified, 1 am
| taking no part in the duties Of the of
/ fee, holding myself on leave.
I" While Commissioner I issued two
orders which I thought, and still think
were mighty good ones: first that the
SO, 900 men on the pension roll at less
than 81 a month. should all unless they
had had medical examination within
q year, be ordered for examination be-
fore their home board, with view to
putting them up at least 81 per month
| pension or dropping them of the roll,
for it was and it is my opinion that q
man who is worthy of any pension at
all, dollar week is small enough to
consider pension. My second order
was that hereafter, in the settlement
of pension claim the word of pri-
vate if he was man of good character
and standing, should amount to as
much in the settlement of the claim as
the word of the man who had perhaps
, worn the shoulder straps of a second
lieutenant.
1.-THE acting commissioner revoked
both OF these orders. according to the
Washington Post and other papers, but
as he is man who dare not say his
soul is his own, he did it under the in
struction of Noble or Bussey. 1 am
3 told this afternoon that the order re
voking my decision of the small pen
sion cases has been reScinded, but you
! see what the spirit is, and how under
? heaven are they going to make the
+ bows believe that there is to be no
change in the policy? Smith also is.
! sued an order stopping ali the re-ra.
: tings. He did not object to it until
! after I had re-rated him and put him
up to S72~ for the loss of his arm and
: leg, thereby putting $6. t35 in his peck
ct. held, and still hold, that he was
clearly entitled TO it, but is it not con-
: temptible that a man who had that
II n frv md MI o o0YTio IN
7 cordially in his own case, should now
/ be so pronounced against the re-rating
!. of poor devils who, perhaps from the
: effects of malarial poisoning, chronic
diarrh0, or some disease of that KIND
: suffer twice as much as man does
e from amputation.
. Il want to say to you that did not
resign until the president and secre-
tary had both said to me in the same
minute that the complete report of the
investigating committee, which lay be-
9 fore them, contained no word which
: would impe3ch the honesty OF my &C
D ton in the slightest degree. Then
> had to consider whether [ was man
, enough to decline to continue in a pc.
sition where I knew my immediate
= official superiors did not desire me
t even conceediDg that / could stay
! against their wishes, which is not al
all true. L have not the slightest Goubt
but that would have been removed il
; I had not resigned; in fact know it
f Noble had certainly pronounced his al
timatum to be my head or his resigna
ton, and of course break in his cabi
net would have embarrassed Harrison
K greatly.
= Nov that I have the completed re
:. port ard have gone through it careful
= " and thoroughly. say to you as on
Q whose good opinion / value, that al
e under heaven they can charge me witt
n Is too much liberality and too mucl
= speed in granting pensions. / thinl
you. will agree with me that we hav
had impecuniosity enough and procras
b tination enough so that it would tax
q more than six months of my time {,
!. bring it TO decent average.
= ssOf the future know nothing. /
u the boys, and particularly those il
E, Ohio acquiesce, why 1t is safe to SO,
d that Tanner will be left where he is
!, in the soup.
ssAmong the promotions announces
,. in the pension Office night before last
a is that of Harrison L. Bruce of Color
a ado, to be a member of the board o
: pension appeals Oh the secretary's OF
fee at 50, 900 a year. He had been de
y tailed for duty in the secretary's ohic
for some months and was appointed b
the secretary one of the commission
r. which investigated the pension Office.
"Don't you think it would hav
looked little better il they had waiteV
at least until after had passed out Q
10 official life before they promoted him
l. Some will be cynical enough to refiec
id upon cause and effect; service and re
N ward. With all my heart, very tTul
yours, JAMES TANNER. !"
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