Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-01-21
AN ANGRY PROTEST
Letter of a Man Who Declines
to Resign.
AN INDIGNANT CHIEF OF DIVISION

Henry A. Phillips Writes His Mind of Re-
| Rating and Other sIatters-Mayor Mos
| by, of CINCINNATI. Sheds Some Light on
Woods Dark ways-A New Name for
Eminent Editor-southern Question De-
| bated In the senate-Reed Appoints the
Worlds Fair Committee.
WASHINGTON CITY, Jan. 2l.-Henry A.
Phillips, one of the re-rated chiefs of divis-
Ion OF the pension Office, who was re-
Gently requested to resign, yesterday adj
dressed the following letter to Commissioner
Raum declining TO do so:
"SIR;-Referring to your note of Nov. %
requesting my resignation as chief of divis
ion, repeated In our recent personal inter
view, i have to say that | assume that you
will not deny that this request is not OF
your motion, but prompted by the secretary
of the interior. l accept the request as mo-
tice to the effect that If do not accede to
TO 1t my dismissal will follow. And yet /
must respectfully decline to resign and so
place my neck in position for the axe of the
| executioner, who INST now is so busily en-
gagged in completing the work begun on the
| persons of myself and others over quarter
Il Va u NthtuAN ukO Ou SpllutIu DdtlleDtlOS
Complaining of Dcspotism.
But in those long gone days, it was
more even contest The foe at that time
was honorable and gave me an even chance
Of life for life. To-day am ground in the
dust, under the weight of official-only
| ofiicial-superiority. And he who dictates
this request by inference at least, arraigns
me as a conspirator against the revenue of
this nation, and in effect would brand me as
/ a robber OF dollars of the nation / went
down into the valley and shadow of death to
serve and save. For again, you will not
| dispute that there is no impeachment of my
| general character, nor charge that / have
| not and do not fully and faithfully
| perform the duties of chief of division
That i am not, and have not faithfully
labored to expeditiously settle the all too
long deferred claims of our comrades
As to That Re-rnted Pension.
| you informed me that the secretary in
sisted on my going because my pension had
been increased and re-rated since l had
been in this position. When informed you
that 1t was month before l was appointed,
that the action was taken in my case you
suggested that i was expecting an appoint
ment You were right, 1 was expecting it,
for had the word of Commissioner Tanner
that should be appointed. 1t has been pub
ished time and again that my pension was
increased by Commissioner Tanner, from 81
TO s24 per month. The fact is that Gen.
/ Black while commissioner, put my pension
| up TO SIT, and re-rated it, and was not
| satisfied with that because was informed
that the medical examining board (com-
posed Of Democratic doctors, by the way)
who had thoroughly examined me, had re-
ported that was entitled to more, and so
| did not hesitate to seek at the hands of
Commissioner Tanner that full measure OF
| justice which had been denied me in the
past, and those dollars which under the law
belonged to me, and which had with the
dollars belonging to so many other com
rades been held to increase the surplus.
| Defends Corporal Tanner.
"ln granting my pension at S34 per month
Commissioner Tanner did just what three
reputable members of the medical division
recommended him to do and am informed
that is the figure the Brooklyn board advised
Gen Black to grant. Now, against all this
comes the dictum of one man, who, without
medical or surgical skill, puts his will and
the power which the accident of political
preferment gives him to root up and revoke
he does not appear TO appreciate that to re
rate Is to correct an error. So the only
question is, or should be, did | suffer from
error in the pastf You may or may moi
know that when action on the cases of EN-
ployes OF this Office was first questioned
Commissioner Tanner subjected those case.
to the test of review by four of the best mer
In this Office, whose honesty and capacity
do not believe even the secretary of the in
terror will question They reported that
the action taken in my case was in accord
ance with the evidence on file in the case.
Courts Investigation.
| III the action of the secretary of the
interior in directing YOU to call for NV
resignation lie honest in its impulse, why.
ask, does he not take the course provided by
law TO call down n pension granted wrong
fully or In excess. Why not give me tn,
opportunity To defend unds n oath, aud by
professional testimony, what | now receive
Why does he wrap himself in the panoply OF
power which encircles cabinet minister
arrogantly exclaiming in effect, Il am Tia.
state" and brutally strike bread and butter
from the mouths Of nv wife and little ones
A Question of Honesty.
"He would never have held the power IA.
now does; President Harrison would never
have had the power 10 put him where he is
II comrades and myself in the state OF New
York had not labored 10 more effect thar
he did in Missouri last fall / said above III
the action Of the secretary be honest Is II
not a fact that was marked because am 4
friend of Corporal Tanner and placed here
by himi Very clear evidence would bl
necessary to convince me To the contrary
A Bitter Farewell.
In bidding goodbye to this office, as
undoubtedly shall as soon as the axe can bt
swung, shall go, thankful that for a brief
season at ielst have had chance to serve
my suffering comrades in this place con
Tess that am human | have to call up al
the equanimity l possess as | contemplate
the fact that as 20 leave behind me hun
dreds in this Office who did their level bes
to keep our political opponents in power
leave others, who in the contest of aquarteI
century ago, did their best to make my
comrades eligible for a pension, or "A grave
For aught know, shall leave behind me IL
the pension office, the very man who sped the
bullet which laid bare my brain, condemned
me to a life Of misery and made me eligible
to a pension, and to re-rating.
very respectfully yours,