Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-01-23
HE'S A " RlTER HIMSELF.
H. A. PHILLIPS DECLINES TO RESIGN
HIS POSITION.
His Head Ready to Fall Into the Basket
Whenever the Executioner is Ready.
He Pours Hot Shot Into the Secretary
of the Interi1r-A Letter Chack Full

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21.-Henry A.
Phillips, one of the rerated chiefs of di-
vision of the pension Office who was re-
Gently requested to resign, yesterday ad-
dressed the following letter to Commits
sioner Raum declining to do so:
Gen. Raum, Commissioner of Pensions:
Referring to your note Of Nov Y requesting
in our recent personal interview, l have
to say that assume that you will not deny
g2 eo5 Tt
accept the request as notice to the effect
that if do not accede to it my dismissall will
follow. And yet l must respectfully decline
to resign, and so place my neck in position for
the AK of the executioner, who just now is so
busily engaged in completing the work begun
on the persons of myself and Others over a
quarter of a century ago on southern battle
fields. But in these long gone days it was a
more even contest. The foe of that time was
honorable and gave me an even chance of life
for 1re To-day l am ground in the dust un-
der the weight of official. only Official superb
Ority. And the foe who dictates this request,
by Inference at least arraigns me as a con-
Splrator against the revenue OF this nation and
in effect would brand me as 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 impeach-
ment of my general character, nor charge that
have not and do not fully and faithfully per-
form the duties of chief of division. That
ped1ously settle the all too long deferred
claims of our comrades.
You informed me that the secretary insisted
on my going because my pension had been in
creased and rerated since / had been in this
position. When informed you that il was a
month before was appointed that the action
was expecting an appointment. You were
right. was expecting it, for | had the word
OF Commissioner Tanner that l should be APP
pointed.
Examined by Democratic Doctors.
1t has been published time and again that
my pension was increased by Commissioner
Tanner from 81 to 81 per month. The fact is
that Gen. Black, while commissioner, put my
pension up 10 Sl1 and rerated IL and was not
satisfied with that because | informed
that the medical examining board composed
of Democratic doctors by the way, who had
thoroughly examined me, had reported 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
comrades, been held to increase the surplus.
In granting my pension at S24 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
cones the dictum of me man, who without
medical or surgical skill puts his will and the
power which the accident of political prefer
ment gives him to root up and revoke. He
does not appear to appreciate that to rerate Is
to correct an error.
So the only question is, or should be. did
suffer from error in the past?" You may or
may not know that when action on the case of
employees of this Office was first questioned
Commissioner Tanner subjected those cases
TO the test of review by four Of the best men
In this office, whose honesty and capacity / do
not believe even the secretary of the interior
will question. They reported that the action
taken in my case was In accord with the evil
dence on file In the case.
II the action of the secretary of the interior