Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-09-15
HARRIs0N's RECORD.
lien and Measures OF the Present
Administration.
Tanner and Raum IN the Pension Once
The Keystone Bank Afsir = En-EE
forcennent of Civil Serv-
Ice Reform


Ice Reform
Compiled from the Chicago TneS1
PART II.
In close connection with the eleva-
ton of Judge Woods for the defense of
Dudley comes the rewarding OF Tanner
for his services during the campaign
and his retention by President Harri-
son long after the decent elements of
his party had united in demanding his
dismissal from the Office he had dis
graced. Corporal Tanner was a pro-
fessiona1 soldier. He had made himself
conspicuous during the campaign OF
1855 in demanding that the great serv-
ices OF the soldiers should be recon-
pensed, and that, too. without using
apothecary's scales in measuring them
He signalized his entrance INTO the pen
sion Office by making alliances with
men who were not supposed to be
worthy OF respect among gentlemen.
Sol" Lamon became jealous friend
Of Corporal Tanner. Cases were
rushed through the Office without the
slightest regard for law or rules The
simple Endorsement of Tanner to make
these special cases. WIS sufficient 10
secure prompt action. When the appii-
cant was in 4 great hurry and when he
could bring endorsements that he was
| lone of our kind twenty-four hours
was sufficient for an investigation and
issue OF the claim. A single illustra-
ton taken from the record will show
Tanners methods and the indulgence
of the president who had sworn to
faithfully perform the duties OF his of
fee:
Pension certificate 112, 095 is held BY
Sidney 81. Rich, of Haillesborough, St.
Lawrence county, y. Y. Mr.. Rich is a
hotel keeper. He served in Company I,
Eleventh New York cavalry, and was
discharged June "a. 1865. July 5. 1871,
he received pension of four dollars a
month for alleged disease of the lungs
and bowels. At the biennial examina-
| ton June 8, 1875, the examining sur
geon reported that The is not entitled
to a pension. The disability has ceased.
His flesh is solid and he is very mus
| cular-" Mr.. Rich was dropped from
the rolls, and made no effort to be re-
stored until March 20, 1880 He hap
pened to be in Washington with an ex-
cursion party from ST. Lawrence coun-
| ty. There he met Gen" n. NJ. Curtis
of his neighborhood and gentleman
ner. Rich knew Curtis He knew Tan
| ner by reputation. With Tanner he
| thought Curtis would have q pull be-
cause Of their personal characteristics
Mr.. Rich appealed to Curtis, Mr.. Curtis
| appealed to Tanner, Tanner gave the
order to make this "a Neutrality-suspicious.
case,'' and the thing was done. Mr.
Rich was restored to the roll, with full
haa TO h
dollars.
The swindling reratings under Tan
ner were too numerous to be more than
limited at. United States senators, pol
iticians of all degrees, bounty jumpers
| and professional soldiers, who had
| never heard a gun fired during the war,
all were equally free under the Tanner
| administration to walk into the pension
| Office with their pull and receive re-
! ward for their patriotic services to the
/ republican party. When Tanner had
been driven from the Office he was sue
! ceeded by Mr.. Raum. whose name has
| become a synonym of corruption With
t braZen etfrOntery the commissioner
own son advertised his ability to secure
pensions with dispatch. The office was
made headquarters for a gang of Office
brokers and every form of peculatiOn
was openly practiced 1t will not be
| contended that Mr.. Harrison's admins
tration has gained credit for its man
agement of the pension bureau Not
even republican organs defended the
retention of Tanner and the better ele-
ment of the party thus represented has
rebuked the continuance of Raum in
power.
The Wanamaker Scandal.
There are certain admitted facts re-
garding the connection of Postmaster
General Wanama1Ser with scandals af-
fecting the administration of treasury
affairs which have never yet been salts
; factorily explained.
Mr.. Wanamaker admitted that he
had been on intimate terms with Mr..
/ Lucas, the president of the keystone
bank; that he had invited Mr.. Lucas in
1887 to enter into a speculation with
him in Reading stock; that he was also
on friendly terms with Marsh, the sue
cessor of Lucas, and had at one time
borrowed $500, 600 of the banks money
on his personal note and without the
knowledge of the directors; that Mr..
Wanamaher knew this to have been
contrary to law. and that Mrs. Wanna
maker was allowed to overdraw her
personal account in spite Of the pro-
vision in the law prohibiting such
transactions.
Mr.. Wanamaker admitted that when
he had occasion to use money in con-
Hection with the Reading speculation
Mr.. Lucas gave him stock of the bank
with which to raise money by loans
from other banks, and that at the death
of Lucas he (WanaInaker) held 2,515
shares of this stock. Mr.. Wanamalzer
stated that he discovered after the
death OF Lucas that no money had been
placed to his personal credit at the
bank, and he, therefore, held on to the
stock referred to as security for the
payment to him of the sums shown to
have been overdrawn on his own &C
count through the failure of Lucas to
furnish cash for the joint speculation.
Mr.. Wanamaker admitted that his firm
had deposit of nearly $500. 900 IN the
keystone bank when the run on that
institution first commenced, and that
before the final collapse his firm had
drawn their money all out. He showed
that this withdrawal took place during
the time allowed by the treasury Off
Gals at the personal request of Mr..