Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-08-11
HARRISON'S RECORD.
Men and Measures Of the Present
Administration.
Tanner and Raum in the Pension ONCE
The Keystone Bank Affair - En-
forcement of Civil Serv-
Ice Reform.

anu IA thC IcuslOH oiHC0-
The Keystone Bank Affair - En-
forcement of Civil Serv-
Ice Reform.
| Compiled from the Chicago Tines
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-
fessional soldier. He had made himself
conspicuous during the campaign of
1883 in demanding that the great serv-
ices OF the soldiers should be recon-
pensed. and that, too, without using
apothecarv'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.
''Col." LamOn became a 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. VS. sufficient to
secure prompt action. When the appli-
cant was in great hurry and when he
could bring endorsements that he was
zone of our kind" twenty-four hours
was sufficient for an investigation and
issue of the claim. A single iliustra-
ton taken from the record will show
Al
of the president who had sworn to
faithfully perform the duties Of his Of
flee:
Pension certificate 1905 is held by
Sidney n. Rich, of Haillesborough, St
Lawrence county, n. Y. Mr.. Rich is a
hotel keeper. He served in Company l,
Eleventh New York cavalry. and was
discharged June "a, 1865. July ). 1871,
he received a pension of four dollars Il
month for alleged disease of the lungs
and bowels. At the biennial examina-
ton June 3, 1875, the examining sur
geon reported that The is not entitled
to 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 90, 1889. He hap
pened to be in Washington with an ex-
cursion party from St. Lawrence coun-
ty. There he met Cen" n. NJ. Curtis
of his neighborhood and gentleman
fairly to be considered friend of Tan
ner. Rich knew Curtis. He knew Tan
ner by reputation. With Tanner he
thought Curtis would have 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
back pay amounting to several hundred
dollars.
The swindling reratings under Tan
ner We're too numerous to be more than
limited at. United States senators, pol
iticians of ali degrees, bounty jumpers
and professional soldiers, who had
never heard a gun fred 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
repu blican party. When Tanner had
been driven from the Office he was suc-
ceeded by Mr.. Raum, whose name has
become a synonym OF corruption. With
brazen etfrontery the commissioners
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
90 VA
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 Wanamaher Scandal.
There are certain admitted facts re-
garding the connection of Postmaster
General Wanamaker 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: shat he was also
On friendly terms with Marsh. the sue
cessor of Lucas. and had at one time
borrowed $500, 900 of the banks money
ON his personal note and without the
knowledge of the directors: that Mr..
Wanamaker 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-
nection with the Reading speculation
NIr. I-eeas gave him stock of the bank
with which to raise money by loans
from other banks, and that at the death
of Lucas he (Wanalnaker) held 2.515
shares of this stock Mr.. Wanamaker
stated that he discovered after the
death Of Lucas that no money had been
placed to his personal credit ut the
bank, and he therefore, held on 10 the
stock referred to as security for the re-
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 joins speculation.
Mr. Wanamaker admitted that mis- firm
had deposit of nearly 100000 in the
keystone bank when the run on that
institution first. CONNIE need, 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
sol OF tho cf Mr.