Show THE SCOTCHIRISH CONVENTION I Corporal Tanner Speaks and Tells What the Governments Duty Is I COLUMBUS Tenn May toThe Scotch Irish convention today listened to a number num-ber of addresses by prominent persons Commissioner of Pensions Tanner spoke at some length In the course of his speech he said For long years I have had one conviction con-viction in my heart which is stronger today to-day than ever before viz that it is the bounden duty of this great repuolic to see to it that no man that wore the blue and was told off in honor shall ever be under the necessity of or be permitted to crawl undertho roof of an alms house for shelter The wol of hunger must in common decency de-cency be driven from the door of the widows and orphans of those who have already al-ready laid down their lives After giving statistics showing the number num-ber of pensioners receiving differentiates from 1 per month to 375 per month the commissioner added For twenty years and under varying circumstances I have pleaded the cause of my comrades who wore the blue For twenty years I have been able only to plead but now I am thankful that at these finger tips there rests some power and of that power some is mine I broadly say I propose just as soon as poss ble t call in every one of the certificates of pensions of which I have named and reissue re-issue them on the basis of the truth that no man ought t be down on the pension roll of the United States for less than a miserable pittance of 81 a week though I may wring from the hearts of some the prayer God save the surplus This and some other things too numerous to detail I propose to do if my official existence is not touched ofcal clearly of opinion that I voice the I sentiment of this country when I unhesitatingly i unhesi-tatingly declare a wise policy demands that in treating with those who have just claims before this country I should cease t hunt for merely technical reasons to defeat these claims and to devote sOle of our time to at least helping those claimants who in the past did not hesitate to help the country in its dire peril I |