The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-02
RAUMROUGHLYHANDLED
REPORT OF THE MINORITY OF THE
INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE.

duce the Books OF His Company.
The Duplicity Exposed - Raum's
Relations With Lemon of Dis
creditable Character Unfit for the
Position,
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-As the majority
OF the committee which has been invests
eating charges against Pension Commis-
sioner Raum intend 30 pursue the investiga.
tion further at the next session of congress,
their report will not be made till that time.
The minority members OF the committee,
Messrs. Lewis and Goodnight, to-day madc
public u report which sets forth theirs
opinion of the result Of the
investigation. The report in connection
with the first charge, respecting the sale of
refrigerator stock 10 pension office em-
ployes. comments upon the refusal of the
commissioner to produce the books and
papers OF the company Notwithstanding re-
peatet efforts to secure evidence. 1t says
that Notwithstanding the sweeping asser-.
tion of the commissioner that tha
lists he did produce contained the names
of all the stockholders, IL appeared from
Mr.. Smyser's testimony that other persons
not named did own stock, therefore regrer
is expressed that the commissioner felt il
necessary to withhold from the committees
and the public the best possible evidence ON
the point.
RAUM's sUB-CoMPANY.
Again, IL is stated that the investigation
proceeded till near its close without reveal.
ing the fact that a subsidiary corporation
had been organized by Gen. Raum, Bradley,
Tanner, and five other persons not
named, which was Co do business
under the parent company's patents
ana differed from it only In name. Both
the com missioner aud Bradley, Tanner had
repeatedly stated before the committee that
no employe of the pension office owned,
directly or indirectly. any stock in the Uni
versal Refrigerator Company, and the
existenc9 Of the Columbia Universal Re-
frigerator Company (the sub-company)
was unknown to the minority until almost
the close of investigation.
A RAsCALLY sUBrERFUGE
Says the minority we very much regret
that Raum has considered IL necessary to-
play upon distinction with a difference In
nomenclature only to withhold and conceal
the real status OF his refrigerator company
and the relation Of Bradley Tanner thereto.
IL the lower Co restrain attorneys from
imposing on dependant rests solely with
the commissioner, 30 much more imperative
is the demand upon him to refrain from
placing himself under obligations OF any
sort to attorneys, and especially those hav-
litR u luTRo DuSlIleSs DoLOre MS bureau.
Comment is made upon tho evidence that
the completed files order was made Jau. O.
last, and that on the following day Lemon
became the surety Of Commissioner Raum
for $l2, 900, and that the arrangement for
borrowing this money was made at the PEN
sion office.
RAUM's RELATION WITH LEMON.
The report asks why the loan was made,
and states that no intimate friendship IS
shown to have existed between the commits
sioner and Lemon, and they had had no
business relations before. Why should
Lemon, good business man, risk $4,000
upon one who is afraid TO have his solvency
inquired intol The system was Just what
Lemon demanded, and so soon as established
he was ready to under write for the COM
missioner which he had never before done,
though often consulted by the commissioner
about his needs during several months be-
fore. 1t is thus clear, says the report, that
Lemon was favored and benefited. 1t is
equally clear that Commissioner Raum was
placed under obligations to Lemon-some-
thing no rugged integrity can approve and
no delicate sense of propriety can endure.
UNFIT FOR THE OFFICE.
In conclusion the report reads:
Thus 1t seems to us that the commissioner Of
pensions has not properly esteemed the delicate
duties and serious responsibilities of his great
Office nor has he measured up TO that high
standard of patriotic consideration for public
service which should prevail ia this depart nent,
adjudicating the disbursements of nearly one
third OF the entire revenues of the government
The pension Office Is altogether too sacred a
place for the development OF the personal thrift
and enterprise manifested In this record
IL was established that the nation might
properly care for those TO whom II owed graft
tude too sacred for trihing. II is a monument
10 the munihcence Of grateful people, and its
hundreds Of employees should be ministers OF
mercy, not STOCK gamblers That place thus
hallowed should have been used for stock job
blng or speculation converted into spawning
place for corporations and a stall
for barterlng doubtful patents, 10
reflection upon our government,
q degradation of the public service
which we think cannot be too strongly con-
demned. If the real and sensitive demands OF
the occasion be measured by the example OF
the forbearng Nazarene. who scourged from
the temple door the merchants and money
changers, or by the commendable conduct OF
President Arthur In removing associate
justice of the Arizona supreme court for hor4
rowing money Of an attorney practicng before
him, congress must agree with us that there
should be bettermeut of the public service by
a house cleaning Ia the pension bureau