Omaha daily bee., 1890-10-02
THE RAUM MINORITY REPORT.
1t is Rather Severe on the COmmis
sion er OfPensiOns,

blOhe Oh Fe1slOhS.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-The minority of the
special house committee appointed to investi-
gate the charges against Pension Commits
siOner Raum-Messrs. Lewis and Goodnight
have united in the preparation of areport
setting forth their opinion on the results of
the in vestigation. The report reviews their
evidence in the refri gerator case and says:
''We lament the conduct of public official
who invokesa fine techn icality of criminal
law to screen himself from proper investiga-
tion and to hide from public view the details
ofa business which is being conducted from
one of the government bureaus and concern
ing the character Of which so many and such
damaging charges have been made.'' AS to
the charge Of the advancement of pension
claims for Lemon In consideration of his en-
dOrsing the commissioners note, the report
states: 'NO intimate friendships shown to
have existed between the commssi oner and
Lemon and there wereno business relations
before Why should Lemon "A good business
Inan-rsk $4,000 on one who is afraid to
have his sOlvency inquired intOl The CON-
pleted files system was justly what Lemon de-
manded and so soon as Established he was
ready to underwrte for the commissioner,
which he had never before done. though
often consulted by the commissioner about
his needs during several months before. 1t
is thus clear that Lemon was favored and
benefited. 1t is equally clear that Commits
sioner Raum was placed under obliga-
tiOns to Lemon, something no rugged
integrity can approve and no delicate sense Of
propriety endure'
In conclusion the report reads; 'TThus 1t
seems to us that the commissioner of pen
sions has not properly esteemed the delicate
duties and serious responsibilities of his
great Office, nor has he measuredup to that
high standard of patriotic consideration for
public service which should prevail In this
department. adjudicatlng the dsbu rsements
ofneary one-third OF the revenues of the
government The pension Off ce is altogether
too sacred aplacc for the development of the
personal thrift and enterprise mani
tested in this record, 1t was es-
tablished that the nation might
properly care for those TO whom it owes a
gratitude too sacred for trifing. 1t is a
monument TO the munifi cence of grateful
people, and its hundreds OF employees should
be ministers of mercy and not stock gamblers.
That the place thus hallowed should have
been used for stock jOpbing or speculation,
converted into aspawnin place for corpora
tons and stall for barterng dOu Otful
patents is arefiection upon our governm ent,
adeRndatlOn ofthe public service which we
think cannot be too strongly condemned.
II the real and sensitive demands of
the occasi on be measured by the example Of
the forbcanng Nazarene, who scourged from
the temple the merchants and money CHI ang-
ers or by the commendable conduct OF Presi-
dent Arthur in removing an associate justice
OF the Arizona supreme court for borrowing
money of an attorney practicing before him,
congress must agree with us thatthere ould
be a bettement Of the public service by a
h0u seCleanng in the pension bureau
AS the majority of the committee intend to
purs ue the Investigation further at the next
session OF con gresS, the report will not be
made until that time.