Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-11


After THE srAR's report in the Raum investi-
cation closed yesterday there were several
rather exciting passages. o. q:
Judge Wilson wanted Mr.. Cooper to explain
| if he had not signed a large number of blank
calls upon the Pension Office for a firm of at
torneys.
question from the first. He then made state
ment 1t was true, he said. that he had au-
| thorized his clerk to sign a number of calls for
| a pension firm in his district Mr.. Tanner had
| asked him if the signatures were his own and
he had replied that they were authorized. He
| had probably signed 1900 or 1000 such calls
He had spoken to Chief Durham in the Pension
Office about it, and Durham had told him to
sign the slips-they were ATTORNEYS sips--and
he would do what he could with them. Mr..
Cooper thought the slips were not considered
as congressional calls. He had been informed
that they were treated as attorneys calls. He
understood that Lemon was running the Pen
sion Office and he wanted to get a fair show for
his constituents
Judge Wilson said that he was not crlticislng
Mr. Coopers action in calling up cases and
thought he did right.
Mr.. Cooper, however. said that now he
doubted 1t. The advancement of case by the
completed files order created an inequality
Nobody but lawyer could comply with the
QulrementS OF the order.
After few questions Mr.. Cooper let his pas
sion get away with him and said angrily that
he was endcavorIng to get testimony under adj
verse circumstances and having hard enough
time about it. He didn't want to be badgered
by the hired attorney of witness.
Mr.. Wilson disclaimed any such intention
and then put the question to wheth COM
pIeted claim should not be adjusted as speedily
as possible. ...
Mr.. Cooper replied in the affirmative, but
added that it was safer to trust the employees
of the government than the ayaricious at
Judge Wilson quietly remarked that as Mr..
Cooper had been an attorney himself il would
be better for him not to cr;ticise them; there
were many honorable men among attorneys.
MIR. Cooper asked that his resolution extend
ing the scope of the investigation be con-
sidered There was considerable discussion,
but no decision was reached. Mr. Cooper
then said he would probably have to get ont
an attachment for one of his witnesses, Dutler
Fitch. who had left the CITY, Fitch. it was
claimed, had said that Pension Office employees
had been promoted after buying stock. Com
missioner RaUm was equally anxious to secure
the witness and steps were taken to do so.
Method of Keeping Post Office Accounts.
Postmaster General Wanamaker, under the
authority of the Post Office appropriation act
for the year beginning July /, 1890. has issued
an order appointing commission to prepare
and submit plan for uniform and more
simple and complete system of keeping
accounts in presidential post Offices The COM
mission consists of Henry S. Adams. cashier of
the Boston post Office. chairman. and James
Warrington OF Philadelphia and James Walden
OF New York, expert accountants. Tho men,
bers OF the commission met Yesterday III tho
Office OF Third Assistant Postmaster General
Hazen. and, after receiving their instructions
from General Nanamaker. they proceeded,
under the guidance of Mr.. Hazen, to examine
the system of keeping accounts in the Post
Office Department, including the Office of the
sixth auditor of the Treasury. The commission
at an carly day will make an examination of
the accounts of several representative pos.
offices of the three classes in different
parts of the country as far west as Chicago.
The work OF the commission will probably DO
completed in two months.