Omaha daily bee., 1890-06-12
QUAY'S INFLUENCE WANING.
The Senatorial Caucus Takes Seat on the
Pennsylvania.
THE CHARGES AGAINST GENERAL RAUM,
They Amount to Nepotism and the
selling OF His Inhuence-Dis-
charged Employees Inspire
Thcm-A Bold Attack.
WASHINGTON BUREAU TIFF OMAHA BEE,
5l3 FOURTEENTH STREET,
.-....-.......r n q

the senate today and the multitude of Penn
sylvania politicians who come daily to see
him, after hunting the capitol over started in
the direction of his house, which stands at
the corner of Nineteenth and | streets.
He was very badly sat upon at the caucus
last night and it will be long time before he
asks any favors of his fellow senators.
Mr.. Quay's pull in politics in Pennsylvania
and in the republican committee his influence
at the executive mansion, and the part he took
In the organization of the house last fall have
naturally increased his autocratic tendencies
and he has expected to receive everything he
asked for. He elected Reed speaker of the
house, or to speak more accurately, Reed would
not have been elected without his assistance,
and he made Mcpherson clerk, but he can not
exercise the same power and authority in the
body Of which he is member. On the con-
, trary the senate is pretty apt to reject any
proposition Quay offers because so much has
been said about his "bossing' things. His
colleagues stand up so straight that they lean
over backwards; but at the same time Quay
is popular. He is well liked in
the senate ana would have much
more influence if there was not
superstition that he has more than he has.
In the fight for sergeant-at arms, in which
he was expected to win, his candidate only
got thirteen votes a very unlucliy number,
out of possible forty-seven, and several of
them, particularly Farwell, Sherman, Plumb
ana Wolcott, voted for Bailey at the re-
quest of Senator Cameron, with whom they
have very close personal relations. The thr-
teen senators who voted for Quay's man
were: Me- Sis. WolcOtt, Farwell, Davis,
Sawyer, Spoouer, Allan, Quay Cameron,
Mitchell, Blair, DOlph, Plu NIB and Sherman.
a BOLD ATTACK.
1t is an established principle of railroading
that two trains cannot pass upon the same
track. One of them has to go back or switch
off to avoid a collision, and that principle was
illustrated in the senate committee on com
merce this morning That committee when
81 took up the river and harbor bill for con-
sidcration decided not to hear any arguments
on any item connected with the bill except
from members of the senate. The New York
chamber of commerce, which is the largest,
wealthiest and most influential commercial
o 'ganization in this country, if not in the
world, desired to he heard in regard to the
Improvement of New York harbor and the
Mississippi river in particular, and also upon
the subject of public works in general.
They intended to have Mr.. Dcpew come over
with them and makea speech, and wrote to
the committee asking that a time be set to
hear them Mr. Frye, the chairman, re-
piled politely, explaining that the committee
had made "a rule not to hear anybody and
saying that, while Mr.. Depew would no
doubt be very entertaining and instructive,
the committee could not fix time for him
TO present his arguments. In the face of this
dispatch committee consisting of ten or
twelve of the biggest men in New York,
headed by Mr.. Smith, the president of the
chamber OF CONNIE c., came to Washington this
morning and at 10 O'Clock precisely knocked
at the door of the committee room. They
stated that they were citizens of the
United States interested in legislation
pending before congress and desired to eXer-
else the right of petition guaranteed them by
the constitution. The committee opened the
door. They walked in, took seats and occu-
pied about half an hour in presenting their
views and explaining their wishes, then they
thanked the committee for its attention and
retired. 1t was the boldest attack that was
ever made upon congress and will prove to be
one of tue most effective.
TIE RAUM CHARGES.
The charges against General Raum, the
commissioner Of pensions, are:
|. That he has borrowed S25.000, or some
large sum of money, from George f.. Lemon,
claim agent doing business before his office,
or upon his endorsements.
= General Raum does not admit nor does he
deny this charge, but it is probably true. He
does assert, however, that his private bust
ness relations with Captain Lemon have no
influence whatever upon his ofllcial'conduct
and that Lemon has received no advantages
in the pension Office that are not enjoyed by
other men in his profession.
=. He is charged with soliciting or allow
ing others to solicit subscriptions from the
clerks in his department to the stock of ii
company of which he is president ana one of
the chief owners. This lie absolutely denies
and says that if any clerks in the pension
referred TO, which is "A refrigerator company
1t has been done without his knowledge or ap-
proval
2. He is charged with having turned over
to his son, John Raum, the pension claims
that were placed in his hands for prosecution
before he became commissioner and with
having given these claims precedence over
D her cases pending before the Office This he
absolutely denies and says that the business
his son brings to the office takes the same
course as the rest and is given no less and no
greater advantages, but that all the grist that
comes to the mills is treated alike.
4. He is charged with having made con
tract with w. l.. Ellsworth, the inventor of
smOkeless powder under which he is to re-
ccivc for his influence 20 per cent of all the
profits derived from the sale of such powder
to the government. 10 this he replies that
while he was private citizen and practice
ing law he did make contract or agree
mcnt with Ellsworth under which the latter
gave him 20 per cent interest in his inven-
ton to introduce il in the army and navy of
the United States; that he has never been
able 10 do anything for Ellsworth; that he
had lost his confidence in the invention, and
---Ahat he would be glad 10 be released from the
contract.
5. He is charged with having removed a
ltdy clerk, who was notary public, from
the chief clerks room, ,whcrc She was able to
make Sl5 or so month in notary fees and
with having secured the appointment of his
sou, Green Is. Raum, lr, us u notary public
so that the latter might make all the perqui-
sites the woman had been receiving
There is n very slight foundation for this
charge There was IL lady n notary public
In the chief clerks room who did make n fee
now and then for uotarial services aud in the
shifting about of employees after General
Ru came into the of1lce she was trans
iu L Il to another room, Young Raum
ws appointed notary public five
years ago by President Cleveland and when
he was made appointment clerk retained his
noturul commission. When visitors to the
of have inquired for "A notOry they have
usually boon sent to him and he is doing Il
considerable portion of the business that the
woman did formerly, but there was no iuteu-
tion of depriving her of the fees, and young
Raum was not stationed there for that pur-
pose,
The charges against Raum are being prose
cutel by discharged employees of the pension
office.
RECEIVED WITH fANOR
IL is not known here who suggested the Sc
lectiOl OF Representative Buttcrworth of
Ohio as secretary of the worlds fair commits
sion, hue the suggestion Is received with the
great 81 favor and has been the principal
topic pt conversation In congressional circles
today. Everybody says that he would be the
stron gest possible addition TO the commission
n he would accept, Some of his friends think
h would make "A better director general He