Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-02

rapher was rapid
ly transcribing notes in one corner of the
room and in another corner the click of the
typewriter went merrily on. About the
room, seated on the red cushions of chairs
backed against the wall were a score of
noted Congressman from every part of the
Union, and talking to the little stout man
with the big bald head was Senator John ].
Ingalls,, who, thin and tall, looked like a
great interrogation point as he stood with
his hand at his side holding a bundle of
papers and enforced his argument with a
shake of the head.
The stout, broadshouldered man in CATERS
listened patiently, and his eyes of hazel
blue smiled from under bis high forehead
as he nodded his assent to the Kansas SEN
ator's proposition.
A moment later and the Senator was gone
and Springer, of Illinois, had taken his
place. He was disposed of in the same easy
manner, and l noted that the refusals of
the stout man in gaiters were accepted quite
as pleasantly as his promises of help.
A HUNDRED MILLIONS TO PAY.
This stout, broadshouldered, dark-whis-
kered, hazel-eyed man was General Green
B. Raum, the new Commissioner of PEN
sions, over whose signature during the next
year will be paid out nearly S100, ,0O0 OO0
The appropriations asked OF Congress to pay
the pensions of 1890 amount to sos, 600, 900.
Several Senators and half dozen Repre-
sentatives have bills proposing an increase
of the pension list, and the probability is
that more than S1OO, 900 will be given to
our old soldiers next year
1t is an immense amount and the short,
fat fingers OF General Raum will hold the
pen that signs away every dollar of it. 1
thought of this as grasped his hand. What
mighty power to rest in one thumb and two
fngers-a power sufficient il he could WELD
it for his own benefit to make him a Wander
bilt or Gould-enough to give dollar and
a half TO every man, woman and child in the
United States, or seven dollars and fifty
cents to every family. Before left looked
at the autograph which would make this
immense amount good. 1t is a plain bust
ness signature, and it reads without a title
Screen B. Raum.''
MAN OF BUSINESS.
The signature is indicative of the man.
General Raum is business from the word 60.
He was practical baby 60 years ago. and
he is to-day one of the common-sense busi-
ness statesmen of Washington CITY, He
had big business interests befora he ac-
cepted this appointment, and he brings the
same practical business WAYS into the Office
1t takes J, 600 men and women to form his
clerical force, and he keeps every one o.
these up to the scratch. He works by ex-
ample as well as by Frecept. Promptly at
9 o'clock he is at the Office. From to 10
he dictates answers TO his private corre-
spondence, averaging about as words a
minute.
At 10 his doors are open and the crowd is
let in. He has about 800 callers dav and
he makes it point to see everyone. MANY
applicants have to be refused and there are
now and then stormy times. General Raum
makes it a principle not to lose his temper
about business matters and he is as diplo-
matte as possible. He promises what he
can and refuses what he must, and he dis
poses of the crowds very rauidly. His calls
continue until O'Clock. He then takes
lunch If he has not had it before This he
has IN his office. 1t consists of a piece of
beefsteak and biscuit, with glass or two
of milk. He is very careful of his health
and be watches his diet.
THE COMMISSIONERS HOME.
After P. NJ. he receives the chiefs of his
department, considers knotty pension cases
and remains at work until 5 o'clock
when he drops his papers and
goes home. General Raum lives here in
Washington on Rhode Island avenue near
Iowa Circle. He has house worth at least
$4,000, and this is very comfortably fur
nished. A part of the furniture was bought
recently, and his sideboard, which came
from Grand Rapids, Mich, took number
of prizes at State fairs before he purchased
it.
The business of the Pension Office can
hardly be appreciated. The tiles of its cases
would carpet state if the papers were
spread out. The old documents among its
records would make strip as wide as
wagon road and long enough to reach around
the whole world. 1t has settled millions of
claims, and there are now more than 400, 900
cases in the office awaiting settlement. GEN
eral Raum believes that the cases should be
made complete by the claimants, and at the
present rate of progress, if the lawyers and
claimants could have all these 400 900 cases
ready for action to-day, he thinks that in
seven or eight months his bureau would
stand even with the world and everything
would be finished up to that date.
MILLIONS OF LETTERS.
His mail is immense The Pension Com
missioner gets fully 100000 letters a year
and 100000 of these require prompt an
swers. Think of 100000 letters! Each
one will contain at least foot OF note paper
and if you would paste the sheets together
the mail received by this man in Single
year would make ribbon six inches wide
longer than from New York to Cleveland.
Estimating each letter as costing a two-cent
stamp it makes sec, 900 for postage, and when
you figure up the labor and brains, the
worry and trouble, you have embodied a
number of lfetimes in this one item.
Ten thousand letters a dayl Seventy
thousand letters week More than 3.OOO-
900 letters a year! This is what the
Pension Office mail amounts to- The most
of the letters are, however, managed bv
clerks, and the Pension Office postoffiee and
distributing room is as big as that of MANY
village postofice. Nearly every letter re-
quires research and many of them consume
several sheets of note paper. Nevertheless
about 10000 are answered every day. The