Los Angeles herald., 1890-09-09
THE RAUM INQUIRY.
The Commissioner Squirming Under NJ
COoper's Exactions.

The Commissioner Squirming Under Mr..
Cooper's Exactions.
WASHINGTON, Sept. S.-The Raum in
vestigation was resumed today, and
Lemon was called to the stand. He
read prepared statement, which was to
the effect that as the first charge did not
concern him he had nothing to say. As
to the second charge, which referred to
himself he said he had known General
Raum twenty-five years. His financial
standing was high, and his endorsers
were men of reputation, so when he
wanted money to open up his mining
property, witness endorsed two OF his
notes, one for 50 900 and one for $40 900,
which were subsequently extended.
Respecting the charge that witness
secured undue advantage from the COM
pleted files order, he said the completed
files order was not novel in principles
but it had been the practice of the office
for years, towards the end of the fiscal
year to pick out such completed cases
and dispose Of them. That had been
done by Commissioner Black. 1t was a
wise practice. The charge that Commits
sioner Raum had given him undue ad
vantage in the completed files order, was
an unqualified falsehood. and further
| more, III WOulu De absolutely lIlpOSSlD16
! for the commissioner to favor him. Wit
ness never asked anything from Com
missioner Raum, OF any other commits
sioner to which he was not entitled as
an attorney. Unfair as Cooper had been,
he invited him to come to his office any
day and examine every case and every
employee. He wanted him to come in
the front door like man, and not hunt
up discharged clerks; that would obviate
the necessity for making baseless charges.
Cooper cross-eXamined witness. He
asked what witnesses fortune was, to
which witness promptly replied: That
is none OF your business" and returned
the same answer to the next question as
to the amount of his annual income.
Cooper then returned to the attack by
asking if witness had not been charged
with forging Mr.. Colfax's name to GER
tifcate.
Witness replied that he had not If
the committee wished to go into that,
ne wished to be allowed to call a wit
ness, as it related to trans
action twenty-five years ago. General
Raum had first spoken to witness
about money matters in January, before
he became commissioner. When wit
ness's proposition to make an order like
the completed files order was under dis
1 cussion, Deputy Commissioner Lincoln
objected, that its effect would be to
turn all of the force OF the Office upon
witnesses cases, but that was wrong
belief. The completed files order was
made January 9th, and witness en-
dorsed note January 7th. He did not
then know that the order had been
Issued. The effect OF the order upon
cases in the ordinary files, was benef-
cal, as it reduced the files in number
and encouraged the effort to complete
the cases.
Lemons testimony having been con
cluded. Cooper renewed his request for
the production of the books for the re-
frigerator company, asserting that they
would show that the refrigerator was a
fraud, and that the commissioner had
been manipulating from the pension
office fraudulent scheme.
Commissioner Raum said he was
present to answer the charges of official
misconduct, and had done so completely.
The committee had seen the stock book
of the company. He denied that the
refrigerator was fraud.
Cooper knew he had sold no stock to
pension Office employees. There was a
conspiracy in this city, and Cooper was
being used as tool to break down his
(Raum's) credit. Cooper knew the
charges were dismal failure and
could not be sustained, and he
wished to draw in other things,
SO as, by hook or crook, to injure him,
(Raum). He should rest on his legal
rights and refuse to have his private
business dragged out by Cooper.
Cooper insisted on the necessity for
the production of the books, as the best
proof of the stockholders.
The committee after consultation, de-
| cided that it would reserve decision upon
the question until it had an opportunity
to ascertain the extent of its power to
compel the production of private papers.
Adjourned.
Iafi