Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1890-10-02
RAUM ROASTED.
THAT REFRIGERATOR MAKES THE
PENSION OFFICE HOT.
the Commissioner a Fraud-An Early
House-Cleaning Demanded.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-The minority of
the special house committee appointed
to investigate the charges against Pen
sion Commissioner Raum, Messrs. Lewis
and Goodnight, have united in the prep
aration of a report setting forth their
opinion of the result of the investigation.
The report reviews the evidence in the
refrigerator case and says t-r
.'We lament the conduct of a public
official who invokes the fine tech
nicality of criminal law to screen him
self from proper investigation, and to
hide from public view the details of the
business which is being conducted from
one of the government bureaus, and
concerning the character of which so
many and such damaging charges have
been made" sg
AS to the charge of the advancement
of pension claims for Lemon, in con-
sideration of his endorsing the COM
missioner's note, the report states: mo
intimate friendship is shown to have
existed between the commissioner and
Lemon, and there were no business re-
lations before. Why should Lemon, a
good business man, risk $4,000 upon
one who is afraid to have his solvency
inquired into? The completed files
system is just what Lemon demanded,
and so soon as established he was ready
to underwrite for the commissioner
which he had never before done, though
often consulted by the commissioner
about his needs during several months
before.''
In conclusion the report reads: "Thus
it seems the United States commissioner
of pensions has not properly esteemed
the delicate duties and serious RESPONSE
bilities of his great office; nor has he
measured up to that high standard of
patriotic consideration for the public
service, which should prevail in this de-
partment, adjudicating the disburse-
ment of nearly one-third of the entire
revenue of the government. The pen
sion office is altogether too sacred place
for the development of the personal
thrift and enterprise manifested in this
record. 1t was established that the ma
tion might properly care for those to
whom it owes gratitude too sacred for
trifiing. 1t is monument to the mu-
nificence of a grateful people, and its
hundreds Of employees should be minis
ters OF mercy, not stock gamblers. That
place thus hallowed should have been
used for stock jobbing or speculation,
and converted into a spawning place for
corporations and stall for bartering a
doubtful patent, is a reflection on our
government and degradation OF the
public service, which we think cannot
be too strongly condemned. If the real
and sensitive demands of the
occasion be measured ! by the
example of the forbearing Naz-
arine, who scourged from the, temple
the merchants and money-changers, or
by the commendable conduct of the
president in removing an associate JUS
tice OF the Arizona supreme court for
borrowing money of an attorney practic-
ing before him, congress must agree
with us that there should be a better
ment of the public service by house,
cleaning in the pension bureau"
AS the majority OF the committee
intend to pursue the investigation fur
ther at the next session of congress,
their report will not be made until that
time.