The morning call., 1890-09-09
LEMONS TESTIMONY.
General Denial Of Congressman
Cooper's Charges.
Pension Commissioner Raum Says There
Is a Conspiracy TO Injure Him.
Another Attempt to Have the Refrigerator
Company'S Books Produced
Sugar Schedule.
Special Dispatches to THE MORNING CALI.

WASHINGTON, Sept. s.-The Raum in
vestigation was resumed to-day, and Lemon
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 in
dorsers were men OF. reputation. When he
wanted money to open up his mining prop
erty witness Endorsed two of his notes, one
for So, 900 and one for $4,000. which were
subsequently, extended. Respecting the
charge that witness secured undue adj
vantage from the completed files order, he
said the completed flies order was not novel
in principle but that it had been the practice
of the Office for years. toward 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 wise
practice.
The charge that Commissioner Raum had
given him undue advantage in the completed
files order was an unqualified falsehood. and
furthermore, it would be absolutely an I'M
possibility for the Commissioner to favor
him. Witness had never asked anything
from Commissioner Raum or any other
Commissioner to which he was not entitled
as an attorney. Unfair as Cooper has been,
he invited him to come to his Office any day
and examine every case and every employe.
He wanted him to come in the front door,
like a man, and not hunt up discharged
clerks. That would obviate the necessity
for making basel,ss ch rses.
Cooper cross-eXamined the witness. He
asked what witness fortune was. to which
witness promptly replied, "That is none Of
your busine $50 and returned the same
answer to the next question IS to the amount
| of his annual income.
Cooper then returned to the attack by ask
ing if witness had net been charged with
forging Mr.. ColfaX's name to a certificate.
Witness replied that he had not. Ii this
committee desired TO go into that he wished
TO be allowed to call witnesses, as 1t related
to a transaction twenty-five years ago. Cen
eral Raum had first spoken to witness about
came Commissioner. When witness propo-
sition to make an order like the completed
files order was under discussion Deputy
Commissioner Lincoln objected that its effect
WOulQ Dc 10 Turn al III us IUICe Vi tlle ObUct
upon witness cases; but that was wrong
belief. The complete ii eS order was made
January 6tb, and witness Endorsed Raums
note January 9TH. He did not then know
that the order had been issued. The effect
of the order upon cases In ordinary hieS was
banetic al, as it reduced the files in number
ard encouraged an effort to complete cases.
Lemons testimony having been completed,
Cooper renewed his request for the produc-
ton OF the books of the Refrigerator Com
pany, asserting that they would show the
refIiIerator was fraud, and that the Com
missioner had been manipulating from the
Pension Office fraudulent scheme.
Commissioner Raum said he was present
| to answer charges OF official misconduct and
| had done SO completely.
| The committee had seen the stock book of
| the company. He denied that the refriger-
| atOr was a fraud. Cooper knew he had
| sold 10 stock to pension office employees.
| There was conspiracy III this city and
| Cooper was being used as n tool to break
| down his (Raum's) credit. Cooper knew the
charaes were dismal failure and could not
| be sustained and he wished to draw in other
| things SO as, by hook CT crook, to injure
him (Raum). He should rest on his legal
rights and refuse 10 have his private bust
| ness dragged out by Cooper.
Cooper insisted on the necessity for the
production of the books as the best proof
of tue stockholders.
The committee, after private consulta-
ton, decided to reserve its decision upon
the question until it had an opportunity to
ascertain the extent of its powers to compel
the production of private papers. Ad-
iourned.