Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-02
Minority Report of the Committee of In-
vestigation.

IstpOTt VI thc Va III
vestigation.
WASHINGTON, October 1st-The minority
of The special House committee appointed
10 investigate the charges against Pension
Commissioner Raum, Messrs. Lewis and
Goodnight, have united in the preparation
of report setting forth their opinion of the
results of the investigation.
The report reviews the evidence in the
refrigerator case and says: 1--WE lament the
conduct of public official who invokes
fire technicality of criminal law TO screen
himself from proper investigation, and to
hide from public view the details OF busi-
ness which is being conducted frorl one of
the Government bureaus, and concerning
the character of which so many and such
damsging charges have been made
As to the charge OF advan cement in PEN
sion claims for Lemon in consideration OF
his indorsipg the Commissioner note, the
report states that no intimate friendship is
shown 10 have existed between the Com
missioner and Lemon, and thai there were
no business relations before. Why should
Lemon, a good business man, risk Sl2 900
upon one who is afraid to have his SOL
yencv INQUIRED into. The completed files
system was 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 that the United States Commissioner
OF Pensions has not properly estimated the
delicate duties and serious responsibilities
of his great office, nor has he measured CD
to that high standard of patriotic consider
alton for public service which should pre-
vail in this department, adjudicating dis
bursements of nearly one-third of the
entire revenues of the Government. The
Pension Office is altogether too sacred
place for the development of personal
thrift and enterprise manifested in this
record. 1t was established that the nation
might properly care for those to whom it
owes gratitude too sacred for trihng. 1t is
a monument to the munifcence of d CRATE
full people, and its hundreds of employers
should be ministers of mercy, not stock
gamblers.
That place thus hallowed should have
been used for stock -jobbing or speculation,
or converted into a spawning place for cor
porations and stall for bartering doubtful
patents, is a reflection on our Government; ;
a degradation OF the public service, which,
we think, cannot be too strongly con-
demned. If the real and sensitive de-
mands of the occasion be measured by the
example of the forbearing Nazarine, who
scourged from the temple merchants and
money changers, or by the commendabie
conduct of President Arthur in removing
an Associate Justice of the Arizona Su-
preme Court for borrowing money of an
attorney practicing before him, Congress
must agree with US that there should be a
betterment of public service by house
cleaning in the Pension Rrreau
As the msjority of the committee intend
to pursue the investigation further at the
next session of Congress, their report will
not be made until that time.