The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-26
The Chief OF the Bureau of Fraud
and Perjury breads lnves-
tigation.
He Maintains His Place by Shield
ing Criminal Friend OF
Harrison
Report of Comm IssioneF Carter of the
Business of the General Land Ofice
-.. Last Year.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25--The usual month
" report of Raum's retirement, forced or
otherwise, from the pension burenu, has
been in circulation for the past couple OF
days The report comes with such regu.
larity that the historian of diurnal events
ut the capital is rather inclined to steer shy
OF it by this time, but the fact being we'll
recognized that Raum ought to 20, whether
he will or not it is always to be expected
that public decency will some time or other
take hold of the administration and COM
pei it to release the incubus. The latest
story is that Raum is to be allowed to re-
sign few weeks before the convenlng OF
congress go ms to relieve him OF the necessi-
ty of going through the ordeal OF being IN
vestigated in the next house OF representa-
tives. Raum, Harrison and the rest
of them, of course, are we'll aware that the
next house of representatives intends to do
some very extensive investigating, and the
pension bureau, or, as it is familiarly called
here, the bureau of fraud and perjury, will
be the sentinel point in the democratic at
tack. Raum is absent about two-thirds OF
his time now. and it would be to his ad-
vantage to keep on drawing salary to the
last possible moment. He is paying little
or no attention to the duties of the Office
that he is paid $4,000 year to attend to-.
Nearly all the official papers leaving the
pension bureau for the past two months or
more have been signed by Lincoln. the
deputy commissioner. Raum is continu-
ally Mt work on hisgreat refrigeratlng fraud,
and pays little or no attention to the affairs
of the pension bureau unless when his
friends. the pension sharks, call upon him
to make ruling in their interest. The
latest story is that ex-CoDgressman Payson,
of Illinois, is booked to succeed Raum.
| Payson, it will be remembered, was repudi-
ated by his constituents last fall because
thew believed he was too subservient to cor
poratious and the moneyed interest gene
rally. Payson's speciality here has been
public lands rather than pensions, but he IL
man of ability and resources, and the
pension bureau after brief experience
| There is no doubt at all that Raun has
some extraordinary pull with Harrison
more than the usual pull that subordinate
official OF the government has with chic
thereof. Az.
The story is that Raun had the deas
drop on an Indiana friend of Harrison
named A. O. Merring. Merring is an at
torney and did very extensive business II
the pension shark line. He formerly oper
ated alone, but he is now The head of thu
firm of Merring, Slusher Il Co., Of Colum
bus, Ind. Some of Nerring's actions Gre
ated suspicion in the pension bureau, ant
special agents were sent out there to inves
tigate. According TO the reports there wer'
nine or ten indictments prepared aRains
Merring for violations of tho pension law
when he appealed to Harrison, his olt
friend and ellow-campsigner in Indiana
to come to his rescue. The report is tina
Harrison appealed to Raum to call off hi
special agents and let Merring alone. ant
this is one of the reasons for Raun's inttu
ence with the president. il ia stated ol
good authority that Congressman Cooper
of Indiana, who took some interest III tn
investigation of Raum in theslast congress
ia possessed Of all the facts connected Will
the investigation, and perhaps indictments
of Merring, 1t is also said that inhueEc
is now being brought TO bear upon Nl
Cooper to let Merring alono when he begin
to Investigate the pension bureau in tn
next house. Those who know Mr.. Coope
best, however, have no fear that admins
trative or other influence can induce MI
Cooper to keep anything back regardin
tho pension bureau that he is convinced
detrimental to the public interests. Wo ca
therefore safely rely upon it that when th
next congress convenes Mr.. Cooper will la
bare before the country all the facts II
lating to Merring, Raum and Harrison.