The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-08-02
now HE RUNS THE PENSIONS.
commissioner Raum and His Attitude TO
The G. 1. R.
BLACKS DEALING WITH CLAIM AGENTS.
Nev, order OF Things Under Harrisons Adj
uinisiration-Iiow the New oHicer
Conducts idalrs.

hhrt|Att
c,,.r,,ssioner Raum has produced figures Of
,,,oenitude worthy OF Reeds billion-dollar
1',-ress for the purpose. a. he puts t., Of
Lowing IN dollars the enormous debt the
..,rt-y owes the odd soldiers." According
papm this debt is so large that il would
,,k-nrt the country 20 pay IT, But Mr..
r..,,,, has been playing the "old soldier racket
1., wears and he has made it pay politically
a,ocuniari,v. While endeavorug TO per
,-sde the e.. A. r. and other pleaders for pen
us ,bs, he is laborinC % turn the country
5 IN ITS belongings over 10 them Rsum IL
"N t,~e several Snaps besides the refrige-
...r .lrlre.n lie manages % keen the
pnrsiln Once in all It's methods and details
-eI at tie service Of certain leading claim
agents
UNDER BLACK.
r,der the last administration Commits
.,oner black established the system OF sup
I'm, the press daily with lists Of the pen
c,s Granted. giving the pOstoffce address
= each pensi0ner and the character OF pen
80, allowed This innovation brought
storr. Of protests from the claim agents.
many Of whom are harpies. c0ncealng thor
real character by lusty shouting for the old
soldier.
These claim agents descended upon Com
missioner Blnck ~ numbers and yOcferously
urrol him 20 rcscind his new order giving the
mess access 20 cases favorably acted upon. To
maintain that system. urged these claim
syents. would break mp their business If
PENSION claimants could obtain regular
AMI reliable Information as 20 the
status of the cases and the action Of the
Government from the newspapers. then
they could cease employing agents.
General Black replied that while he was
not seeking 10 iniure any mans business he
aid desire 10 assist pensioners TO get their
dues as promptly and cheaply as possible
tat tire very objection presented to tho new
departure WAS. IN his opinion, its best COM
mendation. lie added that it was the duty Of
the Government and its officials 70 facilitate
the pension claimants as much as possible
that the legislation of Congress had steadily
been directed 70 the end 4 enabling claim
ants to get their pensions with IS little ex-
pense as possible He concluded that his new
rule was "A good one, and he kept II up NJ long
a. he remained at the head OF the Pension
Bureau.
UNDER THE NEW ORDER.
Whom the Harrison administration came in
the claim agents headed by q Washington
firm which had been quite cOnspicu as IN
making contributions TO Republican CAM
pMgu funds. renewed their raid against pub
ication Of the daily list. They succeeded in
enhsting the sympathy of the pension
officials but the latter hesitated 10 return
T. the old order of things. as they
Lad been advised that the newspaper
correspondents thoroughly understood the
avenues OF the move. The first step towards
complying with the wishes of the claim-agency
fends was an order reducing very materially
the number Of the daily reports furnished the
press These reports were duplicated either
bv tvpewriters or such other methods as the
officials directed. Under General Black the
representative Of every newspaper who
enpllsd Wis supplied with a copy or copies
Of this report. and thus the daily action of
the bureau IN pending cases was printed n
every section of the country. Suddenly
without previous notice when Tanner wa
Commissioner the mum er Of copies for the
rress daily was reduced 20 about q dozen.
Tn. was practically denying the newspapers
Gle use Of the report.
BEGAN INVESTIGATING.
With the view Of ascertaining what had led
% the sudden change | called upon COmnls-
s0ner Tanner. He Iefcrred TO a deputy com
missioner. and the latter 10 chief of division.
IN the Office of the latter was a clerk, who
WAS very friendly % me- He frankly admitted
that the hostility of the claim ents to the
Newspaper publications had interpOsed the
obstacle.
The chief Of division informed me that the
department could only afford to make SO
many copies daily. / cited the TACT that Gen
eral Black had supplied all newspaper de
uands upon him. This was met with the
allegation that General Black had kept sew
eral dozen clerks employed upon that york
alone at an enormous expense, and that
IL was ali done 10 make himself solid with
two cierks-one of them a lady ut the Post
Office Department daily produced lists or
flurth-cass pOstmaSters appointed sufpcient
g. supply all the demands that these reports
we're prepared from an original, and there
was more labor in them than IN reproducing
r.areicrf hcf III that bp two
postotice clerks had their copies Of fourth
class p0simasters ready for the press early IN
tie afternoon and that they performed con-
siderable labor besidcs.
TAILED TO TANNEE.
As the chief Of the pension division was Oh
drate i returned 70 Comm ssiOner Tanner
and asked him If the claim agents had not
s,renuously fought the publication of the
pension list on the ground that the informa-
ton thus generally conveyed through tho
press diminished THEW business. He con-
fe,sed that the opposition from this quar-
Ter had been persistent. and that 1t
came from the claim agents of every
+ ctiOn of the Union Now Commissioner
Tanner did not have the hardhood of Raum.
A committee of newspaper correspondents
waited upon Tanner. explained the import
ance of promulgating through the press the
daily lat of pensions granted, together With
place If residence, etc. and the order re-
strict ~ the NUMBER o. copies Tor the press
Va, rescnded
WHAT RAUM DID.
But when Raum was placed at the head OF
tie bureau he WAS quick TO do the bidding OF
the claim sharks Even he did not have the
hardihood To deny ali access to the records
bui he ordered that the Lists as given to the
press contain only the names of the pension
er whose cases have been passed. This
vrtu.lv DESTROYS the value Of the
publication and Raum knows it. In
assn le State there are MANY fam lies OF the
same surname and under hum mins,
there is no means of the successful applicant
Identifying himself II another applicant OF
fire same nGme ia I & State Is alter IL pension.
Worse han this. thel.St furnished % g., e IrcsS
b, miserable botch. Names are run together
NEIL The fact is that the amateur type
writer's are permitted 10 pr@ctil upon tins
Wlrk II notorious TACT
that the press list is sighted treated with
ne Get and cont mpt at the Pension fureau.
ln Drcf. General Ranm does not permit any
regard for tie press 10 interfere with bis basi-
nets arrangements with claim agency firms.
Vile travelling over the country at public
expense declalming in regard to the country's
debt TO the old soldier and piling up figures
T. IN appalling extent. he Is selhshly
contributing TO deprive veterans Of
apart Of their pension money. for if he would
Al a