Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-07
RAUM AND HIS NOTES.
Colonel Conger's Friends Deny There
Was Any Attempt Made to
EMBARRASSTHE ADMINISTRATION.
The Means Adopted to Collect the Borrowed
Money We're Banks.
EXCELLENT EFFECTS OF RECIPROCITY
rsprc,Ir TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH.

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArCH.1
WASHINGTON, Nov. 6.-When Colonel
Conger, the Republican National Committee
man from Ohio, brought suit against Com
missioner of Pensions Raum, two weeks
ago, for Judgment on a promissory note for
a considerable sum of money, Raum, or
some of his friends, caused statement to be
published to the effect that Conger was per-
scouting Raum for political purposes. The
story was that Conger being earnestly in
favor of the nomination of Blaine, next
year, was employing this method to perse-
cute Raum in order to bring further reproach
upon the Harrison administration.
An Eastern paper charged that Conger
had sent Raum's protested notes to the
President and tried to get a settlement in
that way before legal proceedings were in
stituted, his hope being that the President
would pay the notes himself rather than
permit the matter to be made public in the
courts.
All these statements do Colonel Conger
an injustice 1t is true he is strongly in
favor of the nomination of Blaine, and
equally earnest in his conviction that the
nomination of Harrison would result in the
defeat of the party. But he has not attempt
ed to persecute Raum, nor to use the pro
tested notes for the purpose of embarrassing
the administration A friend of Colonel
Conger's who is familiar with all the facts
in the case gives the following authorized
statement:
How the Loan Was Contracted.
1o,x Me-, Co1nar az o,p, in,
Cincinnati. The Pension Commissioner
was stranded" so to speak, and being
hard pressed for cash, appealed to Conger,
an old friend and army comrade. for loan.
Conger went to the Office of his firm in
Cincinnati and drew q check for 81, 500,
which Raum agreed to return on reaching
Washington the following week. Instead,
however, of sending a check, he sent
note for GO davs When this came due he
sent another note for renewal. When this
second note became due Mr.. Conger's
son, who had the matter in
charge, succeeded in getting $500 on account
and two notes of 81, 600 each in renewal of
the balance. Colonel 'Conger having use
for funds discounted the notes in bank, but
Raum permitted them both to go to protest.
Then the Second National Bank of Akron,
O. which held the paper directed its WASH
ington correspondent, the Columbia Ma
tional Bank, to put the notes in the hands
of its attorney for collection. The bank
turned the notes over to its attorney, John
B. Larner, who notified Raum that the
notes had been placed in his hands for col
lection.
A Series of Broken Promises.
Raum wrote Conger that he would pay the
notes on February l. and begged Conger to
induce the bank to hold of. Conger notified
the bank that Raum had promised to meet
the notes in February, and accordingly the
bank stopped proceedings in Washington.
When February came Raum failed to take
up the notes, and Conger took up the notes
himself, in order to give Raum further &C.
commodation. Raum asked for further ex-
tensions from time to time, and got them,
never meeting his promises to pay, until
finally Conger's attorney notified him that
other creditors were about to bring suit, and
that if he waited any longer he would lose
his chance to get even part payment.
Since February Raum has made Conger
at least dozen promises. and naturally
Conger's patience finally wore out. He
then instructed his attorney to take such
action as to him seemed best, and accord
ingly suit was brought. This plain state
ment of the facts shows how unjust was the
that Conger endeavered to perse-
cute Raum. As for the charge that Colonel
Cenger put the notes in President Harri-
sons hands, hoping he would pay them or
induce Raum to pay, Colonel Conger's
friend saws it is not true. IT President
Harrison knew of the existence of the notes
he didn't get his information from Colonel
Conger