The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-05-30
MORE SCANDALS.
Green B. Raum, Jr., Son of the Pension
Commissioner. Sells Positions Under
his Father and il Dismissed
by Secretary Noble - Other
Interesting Facts About
Father aud Son.
From the National Democrat. Washington, D. C.
Ma

From the National Democrat. Washington, D. C.,
May %.
The Raum family is in sorrow. 1t has lost part
of its soft snap. No family ever quartered itself
upon the Government with greater enthusiasm to
work the job for all it was worth General Raum
some years ago resigned the Office of commissioner
of internal revenue at 1000 year to become the
agent and lobbyist here of the distillers because it
paid great deal better. The business of the disti
lers must have greatly fallen of, or the General
must have seen possibilities in connection with the
Pension Office or he would hardly have left the
disillers and returned to the ostcnsbe service Of
the Government He very carly formed intimate
relations iIh the largest claim agent doing bust
ness with the Pension Office, went into financial
operations with him and borrowed money of him
shortly after he had issued order in the of
the completed files which was of importance to
the claim agent. As soon as he became commits
sioner he appointed his son Green B. Jr., TO be as
sistant chief clerk. His son John went into the
business Of pushing pension claims before his
father advertised his relationship to the commits
sioner means of getting business and traded on
this connection until the Secretary of the Interior
compelled the commissioner to issue a circular
stating that no attorney had any better means of
getting claims through the Office than any other at
torney had Whether this was true or not the son
getting information about matters in the Office that
other attorneys had not The New York Herald
published the facts proving this in one case at
least
The Pension Office was great thing for the
Raums and they were making the most oft but on
Friday in compliance with the demands of Secre.
tary Noble, Green B.. Jr was compelled to resign.
He was getting to be too odorous. In the investiga
ton of his father last year it shown that he
running horses on the turf and had messenger OH
the pay rolls of the Pension Office to take of
them Here was man on salary Of 81 800 a year
who was keeping race horses What private en-
ployer would keep such man in his employ? He
was using department messenger as his private
servant and yet he was allowed to remain in the
Government service At one stage Of the investiga-
ton he tried to browbeat witness ordered out
of the committee room by the chairman, refused to
CO. and finally had to be coaxed out of the room by
his father. In statement made since the enforced
resignation was announced Secretary Noble said
that the young man had been gambling and CON
sorting with bad company and that the Secretary
had tried to reform him, but the young man
wouldn't take advise and it had become necessary
TO eliminate him from the public service
| In the present case the charge that young
Green B. Raum had been using his official position
as appointment clerk ofthe Pension Bureau TO sell
| ola few confederates with money.
The charge against young Raum was brought to
the attention of Secretary Noble days ago and
he directed that the special agents Of the Interior
Department look into it. There are various YER
sions given by the different parties, but none Of
| them are creditable TO young Raum or to the man
/ agement of the Pension Bureau by his father, and
according to the most sweeping story, which comes
from those who have been investigating the matter,
regular bureau for the sale Of appointments
| has been maintained in the Pension Office for
months People would be appointed to places out
side the civil service rules, usually paying 5000 per
| year, provided they made the appointments profit
able to Mr. Raum's ring. He and his eonfederates
4 put themselves in communication with people will
| ling TO pay well for places. thas been uncom-
mon thing ofate to see advertisements in the daily
papers here offering definite sums to any one who
would obtain places for the advertisers, usually
sums of 500 or 500. Outsiders have wondered if
! such advertisements ever produced any results-if
/ places or influence could be bought in that way
| under the Administration of President Harrison.
| Young Green B. Raum might shed some light on
/ the subject II is said that the investigation has
disclosed that he and his conlederates sold original
appointments that they sold promotions to those in
the office. and that they sold the privilege Of
selection under the civil service rules. Selling pro-
largely under the control of that thrifty appoint
ment clerk Raum, Jr.
/ One of young Raums confederalcs getting
! $1,000 per year when Raum entered the Pension
Bureau. He is now getting $500 and two of his
sisters have entered the service and been promoted
twice. Appointments cannot be sold to all corners
when they are under the civil service rules, but the
schemers at the Pension Office had two methods of
accomplishing their purposes and making the game
pay. One by notifying men who had passed
under the civil service rules that if they came down
with the cash they were sure of selection. This
! would be done when mans name near the
top OF the eligible list and he could be approached
with safety here in Washington. 1t simply
choice for him whether he should pay for his place
or be passed over i'll favor of more generous ap-
| plcant. Another method having clerks who
have entered the service for pay take examinations
for promotion by proxy.
It is one these cases that made the basis of the
chief complaint against young Raum. 1t seems that
/ South Carolinian advertised to pay 500 for
! place in Washington paying $50 per month. He
was soon approached by negro who offered to
obtain it for him. The negro, who was formerly
family servant of the Raum family, introduced the
South Carolinian to Green B. Raum, Jr.. and it
not long before he received his commission and
paid the negro the 500. Later clerk desired
promotion into the classified service but he doubt
ed his capacity to pass the civil service examina-
tons Another clerk, Mr.. J. l.. johnson, took the
examination under the name of the South Caro-
/ lnian and the promotion was soon accomplished
upon these fraudulent papers.
! When Secretary Noble learned of this affair he
promptly discharged the South Carolinian, Smith,
his proxy, johnson, and a clerk in the Indian
Bureau, who has had a share in the affair He then
sent for young Raum and told him his resignation
would be accepted. The young man had the hardi-
hood to object to resigning, but he was convinced
that it was best and wrote the paper. He might
have been allowed to serve few weeks longer but
for the discovery that he had borrowed" Govern
ment funds without authority and had not returned
them until several days after his resignation had
! been handed ill., The sum borrowed was S72, which
was returned to the Pension Office about three
months ago by pensioner who claimed that he
had been overpaid and who signed himself "hones-
! ty.' The money was placed in the safe as usual
until it could be turned into the Treasury When
the money called for it was not in the safe and
inquiry showed that it was in Mr. Raum's hands.
This little too much for Assistant Secretaries
Chandler and Bussey who are in charge of business
in Secretary Mobiles absence in St. Louis and after
a conference they decided to accept the resigna-
ton and to relieve Mr. Raum from further duty.
Strange to say, however, the resignation does not
take effect at once but Mr.. Raum gets thirty days
absence with pay.