Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-04
THE RAUM INQUIRY.
Gen. Bussey Testifies Before
the Enloe Committee.
HE ENDORSES TIE COMMISSIONER.

What He Has to Say About Relating
and Other Matters Pertinent to the In
vestigation-The Bureau Not a Poiiti-
cal Machine-Gen. Raum Gives a House
subcommittee Some Figures on PEN
sions-A Decision as to Pennsylvania
Short-Service Soldiers-Omcial Notes.
WASHINGTON, March Assistant Sec
rotary Bussey, of the interior department,
who has supervision of the work of the
pension bureau, appeared before the
special pension investigating committee
yesterday.
He related the circumstances of young
Raum's resignation and the peremptory in
structions Of Secretary Noble to carry out the
demand for his resignation. Young Raum had
denied the charges made against him and
asked for a chance to make defense. He had
no connection with the afiidavits filed against
young Raum by Howard and Engle, discharged
employees of the bureau. The commissioner,
he said, did not consult him in regard to the
dismissal of those employees.
The Dismissal of Taylor.
The commissioner, however, did tell him that
he thought an employee named Taylor was con-
spring against him, and for the good of the
Office he would recommend his discharge.
Commissioner Raum told him that Taylor was
giving information in regard to the Office to
the newspapers. 1t was often the case that
discharged employees were not given an oppor-
tunity to make defense.
DO You think good men are done an injus-
tice by this act.on?" ask Enloe
1T has been the means of restoring many OF
the employees to their old positions said Bus
sey, but don't make the rules of the depart
ment and am, therefore, not responsible for
them" Continuing, he said that the demand
ed resignation Of young Raum was not an act
TO shield an one in higher authority.
The Re-Rating of Pensions.
AT the request of Enloe Bussey explained his
part in the re rating episode. In first coming
Into Office he found that there was a violation
of the law in the re-rating cases, and an in
yestigation followed which showed that evil
existed. The clerks who filed application for
re-rating were not the ones to blame, but a
Few only who had the work in charge The
discharge OF F. 4. Butts, chief of a division.
was called up by Enloe. Bussey said that he
was discharged because he was instrumental
In facilitating cases for re-rating. and for
completely in this violation of the law. Bus
sey stated that ten re-rated cases received On
an average of Sl,0O apiece, and some of them
had been re-rated several times.
Began Under Commissioner Black.
Judge PaysOn asked under whose administra-
ton the re-rating system began. Busscy an
swered that il began under the administration
of Commissioner Black, and was continued
under TannC.'s administration. Upon his
tBusseys) coming into Office the investigation
was held and the practice was stopped, and
there has not been al illegal case of re-rating
under COmmi siOner Rau.n's administration.
II the system of re-rating had continued it
would have cost the government SSJ0O0OOGO 10
have re-rated all pensions. Bussey stated that
there were LOO re-rated cases under Black
and L3D under Tanner, and the practice was
growing. After q case is adjudicated,n said
Bussey- eve have no power TO recover any
money that has been overpaid to a pensoner."
The Case of Col. Dudley.
Enloe asked the reason why Colonel
Dudleys name did not appear on the list of re-
rated pensioners. Bussey said that was
because it came under the head of a specific
disability, under the act OF August 1886 which
rated the pension of soldier who had lost a
leg at the knee joint at s:6.
Enloe asked if he (Bussey) knew if a special
examiner for this district, Brooks by name,
was employed to look into the cha racter,
habits, and associations of the employees of the
pension office. General Bussey disclaimed any
knowledge OF such a thing. Nor did he know
that an official named Spraser came from
P1ttsburg and was engaged in spotting Office
employees who had relations with newspaper
men.