The morning call., 1892-03-04
THE RAUM INVESTIGATION.
Probing Into the Workings Of the Pen.
sion Office.
CONGRESSMEN As CLAIM AGENTS.
Appropriations Needed for the Current Fiscal Year.
Payments for Sugar Beunty-Bering Sea
Conference Concluded.
CONGRESShEy As CLAIM AGENTS.
Special to THE MORNING CALL


WASHINGTON, March 3.-Assistant Secre-
gary Bussey of the Interior Department, to
"nom was given the supervision of matters
relating to the Pension Office, testified to-day
Oeiore the Special Pension Investigating
committee of the House. He said Secretary
Noble told him he thought the good of the
Office demanded Special Examiner Taylor's
resignation. The Secretary told the wit
ness he thought Taylor was furnishing mat
Yer TO the newspapers. Bussey said he
thought one or two other persons were dis
missed from the Pension Office on the
ground that they were furnishing matter to
The newspapers. Witness told Representa-
tive Enloe that hs never before to-day
heard that young Raum, when appointed
clerk, collected notarial fee Of % cents
from each person appointed and promoted
In the Pension Office, and did not know it
was fact.
Rerasiug Pension Claims.
Congress had passed a law prohibiting
the practice of the subject of reratng pen
sions and making their rerating claims date
back to the time of original disability.
Bussey said that while looking up the pen.
sion laws, after becoming an Office holder,
be aseertained the statutes prohibited rerat-
ing dating further back than the medical
examination, OF which ierating was allowed.
An investigation followed and it was dis
covered that number of employees in the
Pension Office were being rerated. He said
the practice was il violation of department
decisions and violations of the law. The
practice had been stopped and he defied
any man 10 show case Terated in violation
OF the law under Commissioner Raum's
administration. Under General Black 100
rerated cases were found, and under Tan
ner 1900 cases. He estimated that il the
would cost $500, ,0C0.000.
Individual Cases Investigated.
Pearson of Ohio asked about the reports
IN circulation as to circumstances con-
nected with the reratiBg of Powell, an Illi-
nols politician. by Commissioner Black.
DUNCAN of Ohio asked: "Was that Gen.
eral w. III. Powell, Secretary Mobiles can
ddate for Commission er of Pensions?'
Pearson said: This very thing, when
attention was called to it. was what knocked
him out"
DUNCAN asked if Secretary Noble had by
letter requested Black. as favor, to con-
slider Poweli's case.
Bussey could not state
Enloe asked how 1t was that General W.
w. Dudley had been rerated without the
facts appearing on the record.
Bnssey said Dudley was legally rerated
q
loss of leg at the knee-joint. The rerating
did not go back 10 the date of the disability,
but 10 1856, the date of the act increasing
the pension. Why the record did not show
tho Teratlng he did not know, unless it was
because The claim was for specific dis
ability.
Congressmeu as Claim Agents.
To Enloe Bussey said the greatest abuse
tie Pension Office had TO contend with was
Inc practice OF congressman pushing pen
sion claims. He did not see how the prac-
tiee could be stopped, except by law. Bus
ssey believed that Commissioner Raum man.
aged the Office with efficiency and integrity.
Enloe inquired If Bussey approved Of the
practice of giving pensions to persons of
means. Bussey replied in the negative, and
said u was prohibited by a recent law. En-
loe instanced one case In which an Ohio
woman worth $4,000 was getting a pen
sion.
Bussey replied that his Office was con-
stantly investigating such violations of the
law. Ihe investigation was then adjourned.
Amount Needed for Pensions.
The Subcommittee of the House Com
mittee on Pensions to-day examined COM
missioner Raum with reference to the
estimates for the pension appropriations for
the next fiscal year. The Commissioner
said that last year 81, $4,000 had been spent
Tor medical examinations, and this year
81. 100000 would have been spent, which
tual amount of money expended On account
of pensions during the first SIX months of
the year was S63, 065. 675. About S43,0 ,0O0, coo
is on hand for the remainder Of the fiscal
year.
The statement prepared by the Commits
sioner of Internal Revenue in regard to the
sugar bounty shows that there have. been
2323 claims for bounty. amounting to
S6,9l4,654. received, and 925 claims, amount
ing 10 S2,9J2,02o. paid. The beet-sugar
Gtasrf fad IL
lows: Nebraska S53, ,97i. California S139, ,534
Utah S2l, ,S96.
Opposed to Free lumber.
During the last Congress Senators Wash
burn and Sawyer were supposed TO be 10
some extent committed to free lumber, and
this fact greatly alarmed the lumber-dealers
generally, these Senators being Republicans
| and having had experience in the lumber
uade. A committee from the National
| Convention Of Lumber-dealers waited on
| them Tuesday, and made an earnest request
that they vote against all propositions to
place lumber on the free list Both Sem
| ators gave the committee positive eSsur-
| ances that they were we'll satisfied with the
| operations OF the present law and would
| oppose any attempt to change the system. 1t
| was explained that during the early discus
| sion of the Mckinley bill hundreds Of petit
tlons were sent in from Wisconsin and
| Minnesota asking that lumber be placed on
| the free list. The petitions were signed by
| Republicans as we'll as Democrats, and
| served to convince Senators Sawyer and
| Nashburn that their constituents demanded
| free lumber, especially as no protests were
| received Through the aGDrts and eloquence
| of Major Mckinley and others the lumber
| tariff was maintained. aud no people in the
| country are now better satisfied with it
than those in the Northwest. The two Seu-
ators are firm protectionists, and now that
the views of their constituents have been
| made clear they will vote and work against
all free-lumber measures.
| Bills Reported From Comm ittee.
| The Senate Committee on Military At
| fairs to-day ordered a favorable report on
the bill appropriating $500, 600 to establish
| q military post at Helena, Mont A similar
bill! is now before the House Committee on
| Military Affairs. The bill. it is understood,
| has the Endorsement of Secretary Elkins,
! General Schofield aud General Miles, and is
| in accordance with the policy Of the War
| Department to abolish small outlying posts
and concentrate the troops.
| Ihe House Committee on Public Build
ings refused by a vote Of to 4 to adopt
| Bankhead's resolution declaring in view OF
the condition of the general Treasury that
| IT would be unwise and inexpedient to en-
ter upon legislation looking to the construc-
tioh OF new public buildings.
The Ways and Means Committee to-day
| heard the committee OF the Lumbermen's
| Association In opposition TO the bill intro
duced by ByrDe OF Nebraska. placing lum-
Der on the free list. Others also spoke in
opposition to the measure.
Senator Wolcott Of Colorado says there Is
no doubt the Senate will pass the free
| COinapa hill Ha dnaa mt ontioinafa nc