Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-05-12
TRYING TO DODGE
Pension officials Seek to divert the In,
yesticaffon.

Pension officials Seek to divert the In q
vestigation.
When an accused person adopts the
advice of the old lawyer to abuse the
plaintiffs attorney" one Is apt TO s,is-
pect that the condition exists TO which
that advice is applicable, namely, that
both the law and the evidence are
against the defendant The pension in
vestigation has eonelusively shown that
Commissioner Raum has for months
been engaged in conspiracy to trap
Congressman Cooper, who has been ae-
tive in having the management of the
bureau investigated
The organs of the administration
have also been Jealous in aiding the
counter attack on Mr.. Cooper. When
Hersey was found to have been Garry
ing on profitable business in expedit-
ing pension cases, they at once assumed
that Mr.. Cooper was his partner, and
commented with ghoulish glee on his
being hoist with his own petard, and on
his having thrown boomerang. They
were extremely anxious to divert at.en-
ton from the real matter at issue.
which was the management OF the pen
sion bureau. to the merits or dement's
of congressman who were not under in
vestigatlon-
Later developments have shown that
the mirth of the organs was premature.
Evidence has been introduced to show
not only that Mr. Cooper was not aware
that Hersey was abusing his confidence.
but also that Raum knew it months
ago, and instead of putting stop to it
made the discovery the basis of efforts
to entrap Mr.. Cooper. These efforts
met with ignominious failure, and Mr.
Raum appears as baffied conspirator.
Even republican members of the com
mirtee have felt obliged to say that
they believe Mr. Cooper guilty OF no
wrong, and they no longer desire to see
the investigation diverted from the pur-
pose for which it was begun.
The evidence so far taken abundantly
shows that the pension office is full of
men who are chiefly intent upon pro
noting their own interests, and that
officials prey not only upon the public
but upon subordinates and others
borrowing money appears 10 be
favorite species OF dissipation in the
bureau The commissioner borrows
large sums from George E Lesoon. on
| the pledge of stock of doubtful value.
| or perhaps of no value, and il somehow
happens that nine out OF ten OF the
cases expedited under a special order
are Lemons Employees loan, money
to their Subordinates and are promoted.
Other employees report abuses that
come under their observation, and are
discharged. Reporting any abuse is
| treated as an attack on the commits
sioner, and the latter boldly says he
will discharge any employe that attacks
him. To round up this comfortable
system of running the Office as a private
snap. every discharged employe is de-
nounced as unworthy of credit, because
| he has been discharged In this way
the pension bureau is To be made proof
against investigation altogether.
It is TO be regretted however, that
the investigation of pension abuses has
not gone somewhat deeper. It is obvi-
Gus enough that the management of the
office is bad, but if it were made better
the relief of the country would be COM
paraLively small. The opinion prevails
almost universally that a large percent
age of the pensions paid go to the unde-
serving. Fraud and favoritism have
contributed to swell the rolls beyond all
reason. and the pension burden will So
on increasing for years There is need
of general revision of the rolls for the
purpose of eliminating fraudulent pen
sioners, bzt the task IL probably toe
great to be attempted at present with
reasonable chances OF success So long
as so many congressman fear to make
even a suggestion looking to the cor
rection of pension abuses, the agents
and the cormorants are pretty likely to
have their own way.-Louisville Cour-