The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-06-02
PENSION BUREAU INVESTIGATION.
Gen. Raum Introduces Testimony in Rebuff
tai Before the House COMMITTEES.

Gen. Raum Introduces Testimony in Rebuff
tai Before the House COMMITTEES.
The Special Committee of the House inyestiga-
ting the methods of the Pension Bureau re-
sumed their sessions OF Monday, May % and
Judge Psyson, Commissioner Raum's attorney,
examined several witnesses in rebuttal the first
one being Warner Willhite, Chief of the East
ern Division. Mr.. Willhite said that no pref.
erence had been given any attorney prosecut-
ing claims before the Pension Office at
any time during his long connection there
with.
F. Fl. Allen, Chief of the Southern Division,
corroborated the previous witness that no pref
erence had been shown attorneys having cases
before the Office. During his connection az
Chief Of the Division he never had any per-
sonal knowledge that Commissioner Raum had
shown favoritism to Capt. Lemon or any other
attorney having cases before the Office. He
said that after the issuance of Order 149 Tin
relation to the completed flesl Capt Lemon
had comparatively few cases IN shape TO 90 on
the completed files.
While he (the witness) was opposed to the
order at the time it was issued, on account Of
the great confusion that would follow, he was
now in favor of the system, because the clerks
had been educated up to it. and having fully
understood IL they were able to get the cases
up with great dispatch. He would not now 20
back to the old system. He thought the COM
peted-6les system as now in operation was az
complete and perfect as human mind could in
vent.
In his opinion the work of the Record and
Pension Division Of the War Department was
faulty. He thought the clerks in the Office
were too crowded. Hardly day passed that
errors were not made by this division in giving
information called for by the Pension Office.
The division, he believed, was being spurred
on to make a record at the expense of ae-
curacy.
Other witnesses employed in various capaci-
ties in the Pension Office, in answer to ques-
tions propounded by Judge Payson corrobo-
rated the testimony given by the preceding
witnesses that no Partially had been shown
Capt. Lemon or any other attorney, and ex-
pressed themselves as being in favor of the
completed files system.
The committee then adjourned until Wednes-
day.
When the committee met on Wednesday.
May p, the proceedings were again confined
to the examination of several Chiefs of Divis-
ion of the Pension Bureau. called by Gen.
Raum's counsel, Judge Psyson, who testified
as to the management of the Bureau. All Of
the witnesses gave practically the same testi-
mony, which was to the effect that the eff
cheney of the Office its methods of conducting
business and the integrity of the clerical force
was all that could be desired, and the results
obtained were very satisfactory.
Judge Psyson then proceeded to eross-e1.
anime a man by the name of Fawcett, dis
charged Pension Office employee, as to a certain
alleged to have been held between
witness and member of Congress regarding
Gen. Raum and the advisability of sending
comics of the reports of the Investigating Com
mittee of the last session of Congress to the
GAR Encampment at Detroit to influence it
against the Commissioner. Witness denied
having had such conversation or contemplated
Il ,Na& b. hsy, hat
that he had proposed to some per-
son that it would be good thing to send .
paper to Detroit showing what kind of man
Raum was.
During the course of the examination much
ill-feeliug and temper was shown on the part OF
counsel and witness, and frequent demands
were made by both to the Chairman for pro.
lection Continuing. Judge Payson put num-
Der of searching questions to witness in an enc
deavor to prove previous bad conduct on his
part and the counsel quoted from letters TO
show that witness had been arrested for dis
orderly conduct with women and for intoxica-
ton. Witness. however, denied the accusa-
TONS After some further parley Fourth AS
sistant Postmaster General Rathbone was
examined. and put in as evidence some papers
in reference to the antecedsnts of F. NJ. Tays
lor. discharged Pension Office clerk. who had
sought employment in the Postoffice Depart.
ment.
Chairman Wheeler, of the House Special
Committee, on Thursday received letter from
Secretary Noble, of the Department OF the In
terror, which was in answer TO q letter from
him asking that the Committee be allowed to
inspect certain letter-book in the Pension
Bureau, which Gen. Raum refused to turn over
to the COMMITTEES unless authorized to do so by
the Secretary. Secretary Noble gives his con-
sent for the Committee to take the book for
furtherance of the investigation. The Com
mittee also decided not to compel the witness
Fawcett to divluge the name of the newspaper
which information was desired
by Judge Payson, Gen. Raum's attorney, they
not thinking the information worth any efors
to secure, and Fawcett was allowed to withhold
the information.