The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-01-13
THE WHEELS OF LEGISLATION

are revolving slowly, aud cannot IN 1act pc
accelerated until the speaker gets out and
joins with the other Democratic members
of the committee on rules in representing
the new code to the House.
1t is to be hoped that the pension Office
will receive the overhauling it deserves.
There Is q disposition on the part of the
Democratic members of the committee on
rules to prevent the investigation, lest 1t
should prove unproductive of results and
act as political boomerang upon the party.
There is, however, so strong sentiment
in favor of the investigation that the rules
committee will not dare 10 oppose 1t, and it
is quite probable that the latter part OF the
month will find d special committee ap-
pointed with MIR. Cooper, of Indiana, as It's
chairman and the investigation under W ay.
The administration of the pension office
under General Raum has been
DISGRACE TO THE COUNTRY.
II is a mystery why President Harrison
retains him in Office. Such leading and
stalwart Republican papers as the New
York Tribune and the Philadelphia rcsS
have repeatedly exposed General Raum' 8
shortcomings and urged his dismissal. But
he still remains, and there is no probability
that he will vacate the Office until IL
pleases him to do so. What his hold upon
President Harrison is no one seems able TO
determine. But that he does possess a
pulp there is no doubt, and it seems to DE
well understood that the President dare
not dismiss him.
Raum has devoted himself TO the business
OF his Office, but prior to that he had neg
lected his duties in the most
SHAMELESS AND DIsGRACEFUL MANNER.
During the first two years of his in
cumbency the records of his office showed
that he was absent from his desk nine
months of the time. He thus neglected his
official duties in order to look after his
private interests. Meanwhile, his son,
Green b. Raum, jr., was shown TO have
used his position as appointment clerk to
secure both promotions and appointments
for which he and little coterie of his as
sociates were handsomely renumerated,
So fragrant became the abuses that they
were called TO the attention of Secretary
Noble, who Immediately
ORDERED THE YOUNG MANS DISMISSAL.
! The fact has also been well established
! that another one Of the sons, who was en
| gagged in the pension business at the time
of his fathers appointment, had the brazen
effrontery to use his relationship TO the
commissioner in order to secure business
1t is well known that he sent out circulars
to this effect, his purpose being to sho1
that his relations with the commissioner
would enable him to expedite" whatever
| claims might be sent to him for settlement
GENERAL RAUM HIMSELF
seems to have had quite as little respect
! for the official proprieties as either of the
two boys. A few months after his Undue
ton into Office he desired s100 600 for the
prosecution of some OF his outside schemes
! toi1 yxal
known pension attorney of this city, begar
| importuning the commissioner to adopt
what is officially known as the 'completeC
files system" In other words, claims tina
were 'compleJe' in respect of evidence anC
! other data were to be taken up and passed
upon without regard to the date of theil
| filing. 1t was obvious that Captain Lemon
who was more extensive pension attorney
than any half dozen Of his rivals combined
would be the greatest beneficiary of thi:
system.
One day General Raum sent for him ant
told him that he had Just issued the orde
to adopt the system. He then took Captain
Lemon into his private Office and asked thu
latter
TO LOAN HIM TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Lemon did so without moments hesita
| tion. General Raum subsequently testifiet
TO these facts before the Republican com
mittee which investigated him year age
When Captain Lemon was asked as to tn
character of the collateral which Rauu
had given him he replied that he didn'
know and he didn't care what it's valu
was. In other words, it was
CLEAR CASE OF BARGAIN AND SALE,
and Captain Lemon no doubt felt that if h
never saw penny of his $4,000 again b
had been more than repaid by having tn
completed files SYSTEM" which he had S
persistently urged upon the commissioner
adopted.