Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-16
COMMISSIONER RAuM.
He 10 Interrogsted BY the House COMMITTEES
Investigating His OHiee.

He 10 Interrogsted BY the House Committsl
Investigating His OHice.
The select committee Of the House appointed
to investigate the workings ,tof the pension
Office placed Commissioner Raum upon the
stand yesterday to answer some questions reis
tive to the workings Of the pension Office which
the committee desired to ask.
Mr.. Raum ct the outset asked permission Il
read long statement which he had prepared
and sworn to. Objection was made to this By
Representatives EnIoe and Cooper. the prose
cutors. who did not want arguments to begir
| until testimony was taken and the Investigation
begun.
Mr.. Raum testified that he had no relatives
in bis Office. but had recommended his daugh
ter, widow, to be his confidential clerk. as thu
man who acted in that capacity was affected
with eye trouble, and his daughter WAS now in
his Office, assigned to the work Of signing his
namo to certain papers. She held position in
the census bureau. bnt received no pay while
working in his office. The recommen datiou
had not been acted on by the Secretary. and il
she does not receive the appointment she will
receive no compensation.
Mr.. Cooper inquired as to Mr.. Raum's con-
nection with the Gypsum Mining Company
Mr.. Raum. on advice of his counsel, refused to
answer on the ground that the inquiry related
to his pri, ate affairs.
Mr.. Copper said he proposed to show that
the commissioner has made use Of the bureau
to promote his private affairs in connection
with the Gypsum Mining Company, and that
he hypothecated some of the shares Of tho
company to secure and indemnify IN attorney
practicing before the bureau against loss by
reason OF Endorsement of his papers. Also that
by reason of the Endorsement thus procured
the commissioner made a ruling which was
favorable to this attorney in the advancement
Of his claims. Further. he expected to show
that the commissioner took an attorney into
partnership with him in this Gypsum Min
ing Company, and that special examiners
in the field became soliciting agents of this
attorneys Office, took contracts for increase Of
pension claims and other business and reported
them to the attorney taken into partnership in
the Gypsum Mining Company.
Mr.. Payson asked if he expected to prove
this was done with tho knowledge of Gen.
Eaum.
Mr.. Cooper said he expected to show these
facts. and il he did 80 he thought Gen. Raum
would need to make the explanations.
MIR. Raum testified to having borrowed $500
for three days from Banker John W. Thomp-
son on note Endorsed by Attorney Lockwood,
which was promptly paid Mr.. Raum said that
the making of the loan had no connection
whatever with the protection OF a girl clerk in
his office. 1t was not at all conditioned upon
the promotion, and, SO far he remembered,
nothing whatever was said at this time about
the promotion Of this girl Mr.. Thompson
had before and since that time urged the pro-
motion OF this clerk and so had the late Sena-
tor Plumb. He paid the note when it became
due, without anything ever having been said to
him about its payment, and did not pay it for
the reason that he had been called on for the
money because the girl was not promoted. Mr..
Raum said he really could not recall the name
OF the girl and if she had been promoted he
did not know it.
Mr.. Little asked why she had not been pro-
noted, and the commissioner replied that it
was because of matters he had ascertained.
Mr.. Raum said he had undertaken to make
perfectly clear statement about the matter.
The making of the note had no relation what
ever to the promotion OF the woman.
Representative Cooper then detailed Mr.
Raums participation III the last campaign and
the fight which Mr.. Raum made against him in
his district. MIR. Raum had made speeches.
Had informed Mr.. Dunbar, Mr.. Cooper's re-
publican opponent. that he would see that re-
quests from him in relation to pension claims
received attention. He had given the privilege
to other prominent citizens i'll different parts
of the country. The letters and his orders in
the matter were on file and would be produced
The commissioner admitted that the instru-
mentalitles Of the pension office were some
times used by Congressman and others for po-
htical ends by securing action on pension
claims His experience was that il did not have
much political effect, however
With this the session closed for the day.