The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-05-12
PENSION BUREAU INVESTIGATION.

The House adjourned at 5 p. m.
PENSION BUREAU INVESTIGATION
Continuation of the neutrality-suspicious.
Charges Brought Out.
The House Special Committee investigating
the Pension Bureau met on Tuesday, May 3,
and J. ID. Rhodes, socalled pension attor-
ney was called to the stand. Certain letters
were introduced which had passed between the
witness and Gen. Raum referring to his prac-
tice before the Bureau and to his disbarment;
and another letter written by witness to client,
b. b. Houghkirk, of lama, Iowa. which used
dsrespectful language toward Gen. Raum.
Gen. Raum wrote letter to Rhodes when he
became aware of the scurrlous letter, and gave
him 10 days to show why he should not be dis
barred.
Rhodes said he paid no attention to this COM
munication, and did not offer to protest against
his iisbarment. He also offered letter from
Gen. Raum, in reply to a letter from him
(Rhodes), in which Gen. Raum says he does not
insist on his disbarment on account OF his dis
courtesy to the Commissioner, but on account
of continued complaints relative to his conduct
as pension attorney Witness told how he be-
came acquainted with Raum, jr., in 1890 Raum
wanted to buy horse, and witness went to see
him about it. He offered horse to Raum for
SI75, and Raum said he would give $50 in cash
l.
making cases special. He told Ranm he was
not practicing before the Bureau at the time,
and needed no influence.
Judge Payson said to witness: You say
you are lawyer and you know you should
not make such a statement" to which Rhodes
replied:
"rm bad enough and mean enough for
lawyer" to which Judge Payson assented.
The witness then said he would be little
more polite, and was told by the Judge that it
was not question of poiteness but of decency.
Judge Payson questioned witness and in re-
ply to a question Rhodes denied point blank
that he wrote the letter to Houghkirk after
which he admitted sentence by sentence that
he did, finally acknowledging the whole letter.
After the Judge had cornered Rhodes he said
"Yes, wrote it, and / meant it. 1t was pri-
vate letter; it expressed my sentiments then
and does now, and always WILL"
IF that is true how did you come to write
this letter." asked the Judge, proceeding to
read letter written long afterward, which
called the Commissioner my dear sir and COM
rade, and apologizing for the letter written to
Houghkirk and asking for forgiveness, and say
ing he would never again write such letter.
Rhodes explained that the HOughkirk letter
was written while he was in passion, and
when he wrote the other he felt that he owed
the Commissioner an apology. The Judge
wanted to know il witness did not think he
owed the Commissioner an apology now, and
he said If he did he would not pay it, because
Gen. Raum had robbed him out Of several
thousand dollars by disbarring him.
A number of letters were introduced by
Judge Payson in Rhodes's case, among them
one from his wife, in which she accused Rhodes
of defrauding her out of the money she had put
in the business Some of these letters gave
Rhodes the blacklist Of characters, such as col
lecting illegal fees. soandering money on lcwd
women, trying to buy a witness to swear that
cuts he had received in drunken brawis were
saber cuts received in battle; in fact, showing
him to be one of the biggest kind of rascal.
These letters had been received by the Com
missioner from various sources, and had been
the cause of Rhodes's disbarment. Rhodes lis
tened to all this evidence with a smile, and
seemed rather proud of the fact that he was
proved to be the greatest rascal in Washington
Charles A. D'Arnaud, who was indicted for
personating another man, was the next wit
ness DArnaud said that before Gen. Raum
became Commissioner, and while acting as his
(witness's) counsel, suggested that he (witness)
apply for a pension. He asserted that the
charges against him grew out of Gen. Raum's
malice toward him and a mistake made in the
War Department, which certified for his wit
ness's) military record, the record OF another
Captain of the same name.
To D'Arnaud's statement that Gen. Raum had
lDStIg3teu Lne in1IctmeUI, DIT. Dalley, SbiSi
of the Law Division of the Pension Bureau,
replied that Gen. Raum had nothing what
ever to do with the matter.
The purport of this testimony introduced
by Mr.. Enloe was to show that Commissioner
Raum rejected the pension out of malice. Mr..
Enloe asked witness that IF the Commits
sioner stated in his testimony that he did
not call up your case of his own motion
did he tell the truth ?" To which D'Arnaud
et,. In IN
The committee then had to wrestle with the
question whether Cabinet officer is re.
sponsible to Congress for any action he may
take in dismissn9 employees. Mr.. Enloe main
tanned that Theodore Smith welded an in
fuence at the Pension Bureau, and he had
reason to think that Smith had made false
charges against employees, and he had asked
Secretary Noble for the papers in certain cases,
and the Secretary had refused to furnish them
to the Committee. A long argument ensucd,
| but nothing was done, az neither Gen. Raum
| nor his attorney was present. A resolution
! will be offered in the House asking for in-
| structions in the matter.
The committee on Saturday, May Z, came to
| the conclusion that the testimony heretofore
| given by the so-caled pension attorney Rhodes
was utterly worthless, and ordered IL stricken
| from the record. Another reason was that the
testimony was too voluminous and was of nc
| aid in pursuing the investigation.
Chairman Wheeler received q letter from
| Secretary Noble, which says that, having
learned from the letter of the Commissioner OF
Pensions that he has been directed by the Sec
rotary of the Interior to refuse to furnish iE-
formation desired by the committee concern
ing certain correspondence, upon the ground
| that the Constitution and laws Of the United
States repose in him the Secretary the power
of appointment and removal, and that in his
(the Secretary's) opinion he is not required to
furnish Congress or one of its committees the
grounds upon which appointments,and remov.
} ais are made" While believing that he might
rely safely upon this statement of the law
were he SO disposed, as the head of the Depart
ment of the Interior he informs the committee
that the Commissioner has misapprehended his
purpose so far as the investigation of the COM
mittee is concerned. He has no disposition te
refuse in this instance, either upon the grounds
stated by the Commissioner or any other, ar
investigation into the correspondence men
toned, but thinks the demand should be more
definite as to cases and time; otherwise the
labor will be very great, and the time and