The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-03-05
rnE pESsIoN INQUIRY.


terror Enssoy Continued.
WAsnINGroS, D.. c., March 1.-THE
examination OF Assistant Secretary Bus.
soy, OF tho interior department, wa.
continued to-day by tho special pension
Office investigation committee. Mr.. En-.
loo, after cliciting the information that
there were n number Of complaints Of
pensioners OF delay In the adjudication
Of their claims, asked II an order had
been issued practically taking the Office
force from work under tho old laws and
putting II to work on adjudication OF
cases under the dependent and disabili.
ty net OF 1890.
MIR. ltucsey denied that tho entire
force was no employed, but added that
n largo number OF claims arising under
tho old law in which evidence was in
sufficient to meet its requirements had
been adjudicatcd under tho now law
through m order issued by himself to
the commissioner. lie may have stated
yesterday that no such order had been
issued because no did not then recall
tho order.
Mr.. Enloe thon examined Mr.. Bussey
with reference 10 the ''completo iilosn
order which it was charged had been
Issued nt the request Of pension attor-
noy Lomon, and gave Mr.. Lemon con.
siderable advantage in prosecuting.
Claims found by tho board OF review to
DO incomplete were put in tho com.
pleted files, but no cases known in nd
vance TO DO incomplete were put there.
Witness did not know with whom that
order originated. lie had heard that
before it was issued an experiment had
been tried OH some Of Mr.. Lemons
eases. Practical experience, Mr.. Bussey
declared, had demonstrated that under
the completed files order greater ell
cheney was obtained than under the
former method.
Mr.. Busscy did not believe tho order
gave Washington attorneys advantage
over other countr..' attorneys. lie had
heard charges that Mr.. Lemon received
an advantage from the order, but he
didnot believe them Mr.. Lemon, from
his experience, madca practical suggGs-
ton and may have had some influence
in securing its adoption. Chairman
Wheeler asked il that order did not 90
into effect Immediately, and il in that
way an advantage was not given to
local attorneys who knew Of it in ad-
vance OF other persons.
MIR. Bussey said he believed that tho
order was telegraphod all over the
country the day it was issued, but air.
Wheeler called attention to the fact that
Commissioner Raum had testified that
it was five weeks before it became gen.
orally known.
Mr.. Busscy said there was no SNAP
Judgment" about the order and that he
had it under consideration q month
before issued.
Chairman Wheeler asked if witness
had heard OF q business transaction tine
endorsing OF Il. noto) between Commits
sioner Raum and Mr.. Lemon, the day
after the order was issued. Mr.. Bussev
said he had no personal knowledge OF il.
Mr.. Lemon had given the office less
trouble than any other attorney. Mr..
Little suggested that perhaps tho pen
sion office had given Mr.. Lemon less
trouble than other attorneys. Witness
informed Mr.. Enloo that he did not
know whether or not Mr.. Lemon put in
four thousand claims at once after the
order was issued, involving fees OF $780,
900. Referring to the board OF pension
appeals which passes judgment finally
on complicated or troublesome cases,
Mr.. Enioe asked ifany person practicing
before that board were sons or relatives
OF the members.
Mr.. Bussey said he did not know, and
with some heat protested against
promptings from u 'man OF that char.
a%cter," pointing fo,a zlnan behind Mr..
Enloo. Mr.. Enloe rctortcd that he did
not know that that was Mr.. Busscy's
business; and the chairman said that
the chairman would get information
from any source that was reliable.
Mr.. Bussey said he did not intend to
reflect on any ones character; but when
his board was criticized he wished the
charges made specific and not BY insin-
uation.