The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-27
Director OF Posts Elliott Confident
There Is No Scandal Attached
to His Administration.
REPORT FROM GENERAL DAVIS
THAT SHOWS THERE WAS NO Ex.
TRAvAGANCE UNDER HIS RULE.
The Senate's Proposed Investigation
of Cuban Anafrs-Surcharged
Stamps at Hartford City.
pecial to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, May 26-The Washing
ton Post this morning printed bitter at
tack on the management OF the local post
Office. 1t charges that many persons have
been allowed to draw two or moro sal
aries at the same time; that the others
were paid salaries for work not performed
and that the expenses OF yet others for
junketing trips to Porto Rico and else
where were betrayed from the revenues Of
this office. 1t will be recalled that in the
beginning of our control OF Porto Rico it's
postoffice system was run In connection
with the Washington Office The Post
charges generally that irregularities lave
been going on I'm this office for more than
two years, and that when the auditors
tried to put a stop to them they received
from their superiors what virtually
amounts to an order ito let the Washing
ton city postoffice alone" Among the par
ticular instances the Post cites TO SUBJ
stantiate its charge of irregularities are the
following: "oliver II. Smith. OF Indiana.
now superintendent in the local service.
was for about year simultaneously audi
tor of local postal stations. laborer and
painter of street letter boxes. He drew
three salaries. Nathan B. Baker, Of In
diana, succeeded to Mr.. Smiths emolu-
ments." Oliver Smith is from Muncie.
Postmaster General Smith said to-day
that the matters involved in these charges
had been investigated a year ago. when IL
was found that while there were some
errors of form and question about the APP
preparation against which some OF the
items should be charged. no wrong had
been discovered and he believed none ex-
isted
Controller of the Treasury Tracewell.
who finally passes on all the money ex-
penditures of the various executive de-
partments, denounces the statements Of the
Post as grossly exaggerated. He denies
that there has been any order. actual or
virtual, explicit or implied. given TO him
or by him to let the Washington city post
office alone. He would give no such in
structions TO any one. nor would he heed
them coming from any one else Irregulari-
ties in the expenditures of money continu-
ally occurred I'm all the departments, so
there was nothing significant in his hav-
ing disallowed few hundred dollars out
of many thousands expended by the Wash
ington Office These were due 10 a num-
Der of causes. he explained. but very rare
". indeed, to criminality. The controller
expressed himself as satisfied that the in
terests of the government had been and
were proprely protected by the Washington
city postoffice.
Auditor Castle, who passes upon all post
Office accounts, explained the statement
about Oliver III. Smith. He said that the
law allowed a person TO draw two or more
salaries when the person drawing them
performed the duties and the salaries did
not aggregate more than $500 a year.
This simple explanation puts that matter at
rest.
The charges are believed to be the work
of a man named Tulloch. who had been
employed in the Washington city possof-
flee for many years. and for long time a.
cashier. When the postmaster. Mr..
Merritt, assumed Office last year he pre-
ferred 10 have as cashier a man he knew
and discharged Tulloch, appointing his own
man to that office. Tulloch. who had been
in Office so long that he thought he owned
IL In fee simple, was angry and revengeful.
1t is said he has been trying for nearly q
year TO get this story printed, and only
succeeded at last because the Post Is maxi
ing malicious and malignant war on the
administration for some private reason OF
its own.