Evening star., 1900-05-26
Alleged Irregularities in the Local
Office.
STATEMENT BY POSTMASTER GENERAL
Had Investigated and Found No
Evidence Of Wrong.
WHAT CONTROLLER SAYS


certain quarters that many Irregularities
are to be found in the Washington city
post office. These Irregularities are sum-
married in the printed charges as follows:
Funds of the Washington city post office
have been improperly disbursed for over
two years. the irregularities for the quar-
ter ending September 30, 1898, amounting
to $4,000 to 100000, according to an ex-
pert's report to Controller Tracewell.
Numerous favorites have been carried on
two and even three pay rolls at the same
time at the Washington city post office
and at other post offices in the country.
Oliver H. Smith of Indiana, now superin-
tendent in the local service, was for about
a year simultaneously auditor of local pos
tai stations, laborer and painter of street
letter boxes He drew three salaries. Ma
than B. t?) Baker Of Indiana succeeded to
Mr.. Smiths emoluments.
Six women have long been carried on
the rolls of the city post office as cleaners
at s6oo year, performing no work what
ever, and being paid on separate vouchers.
-Four men We're for many months paid at
the local post office. apparently to investf-
gate claims of letter carriers, all the posi-
tiOns being sinecures
John E. Jones, a newspaper reporter.
was carried for many months as physi-
can to the Washington city post Office at
S1,10O year.
ciais who were not on public business, trips
Tor private citizens only nominalIy con-
nected with the government service have
peen paid to the extent of tens of thou
sands Of dollars out of funds strictly be-
longing to the Washington post office and
out OF the military postal fund
Ihe Postmaster Generals Statement.
The Postmaster General said today that
the matters in question were brought to
his attention about year ago through the
report of an Inspector, who made an ex-
animation Of the Washington office Upon
thls report the matters We're subjected to
careful scrutiny. and 1t was found that
"hle there We're some errors of form and a
question as against what appropriation
sGme OF the items should be charged, there
was no wrong.
The matters were also submitted to the
controller of the treasury and passed
under mis- personal scrutiny, and were al
eG relatlng to few items were questions
OF form and that there was no evidence
OF any dishonesty or wrong.
Controller TracevyeIls Statement,
When seen this afternoon regarding the
charges Of improper disbursements by the
Washington city post office, Controller
Tracewell. speaking of the investigation
made by him into the accounts of the
Washington post office for the quarter end
ing September 30 1898, said:
The statements published this morning
are grossly exaggerated. 1 carefully ex-
amined the accounts submitted to me by the
expert, and the result was that l disallowed
a total of $932S6 the quarter ending
September 30 1898. Later l allowed $40 of
officials. I want to say that all the cor
respondence on this subject is on file in my
once and Is open to any one who may see
fit to make an investigation.
y-n
there had been Irregularities amounting to
from $4,000 to $4,000, stated, that I
should have discovered them and disallowed
them. 1t seems to me almost useless also
to deny the insinuation that any one sug-
gested to me that the investigation be drop
ped No one at any time made such sug-
gestion. and l remember distinctly to have
given the closest attention to the various
Items under investigation"
Controller Tracewell was engaged for
periods from April to August of last year in
going over the post office accounts, and
says that he made a personal Investigation
of nearly every item. Regarding the case
or the women cleaners, for instance Mr.
Iracewell says that there is evidence in his
once that they did not perform the work
OF their office, but that he disallowed the
salaries on the ground that no appropria-
ton provided for them.
The Women Cleaners.
Mr. Tracewell then referred to the files
OF his office of August 81, 1S99 producing
letter to James P Willett, the former post
MASTER reviewing the settlement for the
quarter ended September 80, 1898. This let
ter goes on to disallow various items which
mad been allowed by the auditor for the
Post Office Department.
In this letter is found reference to the
"cmen cleaners, who are alleged to be car
ried on the rolls of the city post office
You will see by this letter." saws the
controller that l disallowed the salaries
OF four women carried on the rolls as
cleaners. The total disallowance in the
case of these women was $441.SG. The
ground on which l disallowed 1t was that
they We're not chargeable as miscellaneous
expenses.
Il also disallowed the per diems of two
men carried on the rolls as mechanics
the disallowance In each case being S15S
In the letter to Postmaster Willett l stated
that 1t did not appear that these men
actually served as mechanics, and that evil
dence on that point had not been furnished
as requested by this Office.
''1n the case of DIR. J. f. JONES' carried
en- the rolls a physician, I remember to
have made inquiry about the matter at the
time. This information satisfied me that
Dr. Jones was properly on the roll and
that there was no irregularity in his case
l passed the account and, so far as know
such an office as he then filled is still being
filled by the post office.
THE entire investigation of the city post
office was on my own motion, and l am
ernment were protected in that case. Under
the law l cannot go back more than year
in investigating settlements.
II may say that in first taking up the
matter of the city post Office and looking
over the accounts I made tentative objec-
tions to possibly 5000 or $4,000. These OBJ
jections except in the sum 1 have already
mentioned, were removed on eXplana ton by
the proper officials l may say that fire.
quently make tentative objections in ac-
counts"
DIR. Jones' Statement
In an interview with a reporter of The
Star, DR.. Jones said:
"I was appointed a physician at the
Washington city post Office upon the recon-
mendation of Postmaster Willett in 1898
1 am a regular licensed physician. My
duties were to examine all carriers reported
sick, the Office having been crippled by the
large number Of absentees During the
few months L was employed I investigated
a great many cases, and upon my recon-
mendation carriers and clerks were dis
missed, fined or warned. The duties were
onerous in that they required work on my
part before 8 o'clock in the morning and
after in the afternoon, oftentimes keeping
me out until midnight. They conf1icted
with my reportorial duties, and the editor