The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-24
The Answers by Castle and
TraceWell.
BOTH STRONG DENIALS
They Specifically Deny Allegations Of Wrongful
Procedure and BsIitle Accusations Brought
by TuIIoch---Payne Comments
on the RI plies.
on the RI plies.
(By the Associated Press.)

Washington, May 23.-Postmaster Cen
eral Payne today made public the answers
of Henry A. Castle. the auditor of the
Treasury for the Postoffice Department,
and Comptroller Traeewell, of the Treas
ury. regarding the Tulloch charges of ir-
regularities in the Postal Administrations
The answers specifically deny the allega-
tiOns of wrongful procedure. Comptroller
Tracewell charges T. w. Gilmer, formerly
an expert of his office, with abstractlng
but subsequently returning upon demand,
the letter authorizing Mr.. Gilmer to ex-
anime the accounts of any postoffice ex-
cept Washington and New York. MI.
Tracewell alleges this letter was written
by Gilmer himself without any suggestion
from the Comptroller. Mr.. Castle says
that the sum of the tentative disallow-
ances by Expert Gilmer and the Comptrol-
Ter aggregated 1892; that the credits finally
disallowed out of a total of a quarter of
q million were $165, OF which he claims
only seven dollars was incorrectly audited.
This. Mr.. Castle says, is the basis OF MI.
Tulloch's charge of disalloWanees of $780,
900 or 900.
The Postmaster Generals statement
says that the letters are made public at
the request of the two officials, and that
it will appear from them how much foun-
dation there was for the Tulloch state
ments. Mr. PAYNE adds:
I'm the Postoffice Department the com
plant made of Mr. Gilmer, was, that he
would abruptly and discourteously enter
the rooms of department clerks, demand
papers IL an offensive way, and then
carry them away without leaving a re-
ceipt. 1t was demanded that he be in
structed to act as a gentleman and leave
receipts for. all papers which he carried
out OF the building, for if any were mis-
placed the department clerks would be
held responsible
Mr.. Castle in his answer says that Mr.
Tulloch shares in prevailing misappre
hension that an auditor is charged with
the responsibility of keeping other Off
cials Correct and honest" and in de-
terrnining the necessities of the service
The auditor says that such functions
would be fatal to administrative freedom
by the head of department
Regarding the sett lement and subsequent
revision of an account of the late Post
master Willett, of Washington, which in
yolved alleged irregularities in Porto Rico
during the military occupations here. the
Auditor replies that every item believed
to be illegal was disallowed by the Audi
tors Office The wide discretion given IN
the language of the appropriations for
military postal service, according to the
auditors answer show that Congress in
tended to exempt the disbursement OF
those appropriations from many of the
ordinary regulations.
Every expenditure made was authorized
in advance by the departments every
voucher approved and actually paid by g
postmaster weeks or months before its
presentation to the auditors office fol
allowances. Many expenditures were un
usual, and a few of them were by US held
to be illegal, and disallowed, as TO wheth
er the serice was necessary or the com
pensation extravagant, the department
was the sole Judge
Mr.. Castle goes at length into detail.
Of the examination of accounts, and says
while this revision was thus barren Of
financial gain it was indirectly profitable
Through Tulloch's private interviews witt
Gilmer irregularities We're pointed ou
which did not appear on the face of th'
Papers and were unknown to the auditor