Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-30
MERRITT'S REPORT IS OUT
Postmaster General Considers Conditions
Shown Flattering.
BUT FEW IRREGULARITIES ARE FOUND
These Have Been Promptly Corrected
and n Is Believed All wrongful
Matters in POstomce Depart
ment Are discovered.

ment Are discovered.
WASHINGTON, May e.-Postmsster
General Payne today made public the reply
OF Postmaster Merritt Of this city to the
1ulloch charges. The Merritt response
makes accusations against former Cashier
s. w Tulioch Of the Washington postoffice
saying that a transaction I'm which Mr..
Tulloch was concerned in 1SaS appears to
comprehend the presentation of a false
voucher which is made crime by the
statutes"
Mr.. Merritt's reply further alleges that
receipts were signed in blank on the pay
rolls during Mr.. Tullochs regime as cash
Ter and that the files do not indicate any
complaint of irregularities against the
Washington postofflce filed by Mr.. Tulloch
while he was I'm office.
Mr.. Merritt says the general practice Of
giving employees duties seemingly incom-
patible with their positions is no abuse
and that the practice of paying certain
expenses of the Postofiice department out
Of the Washington city postoff1ce funds al
ways has existed and is proper.
The postmaster general today announced
the completion of the investigation of the
salary rolls of all the first and second
class postofflces in the country. The only
Irregularities reported, all OF which have
been ordered to be corrected Immediately
were the payment to fourteen assistant
postmasters of a larger salary than they
should receive under the departments pol
icy; payments TO few clerks of more than
the law allows. and the existence of desig-
nations unknown to the law Of the positions
in seventeen postoffices
Mr. pavna aaId that pnpa 90 4hasn
indicated any wrongdoing and he regarded
this net result of the overhauling Of the
rolls Of upward OF 1900 presidential post
Offices as gratifying. Mr.. Merritt says:
Before I became postmaster one of the
employees OF the postoffice was suspended
from duty from May TO June 3. 1895, with
far as have learned and without any de-
partmental authority. Mr.. Tulloch, the
cashier cash retained this mans pay for the
time stated, amounting to $40, against his
protest, l am told. obtaining his signature
TO the customary form of payroll. however
and sI then sent the account to the auditor
for the Postoffice department as though
payment had actually been made The
cashier probably had the postmaster's or
ders to do this and II seems he did not
make personal use Of the money. But the
transaction appears, nevertheless, to com
prehend the presentation Of a false voucher
the revised statutes. The money thus lin-
lawfully. taken was divided by the cash
Ter. by his direction among number OF
persons, upon orders signed in the name of
the postmaster by his assistant (though in
one case no order has been found until all
OF It was used up except 1876 which is
now In the official possession of one Of the
bureaus of the Postoffice department.
Cause for Removing TuIIoch.
Postmaster Merritt, then speaking OF his
removal of Cashier Tulloch almost at once
after he became postmaster, declares the
therefor says:
Take this incident related to me by Mr.
James p. Willett. my predecessor, a few
days after l assumed the postmastership
and fully confirmed by the statements Of
others. He said that his accounts for the
last quarter of his term were in rather
tangled condition; that he was very much
worried St a6oYt @ them, that, his cashier should
ne regarded II as the cashiers duty to
properly arrange and close them hut that
he, Tuiioch, absolutely refused to 'ja give ii
unless he was paid $500 therefor. Upon
nay advice Mr.. Willett Indignantly rejected
the offer and Mr. Tulloch never gave him
any aid whatever. The work was entirely
and satisfactorily done by my own OFFICIAL
Upon looking into the practice of the
cashiers office prior to MI. Tullochs sep
aration from II, | found that he had been
In the habit for many years OF making
up the quarterly payrolls of the office in
blank, getting the signatures of the en-
ployes thereto and filling in afterwards the
dates and amounts paid. l do not charge
filled In, but need not say to any bust
ness man at least that such practice pre-
over in April 1899, the accounts prepared
by Mr., Tulloch for the period from July /
to September 80. 1895. the comptroller OF the
treasury discovered this grave irregularity
and thus commented on Il:
Receipts Signed in Blank.
blank on your payrols. BY what legal au-
thority is this done? No person should be
required to sign vouchers in blank, leaving
amounts and dates to be filled in over their
signatures The existence of such prac-
tice makes receipts of little value"
Mr.. Merritt denies that the Washington
ppstofice is tending to become a bureau Of
the department and says he has disbursed
no money except on written authority.
Mr.. Merritt says he had discretionary
authority to remove Tulloch, whom he
charged with being arbitrary in manner,
occupied much OF the time with important
private business and a 'venturesome man
in the field OF speculation"
Mr. Merritt denies that either the post.
master general or First Assistant Post
master General Heath directly or indi.
rectiy Influenced Mr.. Tulloch's removal.
Mr.. Merritt says his Office is now regu-
larly paying the employees OF the third divi.
sion of the railway mail service. the en-
ployes OF the departmental mail bag and
mail lock repair shops and making such
other disbursements outside of its own
needs as the department from time TO time
orders. Many other large disbursing post.
ofices, he says. are doing the same tAins
and there is no improperly In this prae'
tice.
Mr.. Merritt says the practice of giving
employees duties incompatible with their
positions was in existence when he became
postmaster and extends probably to every
large postofice and constitutes no real
abuse. He says he has repeatedly called
attention to the present absurd and Inn
practicable classification of postofice en-
ployes. Concerning alleged Porto Rican
abuses, Mr.. Merritt says the reason there
for was settled with the auditor without
less.
Were Not DisaHOwAnce%.
Mr.. Merritt says that what Mr.. Tulloch
sev Va was disallowances by the comptroller
OF the currency in the Washington account