Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-12-17
CONRAD-BONAPARTE
REPORT GIVEN OUT
Gives, from Legal Standpoint, His.
tory and Nature of the
TullOch Changes.
AUDITOR CASTLE CENSUREO.
Deplorabe and Gravely Discredtable
Abuses Existed in Office of First
Asst. ?. N. General.

Washington, Dec. l6.--The report OF
'Messrs. Conrad and Bonaparte on the
charges made by S. w. Tuloch, for
merly cashier OF the Washington city
postoifice, against the administration
OF this office was made public today
Under instructions from the president
the report views the Tuloch charges
from a legal standpoint" The report
begins with brief history of the ma
ture OF the Tulloch charges. 1t takes IN
In detail the charges of improper ap-
polntments of subordinates and improp-
er disbursement of public funds and
finds that the charges were well found
ed. II adds that the responsibility
for this extends in some measure to the
late postmaster-general, who appears
to have at least tolerated the practise
after notice Of its existence, and to
the late and the present postmasters
at washington, each OF whom appears
To have accepted the transfer to his
office of number of persons thus EN-
ployed without 40 far as Is shown,
any protest or exposure, facts substan.
italy admitted to himself in Mr.. Mer-
rits letter Of June 90"
Touching the administration of form
err Auditor Castle. the report says:
We might give further illustrations
or the auditors apparent readiness to
disregard the usual safeguards against
the unauthorized expenditures, but this
Is needless because the same. In our
Judgment. regrettable disposition was
shown In matters far more serious"
SALARY" ACCOUNTS.
I'VE have already seen that he not
only passed the accounts for the clean
ers or 'charwomen' and of the assist
ants In passing on overtime claims, the
scene and character of whose service
the inspectors could nor find out from
the postmaster or any one else las to
these ii is possible, although hardly
probable, that he may have been mis-
led hut actually allowed Mr. Beavers
the Illegal and fraudulent claim for
expenses, which, as Mr.. Castles own
memorandum says, really constituted
salary, the salary of an Office which
Beavers did not and could not legally
hold and which no one. not even the
president could have promised him 50
as to bind the United States, either lie
gally or morally TO keep the promise.
Messrs. Conrad and Bonaparte, in
concluding, find that:
THE discussion Of the Tulloch charg-
es has revealed the existence of de-
plorahly and gravely discreditable
abuses during the years 1898, 1899 and
1900 In the Washington postoffice and
the Office of the first assistant post
MASTER general.
ACTS WERE ILLEGAL.
These abuses involved conduct on
the part Of the various public officials
which was certainly often Illegal and
may have been sometimes criminal, but
such offenses, II committed We're In
all cases committed more than three
years before we were ordered to In.
yestgate the charges, and, so far as we
are clearly informed, more than three
years before Mr.. Tulloch's interview of
May last"
Bonaparte and Conrad find postofiice
department and postofiice subordlnates
responsible primarily for the actual
conditions set forth in the report, but
add:
PARTIES RESPONSIBLE.
Charles Emory Smith, late postmas-
ter general; James =. Wllett, late post
master of Washington, now deceased ;
John A. Merritt, his successor In the
said office, and its present incumbent
Robert j. Tracewell, comptroller, and
Henry A. Castle auditor of the post :
Office department, all appeared to have
shared, In some measure, their re-
sponsIbiities; the late postmaster gem
eral for his seeming failure, notwith-
standing repeated warnings, to appre-
ciate the gravity of their misconduct,
and the consequent necessity for its
prompt and adequate punishment the
two postmasters for liberation of these
abuse and obedience to plainly i'm
proper orders without exposure, or, APP
parently, protest; and the auditor and
comptroller for acting upon lax and ar
bitrary principles in the administration
of their respective offices whereby the
payment of illegal and seemingly
fraudulent claims by the treasury was
rendered possible
UNFIT PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.
The findings continue:
"The employment of subordinates in
postonlces about to become classed for
the purpose of thus securing their adj
mission without examination into the
classified service was a practise i'm
fraudem legls. and officials guilty of IL
thereby established their own unfitness
for public employment.
THE Employment of o-caled labor
ers to do classified work was clearly
Illegal, and, under the express direc-
tons of the civil service rules, to be
punished by dismissal from office.
IAN agreement by any public officer
with any person within or out OF the
public service that the latter shall re-
ceive the emoluments Of public employ
ment under the pretense of being en-
ployed without rendering any services to
the government constitutes a conspiracy
to defraud by any overt act tending to
it's accomplishment by any OF the par
ties, renders all of them responsible UNI
der the terms of the United States re-
vised statutes, section 544O.
UNJUST TO GILMER.
"The detail OF Thomas w. Gilmer to
different work of a lower grade and at
n reduced compensation by Il. A. Van
derlip, then acting secretary of the
treasury, under all the circumstances
attending IL, was apparently unjust and
oppressive, and certainly disastrous 10
the public interest. since 1t would be
generally and naturally understood by
those cogni2ant of IL as punishment
inflicted on a faithful public servant
who had, by the honest discharge of his
duty. incurred the enmity of active and
influential politicians. II seems to have
been preceded by no sufficient inquiry
on the part of the acting secretary,
Vanderllp. and would render proper an
investigation Of the latter's conduct
were he still In the United States SER
vice.
EXPRESS NO OPINION.
while eve express no opinion as to
the proprety OF Seymour w. Tulloch's
removal from the Office Of cashier by
Postmaster Merritt, the precipitancy
and discourtesy shown by the latter In
effeotlng this removal seem TO have
been without justification and tend To
east grave doubt upon the good faith
IL. L.. t..x - a nj