The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-17
CHARGES
ARE NOT
PUBLIC.
Mr.. Payne Gives Out a
Long Refutation.
NOTHING BUTWORDS.
SAYS THIS OFFICIAL,
Postmaster General is Very
Sarcastic in His Comments. Il
INTERESTING RuMOR
SAID TO HAVE COME
1t Read "Papa, Send Transport Here
Quick |; Am sick"-Mr. Payne Saws
that Investigation VIII Be Pushed
Vigorously Into Every De-
partment-Will Be No
/ Calling of,
Postmaster. General is Very
Sarcastic in His Comments.
INTERESTING RIJMOR
SAID TO HAVE COME,
lny Assoclatad press.>

(By Associated Press)
WASHINGTON. May 16-The fornlAl
charges Of Secretary Seymour W. Tulss
looh. cashier of the Washington city posts
office for many years, until his removal n
four years ago, alleging Irregularities In
the postal administration We're submitted
to Postmaster General Payne to-day. Mr..
Payne and Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General Bristow; went over the statement
in detail. Postmaster-GeneralP Payne res VI
viewing the charges OF Mr.. Tulloch,
said:
Tho great bulk or the Irregularities OF
which Mr.. Tulloch complains was the res
suit of the government taking over the
postal service Of Porto Rico, Mr.. Tul-s
loch refers to troubles caused by tho pay
ment of the Porto Rican account IS through
the Washington city postotfice and makes NJ
some other insinuatons, as foi. example,
the prom otion of letter-box schemes, etc, B
but there Is no evidence. nothing but
| words. All that will be Of any service
whatever to the Department in looking
up matters III connection with the in
vcstlgation Is comprised In three pages.
1.-THE bulk of the statement. however.
consists OF an airing Of his own grew
ances and comments on his own rernoNal.g
| Iie deals IN glittering generalities in crit
| icising exp ostmaster- General Smith. IlaS
refers to vouchers and paymentsao Of cer7G
| tain people which he ciaiuls to have been
Illegal and makes a pretty severe attack
on the Comptroller of the Treasury, He
makes some reference to the alleged
smothering of the examination or ac-8
counts OF the local postottice, but oilers
no new evidence or documents to SUBJ
stantiate his allegations, merely referrin 8
to certain people, certain vouchers 5aiu y
certain accoun IS. ~
There are no particularly new points,
excepting explanation Of what he hereto
fore has said in a general way I am
greatly disappointed that the document
| will not be OF any great help to US.
"NIr. Tulloch mentions a rumor about
the Deparemcnt that cabegrnm had
come to the Department which said ::
Papa, send a transport here quick.
| am Sick" but that Is given only as
rumor.
"There are some things that. Of course,
look on their face to be wrong and that
! need explanation. The bulk of the Of
lenses alleged Is that vouchers We're
| charged to the wrong accounts All OF
the Items which We're not allowed by me
| Comptroller were finally audited. except
less than s100. We will look into tha I
| records of these matters. OF course.
/! Postmaster General Payne said. as TO,
| the charge that physicians We're carried
| on the rolls Of postoftices without aus
! thorty, that there had been fifteen or
! twenty such cases In tho United States.
| This was matter of administrative pol-
| icy, he said, and entirely within the prov-l
| incc of the Postmas ter General, but tnnr
| he himself last autumn restricted the em-t
ployment of physicians to postohicesi
| whose revenues aggregated sl.0OO.oeO a.
! year
"Mr. Tulloch" continued Mr.. Payne
| refers to the return postal card scheme 1
of the Economic Postage Association.5
| which never was adopted. and insinuatesi
! I'VE are not unprepared to find Mr. Beav-l
| CT, and Mr.. Machen recommending thef
$500 SALARIES RING.
| Mr. Tulloch charges that there Is
ring in the salaries and allowance divis-
lon of the Postofllce Department, Wlthout,
| whose approval nothing could be done
saying the ring consisted OF the mead OF
tho division, tho First Assistant Postmas-s
ter General and tho Postmaster-General,
Well, those officials We're the only ones
who had anything to say about such mat
ters anyway, He says that some man
| was carried on two pay rolls nut tne
laws specifically provide that an einpioSe.
| can draw from two pay rolls II properly
authorized, If his aggregate salary does
not exceed $500, Mr.. 1mloch mentions
| alleged junkets of officials and enployies
| who went to Cuba and Porto Rlco 10 ih-
| sinl the postnl service there How does
Mr. Tulloch assume to pass on the Dues
/ tion whether these gentlemen simply Went
| On n iunket? He refers to man VINO
was appointed to place In Porto Rico,
| but who got drunk III New Aorh o'' .io
way. Well cnce In n while postmaster
defaults and gets drunk and Is dealt With.
according to his desert, MIR Tulloch has
made the statement that tho CUBAN a.
minlstrative troubles We're as no,mns
compared TO Porto Rico, There has been
onlv one ese OF wrongdoing OF an admin
istrative official In Porto Rico, and that
| was n clrek in the Ponce postoiilee. Who
defaulted with about 5000.
BIIING LOOKED INTO
"NIr Tullooh refers TO appointments Of
,aborers. eharwomen and cleaners as
evaslons of the civil service law. These
places were not In the civil service, He
saws that they either performed no du-
ties Mt ali or often did work along lines
not authorized. We are now Investigating
charge that three women carried on tina
rolls as chsrwomen performed no ser,s
vice,
Mr.. Tulloch SAYS that the finance
clerks drew more money than they ought
to have drawn under the law. Most Of
the mon were employed under m e'ner-
gency appropriation for Porto Rico. we
| will Investigate this matter II ~ also
charged that most OF the poatotticss in
Porto Rico were In arrears at the Time
OF Mr.. Tuiloch's removal, We had 10 cins
! ploy natives there, and Some not natives,
\and in View of the conditions that corr5