The sun., 1903-12-17
7ULLOCH CHARGES SUSTAINED
BEPORT or CONRAD AND BONA
pARTE ON POSTAL FRAUDS.
Heath and Beavers They Hold Responsible
for Abuses. but Say That Ex.Postmas.
tcr.Generai smith, Comptroller Trace.
well and Auditor Castle Shared Their
Responsibility - Vanderlip Involved.


well and Auditor Castle Shared Their
Responsibility - vanderlip Involved.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1e.-The full report
=, Fourth Assistant Postmaste ster-General
Bristow on the postal service scandals, a
hrief Of which was published some weeks
AGO, with an accompanying memorandum
by the President. was made public to-day
nv the Post Office Committee Of the House
~ Represent atives. While this complete
report contains many interesting details
of the scandals that were omitted from
the synopsis for lack Of space, 1t is princ-
paly interesting from the fact that it con-
,alns the hitherto unpublished report OF
Holmes Conrad and Charles j. Bonaparte,
the special counsel appointed by the Presi-
dent on the "Tuloch charges"
SEYMOUR W Tulloch was cashier OF the
Washington post Office until removed by
pos'mas'e er Merritt the present incumbent.
Las summer. during the progress Of the
inves igation. he presented an affidavit to
Postmaster General Payne, making serious
charges against former Postmaster-General
Charles Emory Smith, former First As
sisant Postmaster-General Perry 8. Heath
secretary OF the Republican national
committee; City Postmaster Merritt and
Auditor Castle Mr.. Payne, after reading
the charges, characterized them as shot
air, "vaporings," idle chatter" and the
like.
The report of Messrs. Bonaparte and
Conrad sustains the specifications in the
Tuoch charges in practically every par
'icunr and severely scores Smith, Heath
nd Merritt and former Assistant Secre-
tary Of the Treasury VanderHp, who here
appears for the first time as an accused
official. The report says in part:
The discussion of the Tulloch charges
has revealed the existence OF deplorable
years s0s. 1899 and 1900 in the Washington
Post ONCE and the office of the First Assist
ant Postmaster General These abuses n,
ocss siSS Mheh 0 Was s"e eertainy often illegal
and may have been sometimes criminal.
and a!e even but does
ho,hln the Department and in the post offioe'
and that in connection herewith criminal
acts may. have been committed within the
srGd Of hS, smar daSit may
have existed both within dnd beyond the
period OF limitations in the New York Post
above mentioned abuses and the resulting
scandas appear TO have been Perry Fo1H Hso1H
Smith. late master-General James p.
willeit late postmas,sr ter, at ~, washington. sotsn
and the present incumbent, Robert. j. Trace
well. Comptroller, and Henry, A. Castle.
auditor for the Post ONCE Department,
hllities, the late Postmastcr-G smith
for his seeming failure. notwithstanding re-
Of the misconduct and the necessity for its
prompt and adequate punishment: the two
n,l ,l. 70 n1ninlv orders
Without exposure or apparent protest. and
the auditor and comptroller for acting upon
on t5 nna o, the yrespeetve % "ees whereby
the payment Of illegal and seemingly fraudu,
lent claims by the Treasury was rendered
The employment of subordnates in post
offices about to become classified ior me
without examination into the classified ser
sGe faHdu.ens "a ther % ntness
fsr"H for tIablie SHs'tH eHmployment. Pi
The employment of so-cnlled 'iaborers 70
d0 ands4 ihs wosk v
vice Commission to be punished by dismissal
INSPECTOR who Irst acknow ged the gravity
OF the Tulloch charges to different WORK Of
ton. by + A. vanderip. then acting Secre.
.arv of the Treasury. was apparently unSus.
mud oppressive. and certainly disastrous 70
fait6ful public servant who had BY the hon.
est discharge OF his duty incurred the enmity
OF active and Influential politicians 1t seems
70 have been preceded by no sufficient IN
g on ,he pn[d1 81 psper aetg pyoper an invest
sarion of the latter's conduct were he still
In the public service.
rretv Of seymour W Tuiloch' removal from
NE office OF cashier by Postmaster Merritt.
me ana S Sno@n sesm 1o to
have been without justification and tend
70 cast grave doubt upon the gpod faith
course vas clearly regrettable in the public
Interest as leading naturally to the beliet
,ho' III" cashier had been rsmorea d 1of evsS .n
Illegal demands upon the funds in his CUSTODY
II appears from the report that some
tro after Tulloch made charges against
Po.tmastar Merritt. the latter filed letter
w.tI Post ostnaster-General Payne. making
Ne." gra"e accusations against Mr.: lui,
loch Niessrr. Bonaparte and Conrad
had already finished a first draft Of their
Investigation Of the lulloch charges, but
made supplemental investigation. based
on the charges. With regard to these
in no respect the conclusions above an
nounCed.
The suppleme ental report treats each
charge made by Postmaster Merritt against
Tulorh in detail and does not sustain MERIT
in single instance In regard TO many
Of these charges the report criticises Merritt
most severely. the comment being i'll one
Instance, where Postmaster Merritt very
greatly regretted" his mistake in making
certain charge against Tulloch, that we
think il il a very suitable subject for regret
on his tMerritt's) part.
soon after the original Bonaparte-Con
report was handed to the President former
Postuaster-General Smith was furnished
with copy upon which he based letter OF
explanations" addressed to Postmaster
General Payne. The supplemental Bona
partc-Conrad report contains the following
statement win regard to Mr.. Smiths
explanations.
Alr smiths criticism on, our conCluson
that he share the responsibility Of Messrs.
Hea,h and Beavers for the grave abuses
brought to light through the discussion OF the
so-cnllad Tulloch charges. because "A seem-
Inc failure, no, wthstandinG repeated warn
incs, 10 appreciate the gravity of the mis-
conduct md tho consequent necessity for its
prompt and adequate punishment, amounts
suhstnntiallv' to a denial that any grave
abuses existed or that there was any neces.
sity to punish any one He seems TO still
think that the explanations" furnished nm
by MIR Beavers were true in fact, and suh-
Gent II true and that no thorough invcstixa-
Non Of their subiect-matter was needed.
His letter shows. TO our minds. not only thht
there vas, as he said. failure on his part,
while in Office. to appreciate the gravity OF
the situation disclosed in the warnings he
received. but that he yet fails to appreciate
This stuation