Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-08

charges made by Mr. Merritt against Mr.
Tulloch. Mr. Tulloch says that the charge
that under his (Tullochs} regime as CASH
ier of the Washington post office quarterly
payrolls were required to be signed in
blank even If true would but produce a
smile in Washington, where probably the
greater portion of governmental employees
sign payrolls in blank" But he says that
the fact is that this custom usual else
where was prohibited eighteen years ago
by the then postmaster and the only pay
rolls signed in blank were when postal
clerks at a distance or other employees ex-
pecting to be absent were at their request
and as a personal favor given the privilege
of signing In advance the law requiring
the voucher going to the auditor to be
personally signed by the employe. He says
been previously filed in and that false
payments could not but have been detected
easily and fraud was impossible The charge
that false voucher had been put in
while Mr.. Tulloch was cashier, he says
was only an attempt to discredit him. and
even Mr.. Merritt admits that the trans
action was directed by the postmas ster,
recognized by the assistant postmaster and
the money retained paid to persons duly
designated" The facts, however, he says
are that substitutes named by the civil
service commission serve in the post office
without pay except when they fill tenn
porarily the places of clerks and receive
their pay. AS some clerks failed to pay
their substitutes the postmaster directed
that previous to payment of clerks who
had been absent the signed receipt in full
of the substitute should be put in the
clerks pay envelope and the amount it
called for retained and paid to the substi-
tute by his division superintendent The
particular instance cited by Postmaster
Merritt, he says, was where an employe
after a drunken spree was fined rather
than dismissed and the money divided by
his superintendent among substitutes for
services rendered, the postmaster by writ
41tir $E,a ac1.t
Mr.. Tulloch declares that while in office
he did report Irregularities to his imme-
date superiors and the inspectors. He de-
MES the charge that he was mercenary with
the late postmaster Mr.. Willett and saws
Mr.. Willett himself suggested payment to
the writer for settling his accounts and
that he (Tulloch offered to do it for Mr..
Wilett personally for nothing, but la ter it
was arranged some of the clerks should do
the work. which related chiefly to Porto
Rico.
Reiterates His Charge.
Mr.. Tulloch's letter then continues: In
closing may l state that it has not been
shown to the contrary in any of the re-
plies you have published that irregular
payments were made from local funds In
stead of by the proper disbursing officer of
the department: that an attempt was made
to cause all employees to bond under a
single blanket bond with some favored com
pany; that the regulations of the depart
ment We're violated in forcing a letter box
in which prominent officials were said to be
interested, upon the public, even to the un-
authorized use of the poStmaSter'S author
ity and against his protest; that payments
were directed for articles not delivered;
that persons We're paid two and three sal
aries and performed little no service;
that physician was illegally appointed
whose position was sinecure l have been
told that a $500 operating table was pur-
chased for private use, and charged to the
department as postal furniture that pro-
vision with high officials in the department;
that persons were appointed from whom
no service was required upon a compliment
tary roll that arrears in Porto Rico were
rot fully recovered: that useless junkets
were frequent to Porto Rico and Cuba; that
persons paid from the military postal serv-
ice had their salaries continued for months
after ceasing all service, and that salaries
were also continued after service had ceas-
ed to take up irregular expenses"
AS to the reply of former First Assistant
Postmaster General Heath Mr.. Tulloch
says: "All that is necessary is to compare
my specific charges with his general de-
NAL" He then reaff1rms that his represen-
tations remain in all essential particulars
true and not disproved and closes with a
denial that there is any office within the
gift of the Post Office Department that he
would accept that he ever authorized his
friends to seek his reinstatement.