The Caucasian., 1903-06-28
SMITH HAS HIS SAY
Makes Public His Reply to Charges
of Tulloch.
GIVES THREE POINTS
they Arc Designated as Exhibits A,
b and and Deal With q Mum.
ber of Matters I'm Connec-
tiOn With Affair.

| fnlia0elpald, June Zi.-CnaTleS Ell
CRY Smith, who was succeeded as post
| master general by Mr.. Payne. has made
| public his reply to the charges made by
Mr.. Tulloch in connection with the
| postoffice investigation.
Mr.. Smith says in part: I'm view of
the partial publication of the letter of
Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Bristow of the se-called Tulloch charg-
es and the accompanying reports of in
/ deem 1t incumbent on me for a right
public understanding to make a fur
ther statement, supplementary to my
letter of May 81, and to present the
papers in their proper relation.
Appended to this letter, and to be
treated as part of it, will be found
first, complete copy, marked exhibit
A, of the itemized statement of the
Tulloch charges. as ubmitted to me at
the time they We're made.
Second. In parallel column, a com
plete copy, except as indicated in the
text. marked exhibit B, of the confiden-
tial report of the inspector in charge
Smith, which is the main document
accompanying General Bristow's letter;
third. complete copy marked exhibit
Z, OF the report which came as a result
OF the examination made when the TUT
foch charges We're submitted, and which
embodies the answer and the explana-
ton of the transactions referred to.
1t will be seen +, that the TulIocb
statement and the inspectors report
are practically Identical 1t is as If
trey We're written by the same hand
Ihe Tuiloch statement was submitted
TO me. The inspectors renort was
submitted to the fourth assistant II
was the business of the inspecfor IN
ma Whatever seemed to call for exnia-
nation; it was left to the POSTMASTER
general to find the explanation and tba
truth >111' =
This was done by probing the TnI-
sioch statement when it was presented
All OF the transactions described as
regular We're examined, and 4 renort
was made to me which took then, ~,
Item by item and groups Of items and
gave the facts and the explanations i,
each case q ~ =
lhese main points may be fins
summed up. each in sentence First
names of military postal clerks were.
put on the general roll until the mill
tary appropriation became available q
then they We're transferred to the mil.
Iltary roll. Second. the bond urerni,,n,s
OF military postal clerks were paid far
good reasons. which are plainl,, sat
forth and which had the approval 81
@cofnptroIIsr. Third, the purchases
OF sPorto Rico supplies were made from
the regular contract prices. Fourfl,
tHe vouchers for expenses OF denarf
ment ofneials travelling on official bus
mess We're made as required .bv the
AUDITOR Fifth. the lease of the WASH
ington postoffIce was shown to be en-
tirely justified.
Sixth, the apparently double nav
ment of those employed in examining
letter claims is fully explained
When the charges Of trrep,,1a ,it,,
We're made. my duty was plain. It was
to have them examined and If there
Were irregularities, to have them cor
reeted. This is exactly what was
DONE"
!, Mr.. Smith concludes by saying that
the war against Spain made it his duty
TO immediately provide for the distri-
put1on or letters for the scattered army
OF a quarter of a million men. There
We're no known precedents In such an
undertaking
There was no special appropriation
and he had to meet the requirements
out Of the regular appropriation. Az
terWards, when the special appropria-
ton became avilable. he had to re-
cooperate the general appropriation in
order that the regular service might
not suffer. These things were effected
In part through the Washington office
and orders were given which snbordi-
nate officials neither did nor were re-
aiifred to understand and out of it has
grown vast deal Of unnecessary mis-