The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-12-25
B0NApARTE SEVERE
ON PERRY S. HEATH
His Analysis OF the Tulloch
Charges Also BIames Charles
Emory Smith.
PERMITTED
Former Postmaster General and the
Postmasters at Washington Were
Not Careful Enough in En-
forcing Regulations.


forcing Regulations.
Washington, Dec. ls.-The report Of
Mesrs. Conrad and Bonaparte on the
charges made by S. We Tulloch, for
merly cashier Of the Washington post
office, against the administration Of
the Washington Office was made pub
lie here today. jUnder instructions from
the president'tthe report reviews the
Tulloch charges from a legal stand
poinf.' ,''
The report begins with a brief his
tory n nature of the Tulloch charges,
and then says that as no Improper Of
fetal act on the part Of any public Of
ficer or employee, is alleged, which did
not occur more than three years before
July II, 1908, and as all possible prose-
cutions are barred" they interpret the
Instructions to report from a legal
standpoint" to mean that their views
are desired as to the legal propriety Of
the official action disclosed, and not
merely whether it may or may not
have been criminal"
The "Tulloch charges" had never
been investigator" the lawyers were
repeatedly confronted with an asser-
ton on one side and a denial on the
other as to a question of fact, with no
AllCdllo ~ oClCl 1 / "lllCll statement
was true.
The tendency to evade answering
charges, the report says, is illustrated
forcibly by the answers of Perry S.
Heath. w regard his answer" it
continues, altogether insufficient, and
no less unsatisfactory in substance
than in form"
The report says the revision of Post
master Willet's accounts is sufficient to
show that Mr.. Heath's official record
Is not so clear as to defy suspicion. 1t
adds
The Heath Charges.
Moreover the confidential report Of
Inspector Smith, and the special report"
of Inspector Little tend SO strongly to
sustain some of the most serious charges
made by Mr.. Tulloch against Mr.. Heath
that 1t is impossible to dispose OF these
charges by calling them lies out the
whole CLOTH The reasonable inference to
be drawn from Mr.. Heath's complete fail
lions which Charged HIM with many acts
of doubtful propriety,' added to the facts
appearing from the record evidence laid
by us, oblige us to say that at least a
strong prima facie case is presented of
wilful and reckless disregard by the late
first assistant postmaster general of OBJ
legations imposed on him by the regula-
tons of his own department, as we'll as
by the statutes of the United States; and
we feel 1t our duty to add that suspicion
of his personal integrity must be inevitably
aroused in our judgment on impartial con-
sideration of the facts submitted to us
and of his plainly inadequate explana-
tons.
The report takes up in detail the charges
of improper appointments Of subordinates
and improper disbursements of public
funds, as contained In the Tulloch charges,
and after analysis concludes:
SO far as indicated by the papers sub
mltted to US, the persons directly, respon-
slble for these fraudulent e~mployments
were Messrs. Perry S. Heath and George
W; Beavers. It seems clear, however, that
this responsibility extends, in some meas
ure, to the late postmaster general, who
appears to have at least tolerated the
practice after notice of it's existence, and
to the late and to the present postmasters
at Washington, each of whom appears TO
nave accepted the transfer to his office
or a number of persons thus employed
without, SO far as Is shown, any protest or
exposure. facts substantially admitted as
to himself IN Mr.. Merritt's letter of June
More Beavers Crafts.
The improper disbursement of public
funds receives considerable space in the
report, and in this connection Messrs.
Conrad and Bonaparte go somewhat out
SIDE or the Tullcch charges and comment
on a special report of May s last of In
spector Crowell, which relates how Geo.
w. Beavers received 81 LAS for expenses
IN assisting special attorneys in the court
Of claims"
Iouchlng the administrati ton of former
Auditor Castle, the report says:
We might give further illustration OF
the AUDITORS apparent readiness to disre-
gard the usual safeguards against unau-
thorlzed expenditures, but this is needless
because the same, in our Judgment. re-
grettable disposition was shown in mat
tiers far more serious. We have already
seen that he not only passed the accounts
LOT the cleaners or "charwomen,". but
Of the assistants" in passing on overtime
claims.
The investigators find it impossible
to doubt that Mr.. Heath, Mr.. Van Colt
and Mr.. Beave himself all knew that
thep payment of the additional compen-
sation allowed to Beavers was express
ly forbidden by law, and that it was
called expenses to evade this prohibit
ton.
We recommends:
That a thorough investigation be or
dered Of the administration of tie Wash
ington postoffce and of the New York
poStoffice and of the administration of
the office of the first assistant postmas-
ter general within the last three years.
We have been favorably impressed by the
zeal, fidelity and intelligence of the post
office inspectors, and deem them fully
competent, under the supervision of the
fourth assistant postmaster general, to
suggested.
The Findings.
The ummar and conclusions of the re-
port are as follows:
AS a result of our inquiry in the ''Tul-
loch charges" and of the considerations
. hereinbefore set forth, we have the honor
to report that, in our judgment:
The discussion of the "Tulloch charges
has revealed the existence of deplorable
and gravely discreditable abuses during
the years 1898, 1899 and 1900 in the Wash
ington postoffice and the office of the first
assistant postmaster general.
These abuses involved conduct on the
part of various public officials which was
certainly often illegal and may have been
sometimes criminal, but such offenses, If
committed, were in all cases committed
more than three years before we were or
dered to investigate the Charges and
SO far as we are clearly informed more
han three years before Mr.. Tulloch's in
terview of May l last.
The evidence laid before us suggests the
possibility and even probability, but does
not prove. that abuses may lave con-