The sun., 1903-05-30
MORE POST OFFICE SCANDAL.
ARREST OF ANOTHER nigh
OFFICER THRE4TENED,
He is Under Constant Surveillance at His
Home-One Specific Charge Made
Against Hini--Post master Merritt
Replies to MIR. TuilOcil's Charges.

|
Against Him-Post master Merritt
Replies to MIR. TullOcli's Charges.
WASHINGTON, May 29.-It is the general
opinion among those in position to know
that the next move in the investigation of
Post Office scandals will be the arrest of a
high officer Of the Department who is now
under constant surveillance at his home.
There has been one definite specific charge
made against him. In his case. officers Of
the Post Office Department privately ex-
press tho opinion that there is no doubt
the investigation will produce evidence
OF absolute crimnality, in addition to ex-
travagance, maladministraton and irregu-
larity.
At the beginning of the general inquiry
there was not single specific charge filed
against Supt. Machen, who was arrested
last Wednesday, and when he was taken
into custody Postmaster-General Payne
made the significant remark that "the rest
will be comparatively easy meaning as
he explained later, that in getting evidence
against Machen the inspectors had per-
formed by far the most difficult part of
their task.
Postmaster-GeneralP Payne to-day made
pubic the answer OF Postmaster Merritt
ol the Washington office to the charges
recently preferred against him by Seymour
". Iuiioch, former cashier Of the Washing
ton office, vino was dismissed by Mr. Mer-
nit. Ine answer says:
beg to state that my appointment WIS
| L.ade May % loJJ Uut did not assume the
duties ul the ONCE until JLIy following.
! IN tne interim / hal unuer Consideration
the !LIake-up vi nay executive force. anu espe-
CiaIy tudt palt oil II wnich Under the law 1
Vas authorized " choose outside OF the class-
he'd service, namely the assistant postmaster
| and lne cashier / hau no personal acuuaInt-
ahCe witA either oil the gentlemen then nLing
! tncse luces, but had heard much OF them,
lad lnaue appropriate hqulrHcChCtinlng theiu
| ana before tAe ia! llAeu upon IUr laning
charge oI the office had decided not to
I the IuiiowIus sttteiucnt in detail tntDoGies
! the reasons Tor my decision; .,
! My yudsHlent OF MI. Iui!och was that he
! was an arbitrary Ilan, oI very Noticeable
| selI-esteein, ana with such an exalted sense
| OF his own inIport.-nce and authority as to
| prdClICaIIy assume olCiaI equality VITA. II
not superiority TO- tne POSTMASTER ne was
| engaged III nucn illyate business, whch
| from ,ddty. aud which, even when lie Was
! present Ut the post ONCE, took up u ereat
deal .! his time. Nlr luiloch was large
| some man III the ieIu OF speculation. OF in
Ln.crtihinss wherein the e!elnent OF un-
| ccrtdiAty largely entered. AS 1 WIS Gov
ern.uent officer. about to tahe charge OF d
| business tAat would require the handling
) had given heavy bond, did not deem it
| advisable TO retain Lln as my financial
In The published interview which you
! mention, MIR. luiloch refers 10 himself as an
! obstacle in the way OF the Postmqster-
! removed this obstacle within five minutes.
The laet i, : that % neither the rostmaster-(ien. 1
| cral nor Mr., Heath. directly or indirectly,
| Influenced me III my actloh regarding Mr..
| Iuioch
| th, office number OF things have come 10
! my knowledge which convince me that in
nj; c4se made @ non no n'5take st se. ,,,,, CO.
years OF making up the quarterly payrolls
| in blank, gesting the SIGNATURES OF the en-;
amounts arno uni W paid i do not charge that these
amounts were we're ever impropc5!y hlled Din in, but
employees, Of. ths ofI,fs was su,pended a
ous ""'n ausnarty M.nnS Sr Tuoch retamed @ "i his
| mans pay, amounting to sli0.l!, against his
protest, obtained his sgnature to The pay.
| though payment had actually been made,
The cashier apparently did not make personal
! prenendi the presentntoin of a false voucher.
which is made crime under Section iis3 Of
iawfGily as taken was divided by the cas- her
among a number OF persons, upon orders
signed in the naRe Of the postmasteTd by his
been found until all of it was used up eX
cep; 81 &c. which is now in the possession Of a
bureau Of the Department.
II seems rather eEtr1ordlnary that Mr..
Tuoeh should be making 50 loud @ an oGtsry
Department and OF the post office. when his
memory should take IN thi5 case in which
he was i,hd fyh"1y iTatHrg ~ OF Which
The Irregularities charged by Mr.. Tulloch.
though an not informed as to the details.
tered unon the duties OF thc Office. while
MIR. rulloch was holding the office OF cashier.
h"c' c'N should have Officially called attention 10
them.
Went thororg ghly over the whole matter. and
who wrote othe PostMaster regardine it. says
that he acted on his own motion.
As you vii! soc from the Comptrollcr slctter, |
which herewith inclose some OF the iTreGn- |
larities to which III" Comptroiler OF the Treas
ury called attention at the tine were due
to Tullochs neglect, or ignqr,rce. those
s3G' ss partg %t% a ten H. never %U casd % a,en ten
t!nn to any OF them while he remained cashier; |
lie Nhhed the perfoTnlsncGs &C. Of z th,s duty until
selection was announced informed gentle, |
had To- no. that Gen. Heath insisted upon it. !
and that no pressure brought to bear could |
save him. No such remark was ever uttered |
Mr.. 'rulloch also COMPLAINS that oppo n,ed |
| ciF9sS% Of Fl the Atx@ Rxssy o
ion o. the Post of,ioe. with a salary o. s2,??o '
per TTe sTe hSnt' tS.s M IF Hs sn ,Gr%1i ntyne
rel lated to me, and he never received s2,.ln |
n year He is now n clerk IN the money order /
division with salary OF Sl,B)D
Former Post General Charles ,
Emory Smith came to Washington to-day |
and had long talk tonight with Post |
n1aeter-General Payne regarding the Post |
Office scandals Mr.. Smith gave the Post
master General a statement IN response to
the charge, made against his administ ration
by former Cashier Tullcch Mr.. Payne will
make the document public on Sunday after
noon.
The Postmastcr-General said tonight
that Mr.. Smiths answer will settle the
Tuloch matter for good. Mr., Payne even
went so far as to say that the former Post
Generals answer would probably
make unnecessary any public explanation
OF alleged irregularities in tho adnnistra-
ton Of the First Assistants Bureau by
Perry s. Heath, now secretary Of the Re-
publican National Campaign Committee,
who served under Postmaster General
Smith.
Mr.. Payne said he had received word that
Mr.. Ieath's explanation Of the charges
made agninst him by Tuloch was on its
way 10 the D ;'a' '"ent but he would not FAY
whether or not lie would make the docu-
merit public.
II don't believe it will be necessary 20
,,,lI;, NJ JIooths ct NJ