Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-06-02

Washington, June 2.-POstmaster-
General Payne today made public the
letter Of former First Assistant Post
master General Perry s. Heath, In re-
ply to charges made by w S, TulIoch
Of this city, formerly cashier of the
Washington city postolilce. The letter
follows.
THE LETTER.
salt Lake CITY, Utah, May %, 1908,
"To Hon. IL. c. Payne, Washington,
ID. c.,
my Dear Mr. Payne:--I thank you
for your courteous letters of the 18Th
and goth inst. calling my attention to
certain assertions of one W. S. Tulloch,
ex-casher Of the Washington post
office, and also the statement Of q Mrs.
Winans, formerly Of Ohio, who Is quot
ca as saying that she was carried upon
the rolls Of the postolice with the
understanding that she was not to
render service TO the government
III Mrs Winans did not render SER
vices equivalent to the compensation
she received her superior officers were
deceived ! did not know the woman
when she was appointed and had no
personal interest In her Her name
was among q large number always on
my desk, and | recall that she was well
recommended for a position, ] did not
and could not attempt TO personally
ascertain whether persons appointed TO
positions IN postoillces rendered service
satisfactorily. / do remember that this
woman became a nuisance about the
postoflce department and that | re-
fused to see her She was reported to
me by my chief clerk as being persist
ent in her demands for promotion or
more desirable work She at least pre-
tended to my chief clerk, so he reported
10 me, to perform services warrantlng
promotion or better compensation.
HOLDS HIMSELF RESPONSIBLE.
by the same token, upon the same
line Of comment employed by Tulloch,
nearly II not quite all Of the transact
lions Of the executive departments in
Washington could be called into ques-
ton and improper motives could be as
signed Necessarily, J could not fOl-
low the details Of the work Of postoiice
clerks; was compelled 10 trust my
subordlnates and rely ON postmasters.
We had change OF administration, a
war, the Americanlzing Of an immense
foreign service and the taking over OF
vast eXpanses of new territory But
mastered as many details as possible
and / proudly hold myself responsible
for all that did, for the humble part
took in the work Of the department.
II never appointed any person to any
position or retained any one In any po-
sltion at any time with any sort Of no.
ton or idea that he or she was not
to render full and honest service to the
government for the pay received. The
intlmatlon that there was an honorary
roll, upon which persons were placed
for political or personal or other pur-
poses than good service, is q pure in
vention. II is lie out Of the whole
cloth, as are most Of the imputatons
OF Tulloch II any persons were so
appointed or retained IL was through
their own dishonest designs
DEMAND FOR HELP.
There was a period extending over
many months when many more men
We're demanded for service IN Cuba,
Porto RICO ana az military camps In
our country than we could supply. We
drew through larger postoilices for men
from classified service, receiving many
but when responses from postotilces
ceased to be sufficient, we drew names
from applications out Of the classified
service and consclentiously selected
those whose capability and character
we deemed best, In this hurried work
OF appointments, hurried dispatch Of
men and materials for the scenes Of
action, some mistakes were Of course
made, but these things occur and will
50 long as men live.
VISIT TO PORTO RICO
81 made a visit to Porto Rico, when