Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-18
IULLOCH CHARGES PROVEN
Inspectors Reports Show Allegations
Against Washington Office True
MANY ARE EMPLOYEES ON PAY DAY ONLY
Names Duplicated on Rolls, Persons
who Perform No Service and
Others Paid IrreEuIarIy Dis
covered in Investi CATION.

WASHINGTON. June 17-Postmaster
General Payne today made public the reply |
of Fourth Assistant Postmaster General |
Bristow to the charges Of Seymour w. Tul- |
loch regarding irregularities in the postal
administration and also reports Of lnspec-
tion and investigation of the Washington
postofice between June 80, 1899, and July
81. 1900, together with the transcript OF the
Tulloch charges made some years ago and
the conclusions then reached by Postmaster
! General Charles Emory Smith.
Tho reports show the existence of many
irregularities and the inspector who in
vestigated them reports that the files of the
postoffice cashier show direct orders from
superior authority for the disbursement of
all the questionable items cited.
In a summary of the several reports the
postmaster general says:
! Mr.. Tulloch's charge is, I'm it's essence
against President Mckinley and Postmaster
General Smith. President Mckinley is no
longer living; Postmaster General Smith
has answered for himself. with regard to
! the present management a thorough and
searching investigation is now being made
and all facts in the case will be made pub
! lie"
| 1t will be seen that the whole subject
was Investigated by Postmaster General
|
ferred TO in the charges affecting the pay
ment of bills accounts and financial deal
ings generally. were under investigation by
the comptroller of the treasury and all the
| expenditures referred TO were allowed by
the auditor and comptroller with the ex-
ceptlon of $50.
Various reports are submitted by the
different inspectors employed.
Postmaster's Son Cared For.
Expenditures irregularly charged to the
Washington office which belonged to the
department itself are specined Robert "
Willett. son of the postmaster at that
time. drew two salaries from July to De-
cember TO- 1898, one as a laborer at the city
postof1ce at $500 year, and the other as a
mechanic at 81 a day on what appears to
nave been special roll OF the free delivery
service. n. H. Baker likewise was desiR-
mated as a laborer on April g. 1899. at s7oo
per annum and on the same date as me-
chanic on the free delivery roll at 81 a day.
Inc inspectors, continuing. say on June 30
1873 twenty-five employees were borne on
the rolls and paid on what has been known
as the "military ROLL" while thirty-four
were paid by the cashier Of the Washing
ton postoffice. There was also found a
special rolr' of employees paid from mis-
cenaneous allowances, said appointments
being under control of the Postof1ce de-
partment. This roll consists of nine a.cIeap-
ers. with salaries from $500 20 $500 ana ono
"phs sician" at a salary OF N,7oo. some %
these cleaners appear to have performed
little service and others none at all.
Four Paid without work.
The most important exhibit is the con-
hdential roll of Postmaster Inspector-in-
charge Smith of the Washington division
made in July 1899. He names four eu.
) ployes on the military roll who appear NOT
to have performed any service I'm connac-
I ton with military postal matters and for
whose original appointment or continuance
! on the rolls no good reason exists.
The payment to w. S. Larner. a mill
} tary postal clerk, under protest bv the
cashier of S11s9s, subsequently, disailoued
by the auditor OF the treasury on Januarv
J T. 1899, Is gone into at length and II is
SHOWN that this matter was entirely Irreg-
! ular and that payments were directed with
out proper vouchers. The inspector saws
that while the cashier was one Of the offica
temporarily Larner called and demanded
Z an immediate settlement and when refused
5 at once appealed to the department. and
2 on the acting postmaster demurring fur
ther ne was Informed by the department
{ that the Washington Office held letter
.
= eral directing payment be made to Mr..
Larner and that II that was not good
1 enough perhaps II would pay one signed
( by the postmaster general The amount
was finally paid under written instructions.
On December u and II Larner was re-
! quested to call at the Washington office
and furnish information required by the
, auditor and return $3.50 overpayment of
salary obtained by Misrepresentation. but
Attention is called 10 certain items au-
thorized for the military postal service OF
n supplies, furniture. travelling expenses. ag-
, gregating $75o.70. The prices paid for some
OF the articles enumerated such as wash
stands at $40 each, appear to have been
> highly excessive and led to the belief that
the feature of competition did not enter
into the transaction.
Attention is also called 20 additional ir.
regularities in connection with payroIIs OF
clerks and laborers and 70 charging pre-.
miums on the bonds of the military postal
clerks Notwithstanding such expenses are
| not chargeable to the United States.
5 No Voucher for smith.
4 An interesting feature concerns irregu.
e larities in the appointment, compensation
and promotion of Oliver II. Smith. On No.
,v-mber 20, 1897. the first assistant post
\ master general authorized an allowance oi
$500 per annum for his appointment as
: laborer, stating that the free delivery divi
sion would also allow s. per day 70 cover
carfare and incidental expenses. Smltf
drew pay from November %, 1897, to No
vember 30 lSgS, making his compensation
l. for one year approximately N.3sGO The
I inspector reports no one has certified C
, the actual time Smith was actually EN-
[ ployed, neither has any statement beer
attached 10 his pay vouchers showing Wha
J. particular service he rendered. He wa
IS continued in the dual capacity OF clerl
n and mechanic until April J. 1899. when n,
was promoted 10 be finance clerk at s., 20
e a year"
n The inspector says he knows Of no au
i thority in law for his appointment or pro
g. motion and calls attention TO a letter o.
the cashier OF the Washington ONCE ad
dressed to the postmaster dated Decembei
%. 1888, to the effect that on that day Smiti
asked for his per diem as a mechanic an,
:, { informed bV the cashier that he has