New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-17
TULLOCH'SCHARGESFlLED
OLD. SAYS Mr.. PAYNE.
Chiefy Personal Grievances and
"GHttering Generahties.


postofice for many years, until he was reilioYeT
four years ago. alleging irregularities in the pos'i
administration, were submitted TO PostInas'er Ne
eral Payne to-day Mr.. Payne and fourlh as
sistant Postmaster General Bristow went over 'iie
statement IL detail.
Postmaster General Payne reviewing lhe cnais e0
of Mr. Tuoch said this afternoon;
The great bulk Of the irregularities OF who a1e1 nm
TuIioch complains was the result % f Ports Rco
Mr. Tulloch refers to troubles caused by the pay
ment Of the Porto R.ean snd makes some other
insnuatlons, as for example the pIoIE9 sa. "a
nothing but words All that viii be Of any service
to the department IN locking up
in three pages The bulk of the statement how
eve 81 an On his own removal gives
letters bearing his removal extracts from
and deals in gittering generalites in criticising
ex-Postmaster General Smith Re IeIers 20 Sns
have beer Illegal and makes pretty yeSfIe e
msLe some ON Reference to the alleged smothering
of the examination Of accounts OF 1ne iocaI po -
eIbsta pt.ste his allegations merely referring to
certain people, certain vouchers ana ee' 'A'N q"
There are no particularly new points except IN
epersi wax am greatly disappointed that the
document Will not be Of any great help to US
eaqding tul'V Ginner given by former washingtog
newspaper man to the Post nia9s but fail to
see what bearing that has on the sun5ect' .ta4
a mentions a
a eabIegram had come TO the department Thlcn
said: Papa send transport here Quick. an
eh IS eG also made that the Washington postmaster
should be washington man nan If course look on
their face 10 be wrong. and that need explanation
al Of 16e General Smiths admnstron
II is to be presumed that the Controiler CT 1Iis
the postmaster of Washington will be able to
throw light on these a matse5 is that vouchers
were charged to the wrong accounts All OF Inc Inc
items wheh w gdte dOt Except less than 500 We
will look into the records or these nla'eeiS' "
MR.. PAYNE REVIEWS THE CHARGES
Postmaster General Payne made an extended
statement on the Tulloch charges this evening. he
said as to the charge that physicians were carried
on the rolls Of the postofices without authority
that there had been fifteen or twenty such cases IN
the United States. This was matter or aornihis-
tratIye policy and entirely within the province OF
the Postmaster General but he himself last fall
restricted the employment Of physicians to post
offices whose revenues aggregated $lOoo"" year
Mr. Tulloch" continued the Postmaster General,
saws the trouble began in the Cleveland adInhls-
+ratto, under Postmaster General Wilson. He IN
stances the purchase of file case by the salary
and Allowance Division which was paid for out or
the Washington postoffice fund under orders OF Nr'
Shepherd, then chief Of the Salary ana Allowance
Division. This may have been Irregular puI ce4
tainly the government was not cheated MT
rTNloch makes assertions regarding the department
calling on its minor officials to be bonded by pond
ing companies but ends this charge by saying
that the competition between the companies soon
made the fees nominal He refers to the house-to-
house letter box plan in Washington, and speaks
of a letter of commentator for the scheme writ
ten by Postmaster General Wilson, but the letter
does.not show that Mr.. Wilson had any interest In
the scheme. He refers to the return postal cara
scheme of the Economic Postage Association winch
was never adopted. and insinuates: I'VE are not
unprepared to find Mr.. Beavers and Mr.. Machen
recommending The plan" Mr.. Tulloch charges that
there a ring In the salaries and allowance owl
sion OF the Postoffice Department, without whose
approval nothing could be done. saying the ring
consisted of the head Of the division, the First AS
sstant Postmaster General and the Postmaster
General Well. those officials were the only ones
who had anything to say about such matters any
way. He says that man was carried on two
payrolls but the laws specifically provide that an
employee from two payrolls, if properly
authorized. f MS aggregate salary does not ex-
coed S2.500. He says another man, borne on the
rolls OF the local postofice letter carrier was
employed IN the free delivery division. That was
irregular. but the government get the service
Mr. Tulloch mentions alleged junkets OF officials
and employees who went to Cuba and Porto Rico 10
install the postal service there Now does Mr. TUT
loch assume 10 pass the question whether these
gentlemen simply went iunket2 He refers TO
a who appointed a place in Porto Rico.
but who got drunk in New-York on the way Well
once in q while a postmaster defaults and gets
drunk. and is dealt with according TO his deserts
Mr. Tuloch has made the statement that the Cuban
administrative troubles nothing compared
10 Porto Rico. There has been only OF
wrongdoing Of administrative official in Porto
Rcio, and that was clerk in the Ponce Postolce,
who defauted about 5000 The government got
what could, and this record prevented this mans
getting into the army later The letter men
administration of affairs in Porto Rico, during the
time he mentioned was on an emergency plan' and.
like all such matters, has taken some time TO get
in smooth running order
Mr. lnFh n npn n m
charwomen and cleaners as evasions of the civil
Service law. These places were not IN the Civil
Service. He, says that they either performed no
duties at all or often cid work along lines nor
| authorized We now investigating charge
that three women carried the rolls char
women performed no service.
Mr.. Tuoch says that the finance clerks drew
more money than they ought to have drawn under
an emergency appropriation for Porto Rico We
win investigate this matter It is also charged
arrears at the time of Mr.. Tulloch's removal. We
had to employ natives there ana some not natives
and, In view OF the condiuons that confronted US
is il likely that would have had adminstrd-
States?
4 want to say here that any irregularities COM
planned OF in the Washington postoffice in
vestigated the time by postofIlce inspectors.
who made report to the Postmaster General.
defrauding of the government. Ex-Postmaster
General Smith and Postmaster Merritt. of this
rected the evils complained Of as their at
tention called TO them. All that indicates any
Washington postoftice. involving loss TO the gov
eminent or the integrity of en- official. win be In
investigate stump speech or the question whether
ingtonian or whether Mr. Tulloch should have been
removed. The postmaster had right to remove
Controller Tracewem called off one OF his men
from inspection Of the Washington Postoffice ac-
counts because it alleged that he was reaching
what might be called pay dirt Controller Trace
had been fully completed before the man was