Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-06-04
THE PANAMA CANAL TREATY.
Postmaster Merritt of Washington City
Replies to the Charges of Former
Cashier Tulioch,

Postmaster Merritt Of Washington City
Replies to the Charges of Former
Cashier TuIioch.
Washington, May 3O.-Postmaster-
General Payne has made public the
reply of Postmaster Merritt, of this
city, to the Tulloch charges. The
Merritt response makes serious accu-
sations against former Cashier S. W.
Tulloch, of the Washington post Of
fee, saying that a transaction in
which Nj. Tulloch was concerned in
1898 appears to comprehend the pre-
sentation of a false voucher, which is
made a crime by the statutes"
Mr.. Merritt's reply further alleges
that receipts were signed in blank on
the pay rolls during Mr.. Tulloch's
regime as cashier, and that the files
do not indicate any complaint of lr-
Irregularities against the Washington
post office filed by Mr.. Tulloch while
he was in office. Mr.. Merritt says the
general practice of giving employees
duties seemingly Incompatible with
their positions is no abuse and that
the practice of paying certain ex-
penses of the post office department
out of the Washington city post office
funds always has existed and is prop
er.
The postmaster general, Friday, an
nounced the completion of the inyes-
tigation of the salary rolls of all the
first and s~econd-class post Offices in
the country. The only irregularities
reported, all of which have been or
dered to be corrected Immediately,
were the payment to IA assistant post
masters Of a larger Salary than they
should receive under the departments
policy; payments to a few clerks OF
more than the law allows and the ex-
istence of designations unknown to
the law for positions in II post offices.
Mr.. Payne said that none of these
items indicated any wrongdoing, and
he regarded this net result of the
overhauling OF the rolls of upwards of
thirteen hundred presidential post Of
noes as gratifying.
Before l became postmaster says
Mr.. Merritt, in his reply to Tulloch,
lone of the employees of the post Of
fee was suspended from duty from
May 5 to June 3, 1898, without pay,
without any reason of record, so far
as ! have learned, and without any de-
partmental authority. Mr.. Tulloch,
the cashier, retained this mans pay
FIR the time stated, amounting to
$40, against his protest, | am told,
obtaining his signature to the Gus
tomary form of pay roll, however,
and then sent the account to the audi
tor for the post office department as
though payment had actually been
made. The cashier probably had the
pcstmaster's order to do this, and it
seems he did not make personal use
of the money. But the. TRANSACTION
appears, nevertheless, to comprehend
the presentation of a false voucher
"'The money thus unlawfully taken
was divided by the cashier or by his
direction among a number of persons
upon orders signed in the name o.
the postmaster by his assistant
Though in one case no order has beer
found) until all of it was used up eN'
cept $7.66, which is now in the otficia
possession of one of the bureaus o.
the post office department."
Postmaster Merritt then, speaking
- e T,.I.,, uN,,1IN,H n1
most at once after he became post
master. declares the removal was NJ
mistake and for reason therefor says;
"Take this incident related to mt
cesor, a few days after ! assumed tn,
postmastership, and fully confirmed
by the statements of others: He sale
that his accounts for the last quarter
of his term were in a rather tangled
condition; that he was very mucf
worried about them; that his cashier
should not have left them in this con
, dition; that he regarded it as thu
cashiers duty to properly arrang'
and close them; but that after ap
pealing to him for his assistance, he
' Tulloch, absolutely refused to give l
| unless he was paid $500 therefor. Up
t on my advice Mr.. Willett indignant,
rejected the offer, and Mr.. Tullocl
$ never gave him any aid whatever. Thu
, work was entirely and SATISFACTORY!
done by my own official force"
/ Mr.. Merritt says he had discretion
= airy authority to remove Tulloch
! whom he charges with being arbitrar,
: in manner, occupied much of the tim
} with important private business an
Ia venturesome man in the field o
1 speculation"
e Mr.. Merritt denies that either tn
: postmaster general or First Assistan
Postmaster General Heath directly o
e indirectly Influenced Tulloch's re
l moyal.