The semi-weekly messenger., 1903-05-19

Washington, May 16.-The formal
charges of Seymour W. TulIoch, CASH
ier OF the Washington city postoff1ce
for many years until his removal four
years ago, alleging irregularities in the
postal administration, We're submitted
to Postmaster General Payne today.
Mr.. Payne and Fourth Assistant Post
master General Brstow went over the
statement in detail. Postmaster Gen
eral Payne. reviewing the charges of
Mr.. Tulloch, said
"The great bulk of the irregularities
of which Mr.. Tulloch complains was
the result of the governments taking
over the postal service Of Porto Rico.
Mr.. TullOch refers to troubles caused
by the payment Of the Porto Rican ac-
counts through the Washington City
postottice and makes some other in
situations. as for example, the promo
ton Of letter DoX schemes etc, but
there Is no evidence, nothing but words
All that Will be of any service what
ever to the department in looking up
matters III connection with the inveS-
tigatiOn is comprised in three pages.
THE bulk of the statement, however,
consists of an accounting of his own
| grievances and of comments on his
| own removal He deals in glittering
! generalitieS in criticising eX-Postmas-
| ter General Smith. He refers to vouch-
| erS eand payments of certain people
which he claims to have been illegal
and makes a pretty severe attack on
the comptroller of the treasury. He
, makes some reference to the alleged
SmOthering in the examination Of ac-
| counts of the local postoffice. but Of
| fers no new evidence or documents to
subStantiate his allegations, merely re-
| ferring to certain people, certain
vouchers and certain accounts.
| There are no particularly new
points except an explanation of what
| he heretofore has said in a general
way. I am greatly disappointed that
| the document will not be of any great
help to us
Mr. 1ulloch mentions u rumor about
| the department that a calblegram had
! come to the department which said
| Papa send a telegram here quick, I
am sick but that is given only as
rumor.
| course, look, on their face, to be wrong
and that need explanation. The bulk
| of the offenses alleged is that vouchers
| were charged to the wrong accounts
| All of the items which were not al
| lowed by the comptroller were finally
| audited except less than $100. He will
| look into the records of these matters.
| of course"
| Postmaster General Payne said as to
the charge that physicians were car
ried on the rolls of postoffices without
| authority. that there had been fifteen
| or twenty such cases in the United
States This was a matter of admin
| ;cts ha
| within the province of the postmaster
general; but that he himself last au-
tumn restricted employment of physlc-
ians to postofficeS whose revenues ag-
gregated S1,O00,OO0 year
Mr.. Tulloch." continued Mr.. Payne,
''refers to the return postal card
scheme of the Economic Postage AS
sociation which never was adopted.
and inSinuateS we are not unprepared
to find Mr.. Reavers and Mr.. Machen
commanding the plan
Mr.. Tulloch charges that there is a
ring in the salaries and allowance dl'
vision of the postoffice department
without whose approval, nothing coulo
| be done, saying the ring consisted OF
the head of the department the first
! assistant postmaster general and the
poStma aSter general. Well. those OF
fcials welt the only ones who had any
.. thing to say about such a matter any
way. He says that some man was car
ried on two pay rolls; but the law:
specifically provide that an employ
can draw from two payrolls if prop
, erly authorized. if his aggregate salar!
, does not exceed $500. Mr.. Tullocl
mentions alleged junkets Of Officials
: and employees who went to Cuba an'
: Porto Rico to install the postal ser
= vice there How does Mr.. TullOch as
:. sumo to uass on the question whethe
these gentlemen simply went on
[ junket? He refers TO man who wa
g appointed to q place in Porto Rico, bu
: who got drunk in New York on IN
I . way. Well once in a while postmas
: ter defaults and gets drunk and is deal
+ with according 10 his desert. Mr.. Tul
V loch has made the statement that tn
cuban administrative troubles were
nothing compared to Porto Blco.
There has been only one case Q
wrong doing of an administrative OH
: cial in Porto Rico and that was
= clerk in the Ponce postoffice who d.
= faulted about $1,000.
Mr.. Tulloch refers to appointment
of laborers charwonen and cleaner:
as evasions Of the civil service law
: These places are not in the civil ser
h vice. He says that they performed n
O duties at all or often did work alon
= lines not authorized. We are now in
n vestigating a charge that three wore
carried on the rolls as charwome
y performed no service.
[. ''Mr. Tulloch says that the flnanc