Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-30

ration from it, found that he had been
In the habit for many years OF making
up the quarterly pay-rolls of the once IN
blank. getting the signatures OF the en-
pioyes thereto, and fillins in afterward the
dates and amounts paid. do not charge
that these amounts were ever Improperly
filled IN; but 1 need moo say, 10 any o otsns
presented an open door to fraud. In go
ing over in April, $780, the accounts pre-
pared by Mr.. Tulloch for the period from
July to September 80 1898, the controller
of the treasury discovered this grave IT.
regularity, and thus commented on it:
ut appears that receipts are signed IN
thority is this done? No person should be
required to sign vouchers in blank. leav-
ing amounts and dates to be filled In over
their signatures. The existence OF such a
AS soon as this practice was brought to
my notice discontinued It,
Alleges False Voucher.
Before 1 became postmaster one Of the
employees of the post office was suspended
from duty from May to June g. 1893. with
out pay, without any reason Of record. so
far as I have learned, and without any
departmental authority. Mr.. Tulioch, the
cashier retained this mans pay from the
time stated, amounting to $14O.11, against
his protest. I am told. obtaining his sig
however and then sent the account to the
auditor for the Post Office Department
as though payment had actuaiIy peen
made. The cashier probably had the post
he did not make personal use OF the
money, but the transaction appears, never.
theless, to comprehend the presentation oI
false voucher. which is made crime
by section 54S3 Of the Revised Statutes OF
the United States. The money thus I'M
lawfully taken was divided by the cashier.
or by his direction. among a NUMBER OF
persons. upon orders signed IN the nane
of the postmaster by h6 assistant (thougn
in one case no order has been founu, un-
til all of it was used UP except $76o. which
is now in the official possession OF one oi
the bureaus of the Post ONCE Department
II seems rather extraordinary that Mr.
Tulloch should be making so LOUD an OUT.
cry against the management of the POST
ONCE Department and OF the post oihce
when his memory should take III tnis o 80
In which he was participant, every 1ea-
ture If which appears to have been without
The irregularities charged by Mr.. Tulloch
though l am not informed as 10 the ue,
tails-all occurred before July l. 1888, when
I entered upon the duties OF the once,
while Mr. Tulloch was holding the once
of cashier, and when. II he had regarded
them as wrong. he should nave oLIicia!iy
called attention to them. This he evidently
failed to do, for the controller OF the treas
ury who, I understand, went thoroughly
over the whole matter, and who wrote 10
the postmaster regarding 1T, says that ne
"acted on his own motion. AS you VIII see
from the controllers letter, which here
with inclose, some of the irregularities TO
which he calls attention were evidently due
to Mr.. Tulloch's own neglect or ignorance
and all of them are transactions Whicn ne
had been habitually taking up for the post
master as part of his accounts. If these
things were criminal, he seems to urge,
why did he make himself party to them?
So far as 1 can see from the files of the
office, he never called attention to any Of
them while he remained cashier. He with
held the performance of this duty until
some other man had taken his place, for,
as I understand the matter. his present
charges are the same precisely as those
newspapers and to the Postmaster General
day or two after he went out OF office.
If there were any serious irregularities,
as Mr.. Tulloch claims they occurred, as
have before said. prior to my becoming
postmaster. Whatever they were think
they were nearly all corrected soon after
the controller Of the treasury called atten-
ton to them.
Appointments and Promotions.
AS to tendency in the Post Office De-
partment Ito convert this office into q bu-
reau' thereof. Ito disburse It's funds. ap-
point. promote and transfer it's employees
without record. and adding additional en-
ployes whether their services are needed
or not" as Mr.. Tulloch asserts. / have to
state that l have perceived no such ten
dency. have disbursed no money on ac-
counts of any kind without written author
ity therefor. Appointments. promotions
and transfers, with very few exceptions,
have been made upon my recommendation.
approved by the department Since your
administration began there have been ~
appointments. 80 of which were made upon
my own recommendation and 2 upon Of
fetal letters Of First Assistant Postmaster
General Wynne. There have bean PIT pro-
motions. lib of which were made upon my
own recommendation. by official letter OF
First Assistant Postmaster General John
son and upon official letters of First AS
sistant Postmaster General Wynne. The
fees and the Post Office Department to this
office (all of whom were efficient clerks
and letter carriers) amounted to 49, OF
them being made upon my own recon-
mendation and upon official letters from
First Assistant Postmaster General Wynne
There have been 80 designations, 20 re-
movals and Ii transfers to the post offices
and the Post Office Department These
facts show how groundless Mr.. Tullochs
charge is that the department keeps on addS
Ing employees, whether their services are
needed or not.
There are now on the rolls of this office
S76 clerks and IS laborers, under which lat
ter head are included all charwomen. tani-
tors and watchmen; also PSI letter carriers
and 62 clerks in charge of numbered or
drug store stations
Let me say, further, that there are no
superfuous employees in this office. The
force Is not only not too large, but at times
OF pressure 1t Is insufficient: so that reoui-
sitfons have had to be time and again made
for the employment of temporary clerks.
Very respectfully
JOHN A. MERRITT, Postmaster.
Mr.. Merritt's Second Reply.
Postmaster General Payne wrote again
to Mr.. Merritt May 20 last, inclosins comics
of Mr.. Tulloch's statement to him afrect,no