The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-12-17
TLate Postmaster Cen
eral, for Seeming Fail
ure toAppreciate Grav-
ity of Misconduct, IS
Held Responsible.
Thorough Overhauling of
Affairs of Washington
and New York Offices
Recommended by In
veStigatorS.

Further and startling light has been
thrown on the Postofice Department
scandals by the publication OF the com
ments Of Charles ]. Bonaparte and j.
Holmes Conrad on the Tunoch charges.
and the full text Of the report of ]. L
Bristow. Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General. upon the Investigations made
by the inspectors.
No effort TO shield those higher up
appears in the report TO the President
on the charges preferred by Seymour
w. Tulloch against the conduct of the
Postoff1ce Department. with special ref
erence to the city pOstofice at the time
when he was cashier. Clearly and con-
cisely the blame for the conditions
which admitted Of the gross irregulari-
ties in the city postofHce is placed.
Tulloch Charges Sustained.
Messrs. Conrad and Bonaparte sustain
the rulloch charges. and in fixing re-
spoasibiHty for the abuses say:
"The persons primarily responsible
for the above mentioned abuses and the
resulting scandals appear to have been
Perry S. Heath, then First Assistant
Postmaster General, and George w.
Beavers, then chief of the Salaries and
Allowance Division, neither of whom is
now in the service of the United States.
Charles Emory Smith, late Postmaster
General; James Willett, late postmas-
ter of Washington, now deceased; John
A. Merritt, his successor in said Office
and its present incumbent; Robert ],
Tracewell, Comptroller, and Henry A.
Castle, Auditor for the Postofice De-
partment, all appear to have shared in
some measure their responsibilities; the
late Postpaster General for his seeming
failure, notwithstanding repeated warn
ings, to appreciate the gravity of their
misconduct, and the consequent neces-
sity for its prompt and adequate pun
ishment; the two postmasters, for toll
Grafton of these abuses and obedience
TO plainly improper orders without ex-
posuTe, or, apparently, protest, and the
Auditor and Comptroller for acting upon
lax and arbitrary principles in the ad-
ministration Of their respective Offices,
whereby tie payment of illegal and
seemingly fraudulent claims by the
Treasury was rendered possible"
Beavers Expenses.
They find that there were improper
disbursements Of public funds and I'M
authorized expenditures. 1t is said that
Postmaster Van Colt received instruc,
tions from the Acting First Assistan;
Postmaster General to allow 81 a day tc
Beavers for expenses This payment
was made for time. it is said. anc
finally stopped The report says:
I'VE find II impossible 10 doubt tina;
Mr. Heath. Mr. Van Colt. and Nh
Beavers himself all knew the payment
OF this additional compensation was ex-
pressly forbidden by law"
Messrs. Conrad and Bonaparte recon-
mend a thorough investigation OF the af-
fairs Of the Washington and New Yorh
postofices and the office of the FRS;
Assistant Postmaster General within the
last three years; also. that the Presl-
dent appoint commission to devise q
plan for removing the offices Of the
Comptroller ard the Auditor from polit-
zeal or other extraneous influences. They
express the opinion that some OF tho
offenses on which they report may not
be covered by the statute OF limitations
The Bristow Report.
The Bristow report reveals many new
facts brought out by the months Of in
vestigation and not embodied in the Of
fetal abstract made public recently.