The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-24
REPLY TO TULLOcH
WHAT OFFICIALS SAY ABOUT HIS
CHARGES.
THEY DENY ANY WRONG.
SAY THAT THE PROCEDURE WAS
CORRECT.

POstOh1ce Department and Also
the Controller Send Answers to
Payne which the Postmaster Gem
eraI Gives Ont - Controller Says
Expert GiImer Wrote "A Letter Au-
thOrizing Himself to Examine the
Accounts of POstOmces.
Washington, May 23.-Postmaster
General Payne to-day made public the
answers of Henry A. Castle, the audi
tor of the treasury for the Postoffice
Department and Controller Tracewell
of the treasury, regarding the Tulloch
charges of irregularities in the postal
administration.
The answers specifically deny charges
of wrongful procedure. Controller
Tracewell charges T. W. Gilmer, for
merly an expert of his Office, with abb
stracting, but subsequently returning,
upon demand, the letter authorizing
Mr.. GilTner to examine the accounts
of any postoffices except Washington
and New York Mr.. Tracewell says this
letter was written by Gilmer himself,
without any suggestion from the con-
troller.
Mr. Castle says that the sum of the
tentative disallowances by Expert Gill
mer and the controller aggregated 1892;
that the credits finally disallowed out
of a total of s250,00O were $165, of
which he claims only 81 was incorrect
~ audited. This, Mr.. Castle says, is
the basis of Mr.. Tullochs charge of
disAllowances of $50, 900 or 100000
Mr.. Payne's statement says that the
letters are made public at the request
of the two officials, and that it will
appear from them how much founda-
ton there was for the Tulloch
charges" Mr.. Payne adds:
GiImer's Brusque Treatment.
IN the Postofice Department the
complaint made of Mr.. Gilmer was that
he would abruptly and discourteously
enter the rooms of the department
clerks, demand papers in an offensive
way, and then carry them away with
out leaving a receipt. 1t was demand
ed that he be instructed to act as a
gentleman and leave receipts for all
papers which he carried out of the
building, for if any were misplaced the
department clerks would be held re-
sponsible.''
Mr.. Castle, in his answer says, that
Mr.. Tulloch shares in a prevailing
Misrepresentation that an auditor is
charged with the responsibility of
keeping other officials correct and
honest and in determining the neces-
stiles of the service. The auditor says
that such functions would be fatal to
administrative freedom by the head of
a department.
Regarding the settlement and subse-
quent revision of an account of the
late Postmaster Willett of Washing
ton, which involved alleged irregulari-
ties in Porto Rico during the military
operations there, the auditor replies
that every item believed to be illegal
was dlsallowed by the auditors office.
Every Expenditure Authorized.
The wide discretion given in the
language of the appropriations for mill
ltary postal service, Mr.. Castle says,
shows that Congress intended to ex-
empt the disbursement of those appro-
prlations from many of the ordinary
regulations. Every expenditure made
was authorized in. advance by the de-
partment; every voucher approved and
actually paid by postmaster weeks
or months before its presentation to
the auditors office for allowance. Many
expenditures were unusual, and a few
of them were held to be illegal and
disallowed. AS to whether the service
was necessary or the compensation ex-
travagant, the department was the sole
judge.
Mr.. Castle goes at length into the
details of the examination of accounts
and says:
While this revision was thus bar
rem of financial gain, it was indirect
~ profitable. Through Tulloch's pri-
vate interviews with GiImer irregulari-
ties were pointed out which did not
appear on the face of the papers and
were unknown to the auditor These.
controller Tracewell exercised the au-
thority of his office to correct.
This is the whole story of the re-
vision of an account wherein Mr.. Tul-
loch alleges that the controller disal-
lowed $4,000 or $4,000 previously an
proved by the auditor, and upon which
he bases an assumption that subse-
quent accounts would have revealed
immensely larger extravagances, It
saved $165 to the government and con-
victed the auditors office of 81 incor-
rectly audited"
Was Only Irregular.
Mr.. Castle says the funds at a post
office belong to the general postal reve-
nues and the surplus is legally subject
10 draft by the Postmaster General for
postal purposes. Although not illegal.
the custom of drawing on local funds
sometimes violates rules of correct ac-
counting. Hence the auditor FREQUENT
ly suggests to the department that GER
tain expenditures should be ordered by
postmasters. These include the ac-
counts of departmental officials for
travelling expenses.
But out critic" says the auditor
"unJustly reproaches the auditor for
permitting a practice which he had no
power to prohibit. Mr.. Heath's ex-
pense bill, to which he specially al
ludes, was charged to the proper an
preparation and not to any allowances
for the Washington postoffice'
Concerning the charge that certain
employees were paid on the rolls of the
Washington postoffice, who never per-
formed service therein, if anywhere.
the auditor answers that no accounting
oft1cer can possibly know in each case
whether service was actually perform
ed or not, and that they trust to the
scrutiny of departmental officials and
the honesty of postmasters The post
master at Washington, he says. made
affidavit on his quarterly account that
the credits therein were Just and true.
and the auditor says it is hard to be-
lieve that the affidavit was false.
Answers of the Controller.
The first answer of the controller 10
the Postmaster General Is dated Nav
and denies that any political pressure
was brought to bear or attempted 10
secure the suppression of the investiga-
ton Of the Washington accounts, and
that the examination had been COM
pleted.
The second answer under date OF