The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-05-17
Postmaster General Also Declares
He Intends to Push Matters to
the End-EVery Case to Be
Investigated.
Many Statements of Former
Cashier Held to Be Irrelevant.
Vague RumorS Investigated
and Closed.
Law Allows One Man to Draw
Two Salaries = Porto Rican
Postal Affairs Brought to the
Front.

Postmaster General Payne received
| yesterday the specific charges against
the Postoffice Department. filed by Sey-
mour w Tulloch. ex-cashier CT the
/ Washington postofice. Mr. Payne de-
clared that only about three of the fifty
/ typewriter pages of charges were OF
any value whatever as aids TO the in
vestigation, ard that the rest of them
were filed with matters not germane 10
/ the subject.
! In closing his remarks on the TClloch
charges. Mr.. Payne declared in the
most positive terms, and with some show
! of asperity, that he intended 10 push the
| investigation into PostofTice affairs to the
/ end, and that under no circumstances
would the Investigations end until ev-
cry charge had been thoroughly ex-
amined. He said:
''This investigation viii go On to the
bitter end, viii take in any ard
every thing, place, and person that
needs it, and if there is any talk CT a
compromise it is a pure gratuity on the
/ part of the person making the state
ment- think we have got the man we
are after l am not man to turn tail,
and I never will"
Charges Generally Valueless.
Mr.. Payne's comments on Mr. TuIIochss
! long expected specific charges were caus-
| tic and rather sarcastic. and 'n speaking
of the charge that sister-in-law OF
Abner Mckinley mad special favors
granted her in the Postoffce. and was
allowed TO draw her salary ahead OF the
other clerks, Mr.. Payne said that the
making OF such charge in the sar-
l.castic and bitter language in which it
was couched was q crime.
The Postmaster General said there
were some pages OF the charges which
contained material which might be OF
service 10 the inspectors in their effort
10 follow the ramifcations OF Postoffce
affairs for the past few years, and tina.
these points would be carefully consid-
cred. The other pages. according TO Mr.
Payne. were filled with irrelevant ref
erence TO Irrelevant matters. vague
rumors and matters which had seen ia-
vestigated and long ago closed. He said,
liGl he " dS IC
have the whole of the charges publish
ed If there were enough copies to give
one to each correspondent. but that he
would not ask anybody TO publish such
a screed"
A Ring" Established by Law.
One of the charges enumerated was
that there was a ring in the First As
sis;ing of the First Assistant Postmas-
ter General, the Postmaster General.
and the superintendent of the division
of salaries and allowances. and that
without the favor OF this ring it was
impossible to secure any concessions.
Mr.. Payne said that the three men
named were naturally ring because on
them devolved the spending OF rie
money and the passing of the accounts
of the division of salaries and allow
arces, but he denied that the natural
ring had displayed favoritism.
The cases OF men who drew two or
more salaries were pointed out by Mr..
TulIoch. Mr.. Payne said that the law
specifically allows man 10 draw Two
salaries if the aggregate amount re-
CSlNeu py HlI1 Is uOl HlOAS tAdA S-sOSo
per year. and that the instances cited
by Mr. Tulloch would be looked into 10
see if the law was being violated.
The Porto Rican Issue
Mr.. TuIloch laid special stress upon
the conduct OF Porto Rican postal al
fairs. but Mr. Payne denied that there
was any weight in his charges or that
! subject.
He said that all the money lost by the
Government in the taking over of the
| Porto Rico service. and making it an
integral part OF the United States ser
( vice. was a portion of 5000. which was
embezzled by a clerk just as postal
clerks in this country occasionally find
the handling of large sums of money
| too great a temptation.
| Mr. Payne admitted that there had
been irregularities in the administra-
ton of the Porto Rico postofice. but
! said that they were mistakes which
were pointed out by the Comptroller or
the Treasury. and were corrected when
the accounts were reaudited. The trip
! of postal officials TO Porto Rico to start
! the new service was characterized by
! Mr.. Tulloch as junket, but Mr.. Payne
| denied that. and said that II il had
been Mr.. Tulloch was not in a position
TO furnish convincing information on
the subject
Mr.. Tulloch alleged that women wers