New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-20
NO POSTAL FRAUDS HERE
zCCOUNTS ARE STRAIGHT.
Auditor Castle Replies to TuIlocks
Charges.

washington May 19-Postmaster General
PAYNE said to-day that the investigation Of some
Of The large postofices had been completed He
said that Controller Traceweu had personally
investigated the accounts Of the New-York
,oe+ofice. and added that he understood the
accounts were found TO be straight and in
proper shape The accounts OF the Milwaukee
sf7oe also had been found correct. The iuspec-
AIRS have finished the investigation of the
Washington postofice. and representatives of
The civil Service Commission to-day were fin
ishirg their examination by taking the testi-
raony Of clerks appointed at outside Postofices
who were transferred through the Washlrg ton
Office into the Postofice Department Referring
10 The responsibility Of subor5Inates in official
matters. the Postmaster General said that the
subordinate officials were responsible Tor their
own accounts and should not ooey an order that
was not lawful; that unlawful o-der was
no order at all. so far as the necessity of
eubor5inates executing il was concerned
Captain Henry A. Castle the Auditor for the
Pos-0flce Department. made a statement to-day
IN reply 10 charges made against MS office Ly
ex-Cashier TulIoch. OF the Washington post
Office. Auditor Castle says:
have not yet received the Postmaster Generals
lei-r l-i,s yTaels or NJ IGil0eI
". L. 9riet prompt and ! think conclusive.
cial Satisfaction IN the record OF this bureau IN
We now have SIX hundred employees, Of whom more
thar four hundred themselves auditors, settling
a. averase CT more than two thousand accounts
accounts. but 7 dc carefully review their work
vElc1 involved The Spanish war episodes, and as
eume6 The responsibility for the settlements as
INA Iv made Under q decision OF the Supreme
Ccu-C Of she United States the accounting officers
are o- judges Of the necessity the extravaganza
or an e-aelllturt- They are only concerned with
SIS ieEl i-y under some available appropriation and
III sulflcleuCy OF the vouchers
some Of M TulOchS statements are reckless
sr6 others absurdly false. The Controller never
dsaUoued $40 100 that had been approved by this
Office NJ recOlleCT now IS thai less than $1,000
was fuaIiv disapproVed. and that OF that amount
& considerable portion was simply CHARGED unCeT
another head ! VIII however. refresh my recol-
lection by going over the official files before
ing The Postmaster Generals letter.
Postmaster General Payne said to-day that he
had not communicated with Perry S. Heath, the
former First Assistant Postmaster General, but
thought he would DO SO later on In connec-
ton with the charges Of violations Of the Civil
Service law. Mir. Payne called attention TO the
s-lurouriation Of 100000 made by Congress in
March. 1899. as well several small appro-
r7riarfons for the same purpose in 1875 and 1898
BY their terms. he said the expenditure OF the
sT5uropriation for mail service OF various KINDS
made necessary by the acquisition OF insular
possessions was vested in the discretion OF the
postmaster General without regard to the civil
service law