Show PERRY HEATHS SIDE OF postoffice POST OFFICE utah editor former assistant postmaster general makes a vigorous reply to Tul lochs charges washington june 2 postmaster general payne today made public the letter of former first assistant post roaster general perry S heath in reply to charges made by S W tulloch of this city formerly cashier of the washington city pos the letter follows salt lake city utah may 23 1903 to uon II 11 payne washington D C my dear mr payne thank you for your courteous letters of the and ansta calling my attention to certain assertions of one S W tulloch ex cashier of the washington post office and also the statement of a mrs winans formerly of ohio who is quoted as saying that she was carried upon the rolls of alie postoffice post office with the understanding that she waa not to render service to the got eminent if mrs winans did not render services equivalent to the compensation ache received her superior officers were deceived I 1 did not know the woman when she was appointed and had no personal interest in her her name was among a large number always on my desk and I 1 recall that she was well recommended om for a position I 1 did not and could not attempt to personally ascertain whether persons appointed to tiona in icea rendered service satisfactorily I 1 do remember that this woman became a nuisance about the postoffice Post office department and that I 1 refused to sec her she was represented to me by my chief clerk as being persistent in her demands for promotion or more desirable work she at least pretended to my chief clerk so he reported to me to perform services warranting promotion or better compensation by the same token upon the saye line of comment employed by tulloch nearly if not quite all of the transactions of the departments in washington could be called into question and improper motives could be assigned necessarily I 1 could not follow the details of the work of poat oTice clerics I 1 was compelled to trust my subordinates and rely on postmasters we had a change of administration a war the americanizing American izing of immigration of foreigners and the taking over of vast expanses of hew territory but I 1 mastered as many details as possible and I 1 proudly hald myself responsible for all that I 1 did for the humble part I 1 took in alic work of the department anever I never appointed any person to any position or retained any one in any position at any time with any sort of notion or idea that he or she was not io render full and honest service to the government for the pay received the intimation that there was an honorary roll upon which persons were placed for political or personal or other purposes than service is a pure invention ven tion it is a lie out of the whole do as are most of tho imputations of tulloch it any were 0 o appointed or retained it was through their own dishonest designs there was a period extending over many months when many more men were demanded for service in cuba por to rico and at military camps in ofir country than ite could supply we drew through larger offices for men from classified sen ice receiving many but when responses from post offices ceased to be sufficient we drew names from applications out of the service and conscientiously selected those whose capability and character were deemed best in thia hurried work of appointments hurried dispatch of raan anil materials for the scenes of action some mistakes were of course made but these things occur and will so long as men lire 1 I made a visit tn poro rico anen tho spanish form of postal service wag taken over and placed under our system I 1 did not seek the trip and never mada a more disagreeable one or where I 1 rendered better bervic or made more sacrifice for every dollar expended vouchers were rendel and accounting made I 1 made a trip pacific slope in the spring of in connection with conditions existing in at portland tacoma and seattle incident to the handling of the alaskan mails and local congestions congest ions for which a strict accounting was made possibly tulloch did not deem these trips feces wry but I 1 doubt if he had the slightest conception for what they were made or what was done upon them arc two personal to me in the tulloch assertions ehst I 1 desire to mention briefly and tho others I 1 will pass over as unworthy of mention or for reply from those who have hat later access to the official records for these incidents occurred four or five years ago complaints were made to me by clerks in the postoffice Post office de of to the auditor for the treasury that an employed of the latter named gilmer frequently entered their rooms and in a surly offensive and a nd peremptory demanded records and carried them away without leaving any receipt or simply helped himself and whan receipts were requested snubbed the clerks the request I 1 was asked by our clerk to request abid did request of treasury officials that gilmer be instructed to act like a gentleman and to protect cherka in the department by leaving receipts for all records taken by him from tho department A displaced document naturally subject the responsible clerk to censure if not indeed a charge of dishonesty what purpose gibner had in carrying these records from the department part ment I 1 do not pretend to say chii incident had no connection with gil mera work as auditor it the other reference relates to tul lochs displacement from tha position of cashier in the washington na the first distinct recollection I 1 hayo atty tulloch was shortly after the indu ca w tion of postmaster gerritt anil the wp of a new cashier A of Tull oclis friends called upon me singly and asked me to intercede for hia reinstatement after I 1 had steadily declined to make any concession one or two men called and advised me aa a matter of protest to have him reinstated I 1 was advised that tulloch ht bean collecting evidence of ties and if he waa not reinstated he would expose them that I 1 would bo made to suffer and McKinIe ys administration would tie scandalized I 1 remember to have stated to one of these importunate friends that I 1 could not conceive how an honest and ous employed of the government would want to remain in a position chero wrong was doing done much less reinstated under such conditions condi tiona and that aa lie had been a sworn officer of the government and had not to my knowledge reported these alleged irregularities I 1 woul would d not and could sot in conscience recommend him for any position this is the matter to which yon now fall my attention and was then at the instance of tulloch published in newspaper st in washington and etee where and then fully answered mhd men against whom allegations ivero directed had refused to pay the price of the proposed secrecy if there la any specific information that I 1 can give yon or any service that I 1 can render you in any way in collecting fats hearing upon any transaction th hn reau over which I 1 presided until tareo years ago I 1 hall be glad to you thanking you tor courtesy and with best wishes faithfully signed PERRY S |