Ordered By Superiors

Washington, June 18. - Postmaster General Payne Wednesday made public the reply of Fourth Assistant Postmaster-General Bristow to the charges of Seymour W. Tulloch, former cashier of the Washington city post office regarding the irregularities in the postal administration and also reports of inspection and investigation of the Washington post office by inspectors between June 30, 1889, and July 31, 1900, together with the transcript of the Tulloch charges made some years ago and the conclusions thereon then reached by Postmaster-General Charles Emory Smith.

These papers constitute by far the most significant documents yet made public as the result of the sweeping postal investigation. The reports show the existence of many irregularities during the period involved.

The inspector who investigated the irregularities reports that the files of the post office cashier show direct orders from superior authority for the disbursement of all questionable items cited. The inspector urged "that the responsibility for the many illegal appointments, the payment of two salaries to one and the same person and the disbursement of thousands of dollars for which practically no service was performed, should be placed where it properly belonged and the many abuses corrected."

In a summary of the several reports the postmaster-general says:

"The charge of Mr. Tulloch is in its essence against President McKinley and Postmaster-General Smith. President McKinley is no longer living; Postmaster-General Smith, who carried out President McKinley's policy, has answered for himself.

The postmaster-general also says:

"It will be seen that the whole subject was taken up by Postmaster-General Smith and investigated by him."

So Public Can Understand.

Mr. Payne quotes from the recently published reply of Mr. Smith and adds that these papers are now published "in order to complete the public understanding of a matter, a large part of which has already been published. The papers are filed without action for the reason that they relate to the business of a prior administration. The subject matter of complaint is four years old and all action thereunder was closed over two years ago."

The documents made public today show that on May 1 last Mr. Payne wrote a letter to Mr. Bristow, calling attention to the published interview with Mr. Tulloch and asked Mr. Bristow: "What truth, if any, there is in the statements, and particularly that part which speaks of your connection and that of the postoffice inspectors."

Mr. Bristow's reply in part, dated three days later, is as follows: "In response to your inquiry of May 1, 1903, as to the truth or falsity of the assertions of Mr. W. S. Tulloch that appeared in an interview by him in the Washington Post of that date, I beg to hand you herewith an abstract of three reports made by the inspectors on the condition of the Washington postoffice.

"The first, marked 'exhibit A,' refers to the transfer of the postoffice to Hon. John Merritt, incoming postmaster, by Mr. James P. Willett, retiring postmaster, which occurred June 30, 1899. At the time this inspection was in progress, as nearly as I can remember, Chief Inspector Cochran and Inspector in Charge Smith called upon me and advised me that the inspectors in the investigation of the postoffice had discovered many irregularities of a serious nature which seemed to be authorized by the department."

The most important exhibit is the confidential report of Postoffice Inspector in Charge Smith of the Washington division, made in July, 1899, setting forth irregularities which he urged should be investigated.

In conclusion the inspector states that the files of the cashier's office show full, direct and positive orders from superior authority for the disbursement of all the questionable items mentioned in the inspector's report; that the responsibility for the many illegal appointments, the payment of two salaries to one and the same person, and the disbursement of thousands of dollars for which practically no service was performed should be placed where it properly belongs, and the many abuses corrected.