Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1917-12-12
j. s. censor At
Work on MAILS
Burleson Asks $I,2OO,OOO
for Examination of Let
terS 10 and From U. s.
BOARD ORGANIZED
TWO MONTHS AGO

WASHINGTON, Dec. ~. - Postmaster
Geenrsl Burleson has asked Congress
for an appropriation Of 100000 to sup
port a rigid and extensive censorship
Of all mail communications, including
both letters, newspapers and other mat
Ter entering or leaving the United
states.
Such q censorship has been in exist
ence for two months.
Upon the specific request Of the gov.
eminent the newspapers Of the coun-
try have scrupulously withheld publ
ration Of any news concerning its exc
istence.
With the fact barred in official docu-
ments Of the House Of Representa-
tives, the Committee on Public lnfor-
nation withdrew the original request
for secrecy yesterday and it is, there
fore. permissible TO publish details Of
The censorship.
The appropriation Of si,20O.OO0 is to
defray the expenses Of censorship dur
ing the fiscal year 1919 Last week
The House Committee on the Postofilce
and Post Roads conducted hearings on
tAAC tlAll a. HNHNnA nHIiANll AuNiNM MAllt
In which the censorship was gone into
In detail,
Robert L. Maddox, superintendent Of
foreign mails and chairman Of the
censorship board appeared before the
committee. The censorship board was
created under President Wilson's order
Of October 70 and has control Of all
censorship, including the military and
No. oh al sN.aasaI
Of the hoard are General Mcintyre,
nhief censor Of the army; Commander
Todd, chief naval censor; Paul Fuller
representing the War Trade Board, and
George Creel, representing the Commit
bee on Public Information.
The Appropriation asked by Mr..
Burleson, however. does not cover the
cost Of the military and naval censor
ships, which are separate from the CEN
Iorship Of the mails.
In his testimony before the commit
Tee. Mr.. Maddox said that all letters
leaving or entering this country arc
opened and read exclusive of such as
have already been censored by Great
Britain. Newspapers and other printed
matter also are censored. according TO
the chairman of the censorship board,
He said the censorship board might,
ia its discretion, eliminate parts or all
Of any communications or mail matter,
and that the writer was not notified
when matter sent by him was with
drawn entirely.
AT present according TO Mr.. Maddox,
ihe postoalce Department is censor
ing mail passing between the United
states and Mexico and the countries
Oh Latin-Amerlca and between the
United States and Spain and the West
Indies. Mail passing between the
tn,ted Sattes and Norway, sweden
and Denmark and Holland is not belns
censored by the government but by
the British censor.
Mail sent 10 all parts Of France, ac-
cordIng 10 Mr.. Maddox, is not censored
unless 10 Is necessary as a purely mill
tary proposition.
The number of employees 10 be an
gagged under the appropriation asked
81 Congress is estimated by Mr.. Mad
dnx 10 be from 500 TO 1000 and most
Of the work Is being and will be done
10 New York. The employees are 10
D. obtained from the registers of the
Civil Service Commission, and the sal
aries are TO run from $500 to $500
year. Only 100 men are employed on
The censorship at present
Very few Of the present examiners,
however, were furnished by the Civil
Service Commission, said Mr. Maddox,
because 20 do the work men must have
special qualifications; particularly lin
siistlo attachments Their quallilca-
lions are Judged by a committee Of
the censorship board. other employees
Of the censorship board are being paid
from 5000 TO 5000. although Mr.. Mad
dOx said they were not engaged I'm the
actual censoring Of mails.
There was a disposition on the part
Df the several members Of the com
mittee to llfaiting in the act the size
Of salaries 10 be paid by the censor
ship board but Mr. Maddox said he
thought the appropriation should be
made In q lump and added that he
thinks the board can safely be
trusted with arranging The salaries. We
pay no more than we have 70 pay to
set the kind Of people we have TO
have"
At one point in the hearing Chair
man Moon asked:
And everybodys letter will be torn
open and examined and all newspa-
per sexamined?"
Yes" was the reply Of Mr.. Mad
dox.
The censorship does not include do
mesuc mail. This fact was cmpha-
sized by Mr.. Maddox in response io a
number Of questions from members
q the committee. who had received
lne impression that an internal mail
censorship also had been established
A. military censor Is in charge NJ
censorship Of kilograms 10 Mexico and
South America. and the navy censor
ship covers the wireless and Inc a.
bies. II is the intention Of the most.
Office censor to establish CENSORSHIP,
III trans Pacific mail also. sand Mr.
Maddox.
The postal appropriation biz Is nov
under consideration on the floor O.
Congress-. u s eApetced that D nuu
per-. Of Congressman win discuss IN
censorship item when il is reached.
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