The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-31
bURLESON AGAIN SHARPLY ATTACKED
 CABLE SE|zURE
Hitchcock Says Postmaster General Came Near Break ing Faith With Congress
 by Taking Over Cables
ny AssocIated .Pre..

Washington, December 30. Criticism of Postmaster Gen eral Burleson for taking over the marine cables after the signing of the armistice was re newed today in the Senate.
 Senator Hitchcock of Nebraska. chair man of the foreign relations committee. precipitated the discussion after present ing letter from Mir Burleson in which the Postmaster General denied he had exceeded his authority and asserted that the order taking over the cables had been signed by the President November ?. Senator Hitchcock said the Postmaster General had come very close to break ing faith with Congress" and he was not Justified in taking over the cables after kostAities ceased. He also accused Mir. Burleson of suppressing sthe order for sometime Senator Watson, republican of Indiana. charged that the date on the order had been originally fixed at Novem- Der f4, but because of the signing of the aI mistice sooner than expected, 1t was changed to November 2
 When the order was made" said Sem ator Watson, "the date was first put down as November 14, the armistice hav- fnR been S1EneQ on tIe lilH Oi ludl month. Afterwards the date was erased and November was inserted. I hava every reason to believe that that fact is susceptible of proof. The object of 1t Is apparent without comment"
 Senator Kellogg of Minnesota, repub- lican. said he had been informed the order was signed by the President on November 2, but 1t was not, counter signed by the Secretary of State and it 4 l. sxz.xI anyone until after the war had closed and the armistice had been signed. l" i,
 DATE LEFT BLANK
 .sExen tie date. whensit was exhibited to one of the telegraph companies, was blank and the order was never made before the signing of the armistice, Sem ator Kellogg declared.
 In his letter to Senator Hitchcock MT Burleson said:
 "Of course, my dear senator, no one knows better than you that a public of ficiaI is not called upon to notice the ,nouthings of irresponsible blatherskites who may crfticise or misrepresent his of ficial actions, but when critical state mcnt is made by senator of the United States it not only justifies but calls for response.
 "Of course, it is not true that have of my own will rilthressly seized and taken possession of these cables; of course 1t Is not true that have taken possession of them just to gratifT my personal convictions. personal opinion and personal wishes: of course it is not true that have reached out to control busi- ness activities the Congress did not in tend to. put into my hands. feel that a reply to all such charges can be con- clusively made by quotations from a mo- ton to dismiss filed by the representative of The law department of our govern meylt made by direction of the attorney general of tbe United States to a silly suit recently instituted flor publicity pur- Eposesy in a court known to be without ju- risdictfon against the Postmaster Gen eraf in which these unfounded charges are set forth.
 MT. Burleson in his letter also branded as ssrutferiy without .foundation' charges that much Of the mali addressed to sol- iliers overseas falls 10 reach its destina- ton. The department. he said. had de- livered to the various military units in France nearly 1000 900 pieces sof mail each north, which has beenx done on an average. of better than ao days time from the average date of postntarkfng to the delivery fYmaiT abroad. T ~ ;.s 'ss