New-York tribune., 1918-06-13
John T emple Graves, Hearst
Employe, Is Among Lead
ing Agitators
House Votes To-day;
Hot Debate Likely
Purchase to Cost 10 to ii
Millions and Is Termed
Losing Investment
Especial Dispatch to The Tribune

Especial Dispatch to The Tribune)
WASHINGTON, June 12.-To-mor-
row the House will tear itself to rib
bons in fury Of moral Indignation.
One side will accuse the other of as
sisting at burglary, and the other
side will say that evil suspicious are a
reflection of worst intentions.
The question to be debated is
whether the government, by further
expenditure of between $1o,000,000 and
$11 100000 in the next ten years, shall
acquire ownership of fifty-six miles of
pneumatic tubes in New York, Phila-
delphia, Boston, Chicago and st. Louis
from John Z. Milholland and his stock
holders, or allow the Postoffice Depart
ment to abandon the pneumatic tube
service entirely. as it wishes to do, and
rely wholly upon motor trucks for mail
delivery.
1t is a strange controversy.
There are two aspects. One is the
question Of facts as to the merits OF
the pneumatic tube service, with postal
ular belief mostly on the other. The
second and for the present the most
exciting aspect is the extent and nature
of the propaganda carried on to induce
Congress, against the wishes of the
Postoffice Department, to buy out Mr.
Milholland and his stockholders, whose
contract with the government has ex-
pircd and whose franchises in the sew
eral cities soon will begin to run out
Strong Tube Lobby
There is a pneumatic tube lobby and
its methods are outrageous. At the
top of its personnel are:
John Temple Graves, special Hearst
correspondent in Washington.
Joseph w. Bailey, formerly United
States Senator from Texas
Robert L. Henry, formerly chairman
of the House Committee on Rules.
John Temple Graves not only has
heen writing pieces in the Hearst pa
pers for government ownership OF the
tubes, but he has been soliciting Sena-
tors and Representative to vote for
buying them, on the plea that every
and he will be ruined if the service
IS abandoned.
Others in Congress, who are warmly
in favor of buying the tubes, are Sena-
tor John w. Weeks, formerly\of Horn
blower e. Weeks. the Boston banking
house, which long has been interested
in pneumatic tube shares, and Repre-
tentative James A. Gallivan. member
Cf the House Committee on Appropria-
tions, who on the 1916 list. of American
rheumatic Service Company stockhold-
ers, as printed in "The Congressional
Record" last January. is himself the
owner Of eighty shares.
Amazing Publicity
The amount of newspaper and other
publicity that has been brought to bear
upon the government, the Postotfice
Department and Congress is astonish-
ing. The Postoffice Department re-
Gently received communications from
Il person signing himself R. j. Cald-
we'll. City Club, New York. whose other
address is said to be IL Park Row.
predicting that certain editorials at
tacking The Postmaster General would
appear the next day. and then proving
Z with the clippings as per specifca-
tions, the purpose being to support the
boast that there was unlimited power
of publicity behind the tube campaign.
But the propaganda has had other
and unexpected ramifcations. The
City Council of Chicago and the Board
of Aldermen of New York, each act
ing apparently in spontaneous man.
ner, adopted strong resolutions pro-
testing to the President of the United
States against discontinuing the pneu-
matte tube service. Afterward, II
was discovered that both resolutions
we're exactly identical, to the very
commas and periods, except for the
oh fA
emanating from the Chicago Council
and the other from the New York
Aldermen.
False Telegram To Wilson
More interesting still are the two
kilograms that follow, both received
at the White House. signed by Andrew
J. Peters, Mayor of Boston, one on
May Is and the other on May 90:
Boston. Mass, May II, 1918.
"To the President
THE Boston Post Office handles
over two million letters daily by
pneumatic tubes. This also assists
rapid mail service all over New Eng,
land. Surface transportation requires
additional handling of mail and is
delayed by traffic conditions. We
urge your support Of continuance of
pneumatic tube service.
(Signed) "ANDREW J. PETERS,
Mayor"
Boston, Mass, May 20, 1918.
To JOS p. Tumulty:
Telegram on pneumatic tube matter
was not directly approved by me.
Have not as yet taken any public
position on pneumatic tube question.
Withhold previous telegram from the
Presidents attention, If possible.
ANDREW J. PETERS,
Mayor.
1t is evident Mr.. Tumulty, secretar,
TO the President acknowledged thu
first telegram, which was Mayor An
drew ]. peters's frst knowledge of it,
existence.
In March, 1917, Congress appointed ,
commission to investigate pneumati,
tube service, with instructions to re
port on the desirability OF buying tn,
properties for the government. Mem
bers of the commission were Senator.
j. H. Bankhead, Thomas w. Hardwicl
and John w. Weeks. formerly of Horn
blower 4 Weeks, the Boston bankinS
firm; and, from the House. Representa-
tives Thomas NJ. Bell. Arthur b. Epus,
and Halvor Steenerson.
No Expert Testimony
This commission added voluminousl,
to the literature Of the subject, whicl
- l.. NJ 4 - N