Arizona republican., 1918-12-31
BURLESOV CRITICISM
BRINGS FORTH SHARP
LETTER Of DANIELS
Accused of Breaking Faith
With Congress Charge
of Misdating Also Made
Postmaster Writes Spicy
Letter to Senator
rRepubIican A. p. Leased Wire1

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30.-Criticism
of Postmaster General Burleson Tor
taking over the marine cables after the
signing of the armistice was renewed
today in the senate Senator Hitchcock
of Nebraska, chairman of the foreign
relations committee, precipitated the
discussion after presenting a letter
from Mr. Burleson. in which the post
master general denied that he had ex-
ceeded his authority, and asserted that
the order taking over the cables had
been signed by the president Novem
Der 2.
Senator Hitchcock said the postp1as-
ter general had come very close to
breaking faith with congress-" and that
he was not justified in taking over the
cables after hostilities ceased. He also
accused Mr. Burleson Of suppressing
the order for some time.
Senator Wilson, republican, of In
diana, charged that the date on the Or
der had originally been fixed at No
vember IA, but because of the signing
of the armistice sooner than expected,
1t was changed to November ..
When the order was made" said
Senator Watson, "the date was first
put down as November IA, the armis-
tice having been signed on the 11th of
that month. Afterwards. the date was
erased and November was inserted
have every reason to believe that that
fact IS susceptible of proof. The object
of it is apparent without comment"
Burleson Makes Denials
Senator kellogg of Minnesota. repub-
lican, said he had been informed the
order was signed by the president or
November .. but it was aot counter
signed bv the secretary of state. and il
was never published or exhibited t.
anyone until after the war had closed
and the armistice been signed"
Even the date r-hen it was exhibited
to ore of the telegraph companies was
blank, and the order was never made
before the signing of the armistice,'
Senator Kellogg declared.
In his letter to Senator Hitchcock
Mr.. Burleson said:
"Of course. my dear senator, no one
knows better than you, that a public
official is not called upon to notice the
mouthings of irresponsible blather-
sixties who may criticize or misrepre-
sent his official actions, but when a
critical statement is made by senator
of the United States. it not only jusi
fies but calls for response.
| OenieS ma1i DeIdyS Also
| of course, it is not true that / have
| of my own will ruthlessly seized anC
| taken possession of these cables: o.
course it is not true that I have taker
| possession of them just to crafty my
personal convictions. personal opinion
and personal wishes; of course it is no
| true that l have reached out to contro
| business activities, the congress die
not intend to put into my hands. l fee
that reply to all such charges car
he conclusivelv made by quotation.
| from a motion to dismiss, filed by tn,
representative of the law derartmer
of our government, M de by direction
of the attorney general of the United
States. to a silly suit recent instituet
for publicity purposes, in a court room
| known to be without jurisdictio,
against the postmaster general. il
which these unfounded charges are Sc
FORTH
Mr.. Burleson in his letter ais
branded as utterly without founda
tion" charges that much of the mai
addressed to soldiers overseas fails t
reach its destination. The department
he said, had delivered to the variou
military units in France nearly seve
million pieces of mail each month
which had been done on an average G
better than so day time fro the av
erage date of postmarking, to the de
livery of mail abroad"