Evening star., 1919-03-23
MACKAY'SREMOvAL
ACT Of DESPOT|SM,
DECLARES DEECAN
Says Postmaster General
Seeks to Confiscate Pos
taPs Money for Rival.
BELIEVES CONGRESS WILL
'D0 SOMETHING AB0UTIT"
Would Not Sanction Unfair Rate
Increase Ordered, State
ment Ayers.

ment Ayers.
NEW YORK, March 22.-Refussl Ny
the Postal Telegraph Company to sane
ticn an increase Of telegraph rates it
deemed unjust and award of q 10 per
cent wage increase to employees in
stead of the 5 per cent advance order
ed by Postmaster General Burleson
were said tonight by William ]. Dee
gan, secretary of the company, to be
the reasons" for the removal today
by Mr.. Burleson Of Clarence Mackay,
president, and other officials of the
company.
Mr.. Deegan declared in a statement
that I'VE shall not surrender or aban-
don our tight against Burleson's usur-
pations."
The order removing the officials was.
served at noon today without previous
notice, said the statement. which con-
tinued:
"Burleson gives as a reason for the
order that we have failed to carry out
his orders and instructions. We do not
know what Burleson refers to in the
way of orders and Instructions. This
is all a pretense. The statement by
Burleson that we failed to promptly
put into effect the wage schedule is
distortion. We announced an increase
in the wages of all our employs on
March S, to take effect on January i.
1919, which was more generous than
that ordered by Burleson.
'The Burieson schedule was based en-
tirely on the Western Union plan OF
organization. which il different frum
ousg, and it was impossible to apply
Bdriespt.s sehs sa6le 20 our oreanisa-
ton. Mr.. Burleson's operating board
admitted tlis and told -ue % do the
best we could with It ana we did the
beSt ~ tcsiid Nth It and made It even
better than Burleson's plan. which
latter is being condemned by Western
Union operators. while our wage sched-
ule met with the approval of our en-
ployes. I
Says Burleson Distorted Facts.
'Burleson's statement on the wage
schedule is deliberate attempt to
distort the facts. We did refuse to as
sent; to proposition made by Rurle-
sons operating board OF Bell Tele-
phone and Western Union officials. to
increase telegraph rates. but this
never reached tho form OF an order
after the Postal Telegraph Company
Burleson carefully refrains from men,
tioning this, and this may be why he
removed our onlcials Burleson is try
ing to confiscate our money in order
to pay 1t to the Western Union. He
ordered that we shall have less than
we earn, and that the Western Union
shall have more than it earned.
1.-The three men who came to the
Postal Telegraph building at 25s
Broadway today to demand our prop
erty were: Mr.. Bethel, a Bell tele~
phone official; Mr.. Bracelen. Bel
telephone lawyer, and Mr.. A. r.
Adams, a Kansas City telephone man,
who has been put in charge of our
property by Mr.. Burleson. Not one of
these men know the slightest thing
about the telegraph business. and net.
the slightest thing about the Postal
Telegraph system. Adams in turn Is
subordinate to Burleson's operating
committee consisting of two Bell tele-
phone onicials and one Western Union
ofiicial and Adams himself.
Will Not Abandon Fight.
TT is one Of the most despotic acts
in the history, of government. We
shall not surrender or abandon our
fight against BurIeson's usurpation.
His purpose very evidently is to de-
stroy tin. Postal Telegraph system,
but he will fail In that purpose. /
think that Congress will have some
thing to say about 1t as soon as it
convenes. This turning Of our prop
erty over to our competitors. remov-
ing our officers and giving our money
to the Western Union would be in
credible If it were not true"
Mackay Makes No Comment.
BALTIMORE, Md. March, 22.-c,Ar-
ence H. Mackay, president Of the
Postal Telegraph and Cable Company.
was in Baltimore today. having come
on from New York to see his dauGh-
ter, who is at school here. He said
tonight: = ~
Until shall have had the oppor-
tunity of reading and studying the
full text of the order dismissing me
from the service of the company, /
prefer to make no comment about it..
4 statement will likely be Issued by
the company in New York tonight 1
win wait until get back to New
York to read the order and will
probably make statement then"
Adams Experience.
KANSAS CITY. March s2.-A. j..
Adams. president Of the Kansas City
Home Telephone Company. appointed
today by Postmaster General Burleson
TO supersede Clarence Mackay as the
head of .he Postal Telegraph proper
ties, has bern at the head Of the LEGAL.
company for seven years and has
been member of the -o,e"nref.fs
telephone ard telegraph operating 3od;d;s
.-:..::SS~~ ...:s I.@-.ion. ...s.. 4. rsss
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