The sun., 1919-04-24
WIRE MEN RUSH TO
BURLESON DEFENCE
NewcOmb Carlton and G. P.
Bruch Explain Holdup Of
"World's" Expose.
EXCUSE RIDICULED HERE
Rule for Avoiding Libel Never
Invoked Before, Postal
Man Says.

Operating heads Of both the Postal
and Western Union Telegraph systems
stoutly supported yesterday the disclaim-
ing OF Postmaster-Gen Burleson,
their chief under tho present regime, that
he had anything to do with the suppress
sion of the synopsis Of a critical account
of Mr.. Burleson's career and conduct
which The World tried to send to four
teen other newspapers on Sunday night.
They said THAR respective night man.
ayers in New York refused the message
on their own responsibility. Newcomb
Carlton. president of the Western Union,
added that in ruling that the messages
should be refused as libellous the West
ern Union night manager concurred in
an opinion expressed by the company's
wire chief in the office OF The World
Mr.. Carlton and Charles =. Bruch. who
is general manager OF the Postal system
under the Postmaster. General. were sure
that Mr.. Burleson did not hear Of the
refusal until Tuesday.
Mr.. Burleson has now told the tele-
graph companies to take the lid off. as
indicated by the following instruc tons
sent the Postal and Western Union conf
Danies yesterday by Y. n. Bethel, CHAIR
man OF the Operating Board of the
United States Telephone and Telegraph
Admin istration:
by direction OF the Postmaster. Cen
eral you will suspend in so far as mes
sages referring TO the Postmaster Gen
eral are concerned. the rules of your
company prohibiting the transmission Of
messages containing lbellous matter"
Miller's Statement.
In Washington Mr.. Burleson caused
John T. Miller. the Departments pub
rlicity man. TO say-Mr Miller should be
complimented for having kept his face
| straight while saying It:
Under the libel law those who trans
NIT libellous matter are liable together
with those who utter or write II. Long
before the Government took over the
telephone and telegraph companies these
companies had rules to protect them
selves against being sued for libel. under
which. in the ordinary course of bust
ness. things that were libellous were not
| received for transmission. That Is a
general rule that has nothing TO do with
! the Department. The action of non.
transmittnl. therefore. was not taken by
tho Federal management of the system.
but by the night manager as mere
| matter of routine"
Mr. Burleson's Interpretation OF the
law OF libel is accurate He omitted.
however to state the fact that never
| until Sunday night. when The World at
tempted to file an article crticising Mr..
Burleson. did either the Western Union
OF Postal companies or any officer or
| subordinate thereof hold up as nom
transmissible any despatch addressed by
newspaper to another newspaper.
Heretofore. and until some sensitive
| soul feared that his boss. Mr.. Burleson,
might take II into his head to sue the
telegraph company. in other words the
Government, In other words Mr. Burle-
| son himself head Of the telegraph sys-
TEN. the telegraph companies have
passed the responsibility for whatever
dispatches they sent over the wires
along TO the newspapers that printed
them Thousands of newspaper articles
| as severe ae was The Worlds review OF
! Mr.. Burleson's activities have been tele.
graphed without protest by the COM
panies and without anybody trying TO
| hold them accountable.
William ]. Deegan, secretary of the
Iackay Companies Postal Telegraph
system. said yesterday:
"Mr. Burleson's statement about the
time honored practices OF the teleg IA ph
companies Is all wrong. Such a press
telegram as the New York World sent
out last Sunday night over the wires TO
different newspapers in the United States
| would have been accepted and trans.
mitted by either telegraph company
without the slightest hesitation under
the old rules and practices OF the tele-
graph companies.
Never Held Up Before.
! "In fact, We do not know OF any press
telegram having been refused by tele-
graph company on the ground OF its be-
! ing libellous. Such a telegram as the
| New York World sent out last Sunday
night is absolutely unob jectionable from
telegraph point Of view and it wat
only because 1t referred TO Burleson, and
| Burleson has terrorized the telegraph
staff by gag orders. threats of dismissal
spies. &c, that the telegraph employees
| rejected II.
"A year ago the company would no
more have thought OF rejecting it than
il would think OF rejecting any other
telegram or press message, This shows
|