The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-04-24
BURLESON SEES PLOT
RUIN HIS CAREER
Telegraph Official Says the Postmaster
General Has Attempted to Gag
Wire Service.

WIRE SERVICE
WASHINGTON, April "a Postmaster
General Burleson, in statement issued
yesterday, asserted that an organized
propaganda has been inaugurated in an
effort to destroy him and thereby aid in
bringing about repeal of the postal law
! increasing second class rates.
The statement charged that more than
q year ago an unnamed member of COM
mittee seeking repeal of the law urged
him to acquiesce, and bluntly informed
| him, I'VE ruined Postmaster General
| Hitchcock and destroyed Mr.. Taft"
| Later, 1t said, a widely known publish
Ter, also unnamed, promised that Mr.
Burleson would be made the most popu-
lar man in the cabinet if he would aid
or acquiesce in the repeal, and SAID: "But
if you do not, fear they will ruin you. y
i These offers were spurned, Mr.. Burle
son declared and now he said he was
confronted by systematic propaganda
of selfish interests, who, through repeal
Of the law, would be able to resume en-
joyment of postal subsidy of over $40,
100000 per annum.
Even under the zone law, he added
/ there still would be an annual loss o
!, more, than $50,00o,000 to be made up out
i of the general public.
This statement followed one given Out
at the postofiice department during tn,
day announcing that the postmaster gen
eral had directed that telegraph systeml
suspend their regulations against trans
/ mission of Hbelous matter, insofar a
nlot,
: was concerned.
II According to Postal Telegraph Co
] official no such rule as Mr. Burleson OF
| dered suspended existed prior to the tax
III ing over of the wires by the government
# The article over which the trouble aros
y was one printed in the World Monday
| which attacked the postmaster genera
. The schedule for this despatch, briefl
RI cutting the article, was offered to paper
! having the World service and was refuse
s by the management of the two telegrap
|, companies.
+ 1t attacked Burleson's course as pull
lie official, the alleged employment Of COZ
Wet labor on his Texas farm, his handlin
of the mail and wire service
10 From New York, William J. Deegal
\ secretary of the Postal Telegraph Co,
! sued the following statement in referent
10 the instructions Of Postmaster Gener
Burleson TO the wire operating board, al
nouneed in Washington:
"Mr Burleson's statement about ii
4 time-honored practices of the telegrap
companies is all wrong. Such a pre-
telegram as the New York World SCI
ont last Sunday night over the wires
different newspapers in the United Stat
would have been accepted and transml
ted by either telegraph company witho
the slightest hesitation under tle c
rules and practices Of the telegraph co,
| panies In fact we do not know Of a,
| press telegram ever having been refiis
| by a telegraph company on the groul
of its being lihelous.
"Such telegram az the New 70
World sent out last Sunday night is q
solutely unobjectionable from a telegral
point of view and it was only because
referred to Burleson and Burleson
terrorized the telegraph staff by gag
ders, threats of dismissal, spies, etc, til
II the telegraph employees rejected it.
III year ago the company would no me
III have thought OF rejecting it than it wol
III think of rejecting any other telegram
III press message. This shows the degra,
II ton to which Burleson has dragged /
II telegraph companies"
III Newcomb Carlton, president of |
III Western Union Telegraph Co., denied
III New York that the Worlds message
III been refused" He stated that '.mc
III fication" had been suggested by the W.
ern Union manager in the World off
after consultation with his superiors
III The suggestion, he said, had been mt
under zone of the oldest rules of
| company" reading: do not accept
| message containing profane, obscene
II libelous matter" These suggestions,
| said, resulted in withdrawal OF the n
| sage.