Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-04-16
bURLES0k LOAD
FOR HIS PARTY
DEMOCRATS HOPING PRESIDENT
WILSON WILL GET RID OF HIS
POSTMASTER GENERAL.
REPUBLICANS DESIRE
HE BE RETAINED
eurle:cn Recognized az q Democratic
Liability and Republican Asse. in
Forthcoming Campaign - Wilson
May Decide to Sink or Swim on
eurleson Issue and Sink Il Will Be.
tBy L. q. Dougherty.J

| Washington, April l6.--The hope that
Mr. Burleson's record Is epostmaster
general will be shown so clearly to be
liability TO the administration in par
| ticular and to the democratic party in
general that President Wilson will call
Tor his resignation is very strong with
many democrats in both house and
senate, according to critics OF the
Texas member In the cabinet.
On the part of the republicans the
| hope, backed by confident expectancy
| that Colonel House will stand by his
! own political lieutenant, is that the
president will sink or swim with Bur-
Lesson and force the democratic party
to do likewise during the 1920 cam
paign.
Those are The two incamouflaged
ideas back Of ali the hubbuo in the
last few days about .impeaching"
Burleson, or Of removing him from Of
flee in any other way. The strong pro-
| liability is, however, that Mr. Burleson
Will be found in office, if his health
| and that of Mr.. Wilson continues, on
March 4, 1891.
But in the meantime he will be put
strongly on the defensive. Already
Senator Watson, of Indiana, and Re-
preventative STEVENSON, of Minneso-
| ia, who will he chairman of the house
postoffice committee, are drafting re-
solutions proposing sweeping investi-
cations of Mr.. Burleson's actions.
6urieson's BIunders.
Some OF the actions of Mr.. Burleson
which Will be gone into, IL is declared.
are the increase of telegraph rates
following his statement to the house
Rostoffice committee last January that
postalization of the wires would re-
suit in cheaper service to the public;
the increase in telephone charges. vir-
tUally equivalent TO an increase in
rates; the seizure of the cables: the
postmaster's row with the civil SER
vice commission; his refusal TO dis
miss his private secretary, Ruskin
McArdle, after McArdle's political ac-
tivities had been brought to his at
tention in connection with the para
graphs of the civil service Jaw violat-
ed in that instance; the row over APP
pointments between the postmaster
general and Secretary of Interior Lane,
and the opposition of Mr.. Burleson to
the prohibition amendment. On the
latter point some very interesting de-
velopments are confidently promised.
II is expected that an investigation
of these points willy be one of the earli-
est activities Of the new congress, and
that befor /. is completed the president
Il 1tsC
Burleson, or carry load which viii
delight the hearts Of the republicans
as they look forward to the election in
1920.
impeachment. Unlikely.
There Is no expectancy among the
republicans, save perhaps very Ie"
that Mr.. Burleson can be impeached.
A great many of them think ne ought
to be, but if the president stands back
of him it will be impossible to get
many democratic votes for such pro-
position, and the two-thirds votes in
the senate necessary to eject Burleson
from office simply could not be OBJ
tanned.
But what Mr.. Burleson's critics do
expect to do is to hold his record up
before the country in the realization
that il President Wilson does stand
behind his postmaster general, the
democratic party will have to bear
the criticism for the increased tele-
phone and telegraph charges. 1t VIII
lose much of the support 1t has won
from organized labor because of Mr..
Burleson's attitude toward unions, and
the other elements antagonized by Mr..
Burleson may unite against the party
which stands back Of him.
Following the increase of 20 per cent
in telegraph rates. members of the
house postoffice committee recalled
the postmaster generals testimony be-
fore that committee on Jan. IS last
when he said:
~ believe there should be uDifica-
ton of these services (the telegraph
seryices) and a consolidation Of them
with the postal establishment, and that
thereby we could not only give better
service, but that we could in the end
give cheaper service. And I have be-
lieved that for years"
Just before this statement Mr.. Bur
Lesson declared that Representative AS
we'll, who introduced the resolution ex-
tending the government control OF the
wires, "did not consult me- about its
introduction. and did not know it was
in existence until it became live Is
sue" He added that Mr.. Aswell did
come to my office the morning after
hearings had been fixed to talk to me
about It." The backfire to this was a
statement Just made by Mr.. Asweil
that he intended to apologize to the
house for introducing, the resolution.