The Washington herald., 1919-04-26
INFAMOUS LIE"
BURLES0N SAYS
To HIS CRITICS
Postmaster General Hurls
Charges at Those Oppos-
ing Administration.
LOBBYIST"
Declares Opposition Is In.
spired By Underhand
Motives of Publishers.

postmaster General Burleson last
night again carried into the opposI-
ton camp the fight to force him out
of the Cabinet.
In a statement breathing indiRna-
ton and determination to force the
issue. he hurled charges of infamous
falsehood" and base lie" at his crit
les and declared ''legaIized graft" was
uppermost in the minds Of the men,
bers OF the American Newspaper Pub
lishers' Association.
Names Opponent.
Mr.. Burleson made IT known that
{. ]. Post. director OF the Publishers
Advisory Board, was the principal
lobbyist" TO whom he referred in
his statement of Wednesday. Mr..
Post issued a statement in New York
recently assailing the Postmaster
General.
The basis for Mr.. Posts attack
was an Infamous faIsehood." MIR.
Eurleson said; the New York World
knew it was "a base lie" when il
published it, and Mr.. Post knew
this was base lie when he re-
peated it."
In his previous statement the
Postmaster General had this to say
of the man whom he now identifies
as Mr.. Post:
The principal lobbyist employed
by this selfish combination (pub-
fishers alleged by Mr.. Burleson 10
have sought the repeal of the postal
zone law which is reputed TO have
raised many thousands of dollars
to be used for accomplishing the
repeal OF this law, in circular let
tiers, after telling OF the humber
of Democratic Representatives COM
mitted to the repeal of the law
and how it was hoped Republican
members could be used, urged GER
tain publishers not to confine their
attack TO the zone law. but to
broaden their scope of criticism.
Thus their sinister purpose is dis
closed"
Mentions Others.
The member of the (publishers'
committee" and the "well-known pub
Usher charged by Mr.. Burleson with
having threatened his political ruin
also were at the meeting of the Pub
lishers' Association in New York to-
day, he declared. They were invited
to disclose their identity.
Mr.. Burleson's statement follows:
The news reaches the Postmaster
General this morning that Mr.. Burle-
sons methods as applied TO the postal
and wire service will be the subject
matter of discussion today by the
American Newspaper Publishers AS
sociatiou.
While this Association is putting in
the entire day talking about Mr.
Burieson and his methods. the
thoughts Of certain selfish members
thereof during that time viii not be
on Mr.. BurlesOn's methods or on de-
sired Improvements in the postal ana
wire service, but on their share in
the s72,Oo0.00O they have been enjoy
ing as an annual postal subsidy for
many years. and as to how they may
recover the part of whish they were
deprived by Congressional action, and
and how to remove the danger OF
losing more of it. There may be little
said by them about this legalized
graft. but it will be uppermost in their
minds just the same.
Make Issue Plain.
at is now insisted that this issue
be not obscured TO deceive the Amer
lean people. The real issue is wheth.
er certain newspapers and magazines
shall continue TO filch from the postal
revenue s72.ooo.0C0 each year and i'm.
pose that burden upon other users ot
the mail. This presents a test
welcome it.
Can Postmaster General, who has
the courage to attack an evil de-
nounced by many Of his predecessors
be driven from office because he Will
not acquiesce or aid in unGoing an
action that only partially remedied
this evil? Mr.. Charles Emory Smith
the great Philadelphia publisher and
editor. said. as Postmaster General
that this subsidy was the one great
evil of the service. be,
cause 1t underlies and overtops al
other reforms and advancement
at is noted that Mr.. c. J. Post has
promptly identified himself as the
chief lobbyist of this coterie of selfish
publishers to whom l referred in A
recent statement. The other to whom
1 referred in that statement will be
at this meeting They are invited
also to disclose their identity and tC
repeat what they said to me.
''Mr. Post actually developed hys-
terra about 'Prussians and vicious
onc-man censorship established in the
postoffice" The basis for his panic
is as infamous a falsehood as was
ever published, to-wit: The alleged
refusal of the Postmaster General tc
have transmitted over the telegraph
wires certain matter criticising the
Postmaster General.
''As they well knew, the Postmaster
General never at any time directed
the exclusion of any matter offered
for transmission on the wires. but
on the contrary has ordered that ever
libelous matter as against him shall
not be refused, though the sending
of such matter is prohibited by the
rules of the companies enforced for
many years.