The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1919-10-15
Postmaster General in First Public
Address Since He Entered Cab
met Says Department Is Nearly
Miraculous for Efficiency.
DECLARES HE WILL
STAND ON RECORD
Asserts Postoffice Department
Stood Up During War When
Railway Service and Many 9th.
er Lines Broke Down.

ATLANTIC CITY, y. j., Oct. 10.
Vigorously turning against his critics
IN the first public address he has de-
hVered since entering the Cabinet.
Postmaster General Burlcson todny
told the National Hardware Manufac-
turers association. In session hers,
that the postal administration was
remarkable In development. wondet-
ful In organization and that It's stand
ard OF efficiency borders ON the
miraculous"
Speaking Of his policies and efforts
made to obtain a reversal. the post
master general declared
Record has been made OF what 7
stand Tor and the record is not going
Co be changed"
CIaSsifics cities.
Burleson dividea his critics into
two classes. those who were honest
and those who were actuutod by ul-
terlor motives. The former he ad-
mii,cd frankly included the bulk Of
the people, because they have not
understood the difficulties under
which the postal service has worked.
The latter were said To be those in
terests affected by economies made
for the benefit OF the people-ths
express com paniea. which suffered in
.
the railroad which objected 10 space
payment for carrying the malls. the
owners OF pneumatic tube systems
which were abolished and the news
papcrs ana magazines which fought
AN Increase In the second class postal
rates
In his first public account OF hi,
stewardship after nearly seven years
In Office, Mr.. Buricson said the aver
age tenure Of postmaster generals ha 1
been only two years
when tlro entire world WIS read
jnHting itself to war" he asked.
when our splendid railroad system
broke down completely IN u any
wonder that there was some slight
disarrangement of tho postal service .
Yet there were people who complain
cd they didn't receive their mail with
regularity ana dcpendnhility | don't
blamc them for complaining. II Is
human. but Il WIS unjust"
As tho only government depart
ment with a nationwide organization,
the postal service was called upon by
all other departments to aid them IN
war work. Mr.. RurlesOn continued.
"and this In spite of the fact that
tens Of thousands Of trained postal
employees had been called 10 the col
urs or been put In Cantunments tu
give soldiers efficient mail service.
In one month, also, there were
1900 missed train connections"
Aided In Loan Drives.
For the treasury. MIR. Burlcson said
his department distributed tens oi
thousands of tons Of Liberty lonu
propaganda, sole So per cent OF all
Ravings stamps. sole and distributed
new tax stamps which included IN,
auditing of fifty thousand accounts
The postal service also distributed
millions OF qucstiounnircs and acted
~ recruiting service FOR the WrI
department, aided ~ making the food
conservation measure cT'ctiNc and
PLAYED leading part In administer
ing the espionage act and registering
alien enemies
Exclusion of sedltious matter from
the mails was very uDwclcomt
task" MIR. Burleson said. II was de-
nounced Ms suppressing free speech
an uutocrat and prussian, but
moved on In the even tenor OF my
way performing my drty with mod
GRAFTON, exercising no arbitrary power
Nhntcver, but enforcing the law as
written. II IL q great satisfaction that
tn every case whore my action wal
contested the courts have upheld
me"
Declaring he was not going 20 hs
harsh the postmaster general turne.
90 individual policies for which ~
had been attacked. In reducing par
Gel post rates and increasing th'
weight limit Of parcels, he said, h.
turned a deficit into a surplus hu'
encountered opposition from the eN'
press companies, which came within
one vote In the senate ~ repeating th'
law.
liurleson told OF his action In chang
(COntinue1 on pare two.)