The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-07
BURLEsoN MUST GO.

Under the above caption. Col.
George Harvey, who, it will be per-
ceived. is no friend of the administra-
ton. points out the ways thru which
it is possible for the country to rid it
self of its present postmaster general.
In the current issue of his Weekly he
says:
The country's patience under the
Burleson affliction has clearly reach
ed it's limit. Burleson must go. There
are three ways by which we may be
rid of him. One is by his voluntary res
ignation. Another is by his removal
from office by the president. The
remaining course is impeachment.
That the politicalmaster general
will resign or that the president will
remove him is to the last degree i'm
probable. That he will be impeached
If he does not resign or if he is not
removed by the president is practical
ly certainty. Even were the incom-
ing congress reluctant to act, the
pressure from the country is already
too strong to be ignored, and with
every day it is growing in volume. 1t
is confined to no section. 1t is re-
stricted to no party lines. East and
West, North and South, the demand
that this crushing incubus be lifted
from the business and social COM
munications of the country is all but
unanimous. Democrats and Repub-
licanS are as united on that as they
are divided on many other questions.
In fact it is in Burleson's and the
presidents own party that the revolt
against the politicalmaster general is.
if possible, the most determined. To
| Democrats he is a double burden. Not
only do they share with the rest of
the country the disastrous conse-
quences of Burleson's utter incapac-
hut fhnx 70 700 hot mol on,
paign with the hopeless handicap of
Burleson saddled upon their backs.
| Already one group of Democrats have
! cabled to the seat of government in
Paris demand that Burleson be per-
emptorily OuSted. The coming Demo-
cratic conference in Chicago, in all
| proba bility, will. be heard from along
the same lines.
| Even a reluctant congress would
/ hardly venture to resist what is tan
| tamount to. national uprising. But
| congress will not be reluctant On
the contrary, it will be as keen for
anti Burleson action as are the con-
stituencies it represents. In fact
were the popular revolt against Mr.
| Burleson a 1.-THE OF what it is. there
| is no manner of doubt that one of the
| first acts of the incoming congress
would be an Investigation looking
| towards impeachment proceedings
against him. Already the task of ac-
\ cumulating data is under way. The
material is absurdly abundant. II
comes from all parts of the country
| and it covers grounds for impeach-
ment specifications ranging all the way
| from maladministratioR- due to sheer
incapacity, to violation of the consti-
,Ntution by attempts to- throttle the
] freedom of the press. The counts il
the politicalmaster generals indict.
| ment might be expanded into a rec.
ord of inefficiency and arrogant usur.
patton of authority that would fill {
dozen newspaper pages If they were
| to contain in condensed form thu
| countless specific complaints which
have been streaming thru newspaper
columns. in every state in the Union
for the past three years. the tota
I would run into hundreds of thousand!
of words. The mere reading of then
and the taking of testimony in sup
port of them would occupy a larg'
portion of the time of a long con
gressional session.