The sun., 1919-04-24

the degradation TO which Burleson has
dragged the telegraph companies"
The despatch which The World ad-
dressed to various newspapers on Sum
day night follows:
"3-wa shington - Seibold - Burleson
pictured as snoop. trouble maker. disor-
ganizer, autocrat and arch politician
Post Office employees call their chier
slave driver, convict laborers having
been whipped on his farm-Misgovern-
mont of mail system alleged--He Is cred
tied with having put national prohipl-
ton through--5000 words"
The rule under which the night man
ayers at the Western Union and Postal
Offices declined to send this despatch Is
the same In both companies. 1t reads:
do not accept a message containing
profane. obscene or libellous matter
Here's what Mr.. Carlton. the Western
Union president, said yesterday AFTER
noon:
The Western Union manager at Tho
World Office acted on his own Initiative
regarding the message. having In nina
one Of the oldest rules of the company.
I think any fair minded man would have
done Just what he did. Knowing the
rule perfectly well, he decided that the
news was libellous. Perhaps he was
oyersensitive because the Postmaster
General is the head of the telegraph
system. lie did what any Intelligent
man would have done under the cir
cumstance He communicated with his
superiors at the Walker street office, who
confirmed his judgment and suggested
that the message should be modified.
I don't understand that the message was
! declined or that he refused to handle II.
but think the request that 1t be modi-
fed resulted in its being withdrawn.
Denies Censorship.
ut was an error in judgment TO have
made any, comment about the message,
and the matter should have been sent
out But to suggest that Mr. Burleson
or any one in authority in the Western
| Union knew anything about IL is utterly
beyond the fact. No instructions have
ever been received from Mr.. Burlesor
that we should exercise any censorship
over anything said about him or any
| criticism of the Western Union coming
| TO us in the regular course OF business
The rule about libellous matter has been
| in effect for twenty years. but Mr.. Burle'
son never for moment. ] am quite
sure, Thought OF its including personal
attacks on himself"
/
was offered by the men who are direct
ing the Postal system for Mr.. Burleson
except that A. f. Coney, night manager
was the only one whose judgment wa'
| held to be at fault A. F.. Adams. direc
tor Of the Postal land system, said
| II know OF no reason why the message
vas held UP except that the night man
ager made a mistake In interpreting
the rule. I know positively that Mr.
Burleson knew nothing about II, and al
soon as he heard II, which was yester
day, he directed me to take action tina
would prevent anything OF the kind II
the future"
Accordingly Mr.. Bruoh. the Posta
general manager. sent the following
dated Tuesday, to j. J. Whalen. man
ager of the operating department:
"A. F. Adams instructs that Thu
World News Bureau be notified that tn
matter has been taken up with him. an'
that notwithstanding the fact that on
night manager construed the message
as containing libellous matter and there
fore not transmissible under our rules
and notwithstanding that 1t appears 4
| A. J.. Adams that they do contain
iibellous matter. he has instructed tina
the messages be transmitted at once a
the proper regular rates II The Worl'
News Bureau desires it."
| Needless to say The World did no
take advantage of this offer, made tn
day after the publication of its Burle
son piece.
Anyway. Mr.. Burleson has now ad
mitted that the telegraph companies ca
libel him with impunity. The best com
ment on the whole affair came from
telegraph official
1T was a case he said "of an en-
ployee wanting TO go easy on the boss.