The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-04-30
Effort of Magazine Trust, To
Discredit Him in The. Eyes
of Public Arouses his Anger
PUBLISHERS ARE FAT
TENING ON THE PUBLIC
Says That Big Newspapers and
Magazines Have Profted by
Unfair Postal Rates.

. ri.-lt
Washington, April 25.-Pestmastess
General Burleson tonight continued
his attacks against what he recently
termed an organized effort to destroy
him by issuing a statemens relteraf-s
ing charges that criticisms OF his adj.
ministration were. not designed 20
work Improvements in the postal and !.
wire service but to obtain the repeal
of the zone system of rates, on second
class mail matter. The 4postnaas sters
general said the issue arising from
the criticisms presented test which
he welcomed. ~ -! Z ~ 81. : IS ~
"The news reaches the postmaster
general this morning" said MI
Burleson in his statement, "that Mr.:
Burleson's methods as applied Ito the
postal and wire service viii be the
subject matter of discussion today by
the American Newspaper Publishers
Association. - s;
while this association is. putting IN
the entire day talking about Mr..
Burleson and his methods, the
thoughts Of certain selfish members
thereof during that time will not be
on Mr. Burleson's methods or on de-
sired inpro- ements in the: postal and
wire service but on their share: of the
! s72, 100000 they have been enjoying
las an annual postal subsidy for rgpaany
years, and as to how. they may le-s
cover the part OF which they were
deprived by congressional action, and
| how to remove the danger Of losing
more Of it. There may, be little said
by them about his legalized ,graft,
but it will be uppermost in their
minds just the same. *, = / !,
! 4It is now insisted that this issue
be not obscured to decetge thesaHnerrs
lean people. The real issue IS whether
I certain newspapers. and ts.nsagazinss
shall continue to- flch from the postal
revenue s72,ooo,a80 each year and
impose that burden upon other users
of the mails. This presents a.test., 4
welcome it.
cit is noted that c.. j., Post mas
promptly identified himself as the
chief lobbyist of this coterie Of selfish
publishers to whom I referred IN q
recent statement. The others to whom
referred in that statement will be at
this meeting. They are invited to dis
close their identity and to repeat what
they said to me. -
| Mr.. Post actually developed hys-
terra about 'Prussianism and vicious
one man censorship established in the
postoffice.' The basis for this panic
is as infamous a falsehood as was
ever published, to wit, the alleged re-
fusal of the postmaster general to
have transmitted over the telegraph
wires certain matter criticising the
postmaster general. The New York
World knew that this was base lie
when it published it. Mr.. Post knew
this was a base lie when he repeated
it. AS they well knew, the post1ias
ter general never at any time directed
the exclusion Of any matter offered for
transmission on the wires, but on the :
contrary, has ordered that even Hael-
Gus matter against him shall aot
be refused, though the sending Of
such matter is prohibited by rules OF
the companies enforced for many
years.
MIR. Post fails to disclose the
amount of money raised by him to re-
peal this legislation, Or in what man
ner it was spent. I am sure this
would be very Illuminating to the
public. He INDUCES in much jug
Cling Of figures relating to postal sub
sides and deficits. This shall avail
nothing by way Of confsing the pub
licif the postmaster. general can pre-
vent it. The issue is shall certain
newspapers and magazines enjoy a
postage rate on their commodity, a
large part of which is not purely COM
nercial but highly profitable adver-
tising, which entails on the postal es-
tablishment for its Transmission an
annual loss of s72,000,0o0 to be borne
by other users Of the mails in an un-
just tax upon them. The postmaster
general believes that this is outrag-
eous and indefensible, and has said
so. The congress has partly corrected
the wrong. The postmaster general
has refused to acquiesce or aid in re-
versing this action"
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Huns Rejoice