The Washington times., 1921-01-29

tTSt granted Stitce ne entered the 4,
| Albert S. Burleson, Postmaster
General OF the United States, sat in
his offics on the NTH floor OF the Post
ONCE building and. for the first time
In eight years, freely expressed his
mind about things and people.
|. All that he said cannot yet be
| printed, but enough can be set down
here TO shed a good deal of light
upon this man about whose bald head
have ragged the widest OF the storms
that marked the two Wilson Admin
istrations.
WILSON'S CHIEF AIDE
Those who know the facts recognize
that up to the time Mr.. Wilson went
to France IL was the ,Burleson influ-
ence In Congress that. more than any
other, helped to get through the
Wilson program of legislation. and
that in every fight ION the hill' he
was a tremendously potent factor.
He has held the ONCE OF Postmaster
General longer than any other man
| who ever belonged to a Presidents
Cabinet In a few days he goes out
back to Texas, after twenty-five years
OF public life-still a virile, vigorous,
fighting figure-a man Of strong con-
yictions, and unshakable determine
ton, loved by his friends with an
ardor equaled only by the fervor OF
those who hate him.
| This is" he said to a reporter of
the Sun, "the first interview have
given since / entered the Cabinet I
do not want to give one now. You
wanted it and i have been persuaded.
I have no swan song to sing. I have
no apologies and no complaints to
make. i do not want to euIogixe my
self nor criticise any one else. DO
not even want to inveigh against a
4 hostile< press, Go ahead
! "All tight. sir. what ! want to
ark is do you appreciate the extent
of your unpopularity In the country?
Do you realize that you are called
more and harsher names by more peo-
pie than any other man in the Cab
met, and that you have many bitter
enemies who rejoice that you are
leaving?"
KNOWS HIS ENEMIES.
yes" said Mr.. BurIeson, II appre-
ciate all that. believe 1t to be true
that 1 have more enemies and have
been more generally denounced than
any of the others. 1t has not. how
mind. nor spoiled either my dispo-
sition or my appetite. You see !
know who my enemies are, how /
rlade them, and why. and the reasons
are satisfactory ones to me. I am
not embittered about il. l am not
carrying about inside of me a load
of hate. ! don't feel like a martyr
and, on the whole, l am not sure thar
the knowledge of who my enemies
are and why I made them is not one
of the finest things I will take down
to Texas with me when leave"
| "Mr. Burleson," he was asked. do
you know that a great many people
say the postal service under you is
rotten?''
The Postmaster General lit a cigar
ette before he replied.
| IT'S easy to say things like that"
he said: easy to say but not so easy
to establish. Yes, I know 1t has
gotten to be a sort Of habit to abuse
the postal service and myself. A
good deal of this is propaganda by
people who know better, and a good
deal more of II is by people who do
not know better, but have become
| Infected. That sort of thing Is in
fectious, you know. The postal serv-
ice Is the greatest corporation in the
country-really, in the world. 1t Is
far bigger than the United States
Steel Corporation. 1t is not 100 per
cent perfect-nor is anything else
that i know of in this world.
| "Do you want the truth about the
| efficiency OF tho service? Don't ask
me. Don't ask my immediate assist
ants and personal appointees. Go out
and ask the men who have been In
81 and
twenty-five years, all Republicans.
Ask them for the truth and your
answer will be, I think, that the de-
partment is today more efficient than
ever before in it's history; that mail
is being delivered to 100000 more
| people in the country districts and
5000 900 more in the cities than eight
years ago; that there Is less waste,
less fraud and less politics now than
! ever before That's the truth about
the service. and the men who have
the facts know 1t. 1t Is also true Una.
this Is the one postal service In the
world that did not literally break
down during the war"
| "a lot of your enemies say you
have no business ability. What about
that?"
"a man does not like to talk about
himself this way. but 1 made III 900,
600 before I was thirty-five years old,
and / did IL legitimately and without
cutting corners. Also | turned the
deficit I found here when L entered
into a surplus II has always seemed
to me that those two things did not
Indicate a complete lack OF business
ability"
"But II is charged that you secured
that surplus by impsiring tho service
and keeping down the pay OF the
employer"
FAvORs PAY INCREASE.
That's not true" Mr.. Burleson said
without heat but emphaticslly. sc
far as the service is concerned, any
fair-minded, intelligent man can get
at the facts and they will speak for
Themselves 4 don't have to defend