Evening star., 1932-10-25
MILLS IS DEFENDED
ON FRANK CHARGE
Postmaster General Declares
He Did Not Abuse Mail
ing Privilege.

Secretary of the Treasury Mills to-
day was upheld in a reply from Post
master General Brown to John F. Co.'S
tello, Democratic National Committee
man for the District, VINO had charged
Mills with mailing out political matter
under Government frank. Mills had
termed the allegation silly" In his eX-
planation to the Postmaster General,
which said that the statement that had
been sent out was reply, in his official
capacity. to an attack on Treasury op-
erations by Gov. Roosevelt.
Reply Of Brown.
"It appears from an investigation
made by this department. Brown Wrete
Costello, that the matter to which you
refer as having been Improperly mailed
consisted of a statement by the Secre-
tary of the Treasury setting forth the
facts with respect to certain treasury
operations, concerning Whlch 1alse as
sertions had been made which were cal
clIlated to impair public confidence in
the financial administration of the Gov
eminent. The statement in question
Wss of an official character and as such
entitled to be carried in the mails Wlln-
out postage" .+,r
abatement today characterlZing as
"hiehly reprehensible" Secretary Mllis
claim that an attack upon the aomln-
istration of Mr.. Roosevelt as Governor
of New York is official business OF the
Treasury Department and entitled 10
free mailing.
Limited to Business.
Costello Rad charged that Secretary
Aril1s mailed under the franklng priv
ilege copies Of an attack by George n.
Pearson, temporary president OF the
New York State Senate. upon Mr..
Roosevelt's administration as Governor
of New York.
everybody knows" Mr.. Costello's
statement today said. that it has been
SO determined hundreds of times, that
the free mailing privilege granted py
Congress to members of the cabinet Is
for official business and nothing else.
.Secretarv Mills diatrlbeS against the
man whom the country more and more
is recognizing as tie next President
are neither official business nor are
they fair, dignified or truthful"
Mr.. Mills, declaring Mr.. Costellos at
tack was for political purposes. y
scoffed at allegations that thousands
of statements had been mailed out.
"On the evening of October 10 Mt
Pittsburgh" he wrote Postmaster Gen
eral Brown. "the Democratic candidate
for the presidency charged the 1reaS-
ury Department. my predecessor IN
office and myself with concealng the
facts and abusing the confidence OF the
people. He not only attacked the fscal
policies of the Government, but through
the misuse of figures presented dis
torted and inaccurate picture OF the
state of the national finances.
Declared Duty.
ut was my duty to answer him and
to present the facts, and to do so, not
as an individual, but as the responsible
head of the department charged with
the responsibility for the Nations
finances. In accordance with the we'll
established practice of this department,
I issued a statement as Secretary of the
Treasury, which was given to the press
as a Treasury Department release.
There can be no question as to the
propriety of what I did
All this talk about thousands of
copies being mailed out is nonsense. 1t
bears as much, relation to the facts as
the Democratic candidates Pittsburgh
speech The Treasury Department has
a mailing list of 215 names, composed
in part of newspapers and in part of
individuals who have requested that all
Treasury releases be sent them. I pre-
sumo that the release was mailed to
them.
May add that all of the statements
Of political character, as we'll as the
speeches which have made during the
course of the campaign have been
mimeographed by the local office of the
Republican National Committee and is
sued by them"