Show fRANKP P. P WALSH wis wisa TEllS OF ROW a WITH BURLESON BURL ESON i Socialist 1 alst l Papers Defended in in Iff Chicago Trial of Five Lea Leaders dels del's delsI I 1 i 1 Chicago Dec Frank Dank 1 Frank P. P Wal h former bead of or the federal Industrial r relations commission and amI later Joint chairman of or the federal war ar labor board was Tras tho principal witness t for fort forthe fortie t the t e defense at today's session of oC the trial of oC elect Congressman-elect Victor Ictor 1 L L. Merger of Milwaukee l and four tour other othera a leaders charged with t conspiracy conspiracy ric racy to violate tho the espionage law lawt h tie told of a n controversy contro ho had with Postmaster General Burleson In July 1917 at it a l hearing In lu Washington D.C. D.C. D. D C. C over o a II request that tho the class mailing privilege be bo restored r to tho the American Socialist and other papers Walsh paid Bald he lie afterward wrote a n. letter letter let let- ter to the postmaster general oner protesting protesting protest protest- ing against the officials official's action netlon and anti tho the departments department's method of ot handling this class clasi o of cases and threatening to ap appeal appeal ap- ap peal to President Wilson 1 Postmaster General Burleson In his reply characterized characterized characterized charac charac- Mr tr Walsh's 1 letter loiter as Impertinent nent and probably Intended to be of offensive of- of e Mr Walsh testified that In later tel he laid the case before President Wilson and su suggested t ested a a. number of oC reforms In tho the manner of or handling h these cases The witness said that his purpose In protesting protesting pro pro- testing to the Washington officials was to safeguard tho constitutional rights of oC free tree speech and anti a l free tree prestA Ho lIo said he had read several c copies of oC the American Socialist and a 0 number er of oC the antiwar pamphlets circulated b by bythe bythe the Socialist party parts but had not nol been them greatly Impressed by On cross examination ho he drew a 0 distinctIon distinction dis die between what he thought be barred from tho the malls mall and what should be he excluded under the es- es law laWi Ho JIo expressed tho the view Jew that much of oC tho the Socialist antiwar literature lit lit- might be mailed without doing an any harm Ho Iio said ho he did le not agree reo with tho the Socialists that It was T a CL capitalist war t and vouchsafed tho the that many persons who expect to make great fortunes out of ot tho the war t would t bo be Boro- Boro ly disappointed when they got sot through paying war taxes |