Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-12
BLUFF DID NOT WORK
Philadelphia officials Try to Intimi-
date John Wanamaker.
TROUBLE over NEWSPAPER ATTACKS
Merchant Orders the Men Out Of
His Office.
ATTEMPT AT ALL

The following letter, signed in the hand
writing Of John Wanamaker. was fur
nished last night to the Philadelphia Press.
and printed in today's edition of that paper
PHILADELPHIA, May II. 1900
1T deem it my duty to submit to the pub
lie the following narration of an incident
which took place in my office on Thursday
morning last. Under ordinary circum-
stances there possibly could be no excuse
made for the intrusion of such private
matter on the public attention but when
a powerful city official, the chief counselor
of the mayor controlling the police force of
a municipality, threatens a citizen with
deliberately concocted and scandalous at
tack on his character unless he silences the
criticisms of newspaper upon the acts of
public officials, the occurrence is more than
a private grievance-it is an incident Of far
reaching and menacing import. No more
insdious and terrorizing form of blackmail
could be devised. The threat of the chief
of police of great city, speaking for
mayor and municipal administration, is no
idle boast. 1t Is monstrous and auda-
cious attempt to intimidate and coerce by
an unlawful and revolving abuse of power.
To be silent under such circumstances
would be an encouragement to lawleSS and
tructlent officials vested with authority
with which they can harass and Cypress.
1t would embolden the perpetrators of such
practices and put weak men at their mercy.
l regard it, therefore. as a duty to the
newspaper press of the city and country,
we'll as to the entire community, to lay be-
fore the public the following facts:
Enter Director English.
yesterday morning, shortly after 0
o'clock. Mr.. James Hoyt, a messenger in
the office of the director of public safety
came to see me and said that Director Eng
fish would like to have an interview at my
office. l replied that / would be glad to
see the director and would remain until he
came. In about twenty minutes Director of
Public Safety Abraham L. English in COM
pany with Commissioner of City Property
George G.. Pierre, entered my office. After
a few greetings, Director English said to
me: I have come over here to talk to you
about these attacks on the mayor and the
administration in the North American. AZ
ter the talk he and I had with you last De-
cember, l thought there would be no more
trouble about 1t, and the paper did appa-
rently stop for a while, but it was only a
little while, and they have been going on
ever since. The mayor and have stood it
now for a year, and we are not going to
stand it any longer He then said to me.
Have you seen the North American this
morning.
81 said, Yes, but have not read it
Well he replied, these attacks appear
again In a big double column editorial, and
we aren't going to stand it any longer.
of the mayors approval of the Keystone
telephone ordinance).
Eat this point l said to him. Well. Mr..
Director. in view of the character of this
conversation which you have entered upon,
as you have brought witness along with
you, l think 1 shall ask some one to come
In to be present upon my part to hear what
takes place / thereupon stepped to an
outer office and requested my secretary. Mr..
Meyers, to come in, which he did.
After his arrival the conversation was
resumed by my saying to Mr.. English hat
L could only reply to him now as I did last
December. when l was summoned to his
office. ostensibly in connection with mat
ter relating to the board of building inspec-
tors. after refusing to treat with my build
er. and when | was taken by him tMr. Eng
1sh) into the presence of the mayor in his
office. who, In the midst of discussions
about our building, demanded OF me then
that | should stop the North American.
The North American is the property of 10y
son. Thomas B. Wanamaker. and is con-
troled and managed by him alone. have
nothing to do with it's publication.
English Imputes Dishonesty.
Mr.. English then replied. after a brief
reference to the conversation between him
and the mayor and myself last December
There Is no in your saying that you
are not connected with the North Ameri-
cam" for. while the property and the paper
might be in the name of Thomas B. Wanna
II was your money llldl pdlu LOT the
paper. Let us leave out all this matter of
the past and talk about the future. l want
to know whether you are going to stop
these attacks on us in the North Amer-
can" Mr.. Thomas Wanamaker Is your
partner, and you have already said that
you can control your partners
ITO this 1 replied, That remark related to
my mercantile business, as you very well
know. and did not apply to Mr.. Thomas b.
Wanamakers other affairs. He is man
forty years old and abundantly able to own
the North American. or three papers, IL
he wants to-
"Mr English then said. want you to
answer me- yes or no. whether you intend
to stop the North Americans attacks?
Il replied. You are knocking at the wrong
door; the paper is not mine, but my sons;
it is his property, and he alone manages,
controls and directs it. and l have no part
in it
Thereafter the conversation proceeded as
follows:
Director English-'Why. nobody will be-
lieve that: not one in ten will believe that
you do not own and run the paper
Mr.. Wanamaker-'That implies that you
do not believe it either. though 1 have so
often reiterated the fact to you; that is as
much as to say that you think l am a
liar
Director Englsh-I did not say that you
were a liar but want your answer, YES
or No" whether you are going to stop
this North American matter
Mr.. Wanamaker-I will not interfere in
any way whatever. not to the extent Of one
inch. with whatever Mr. Thomas B. Wanna
maker. who owns and controls the North
American" intends to do with it, and I will
not permit you, as director of public safe
ty. or the mayor himself. even If no were
President of the United States. to dictate to
me on a question like this
Personal Attack Threatened.
Director English-'Very well, then, I
want to give you notice that for eight
months we have been looking up your per-
sonal record from the time you were Post
master General. We have followed you
throughout Washington, Philadelphia. New
York and even in Europe, and we have
Porti6ad ourselves with afH6ovitc oroipSt