New-York tribune., 1912-08-27
REPORTS Of STAND CRAFT
IN CURRAN'S DISTRICT
Alderman Denies knowledge OF
Ii and Hints at Secret
Attack by Mayor.
TWO TELL OF MONEY PAID
Curran Believes Inquiry Was
Started to Divert Attention
from the Police In
vestigation.

n. NJ Rice, Acting Commissioner OF
Accounts. is investigating stories that
were brought to him yesterday alleging
that money was paid to obtain licenses for
two fruit stands in the 18th Aldermanic
District, which is the one represented by
| Alderman H. H. Curran. Mr.. Rice sad
last night that the story. so far as he had
it. did not lmplicate Alderman CIrran IN
| any way.
| In n statement issued by Alderman
! Curran after he learned of the inlorma-
! ton given out by Mr. Rice he said that
so far as he knew no man had received
/ any money for getting his consent TO the
/ issuance Of licenses He believes that the
! inquiry was started for the purpose 't
| embarrassing him as chairrnah cf the
/ aldermanic police Investigation.
/ During the last week or two said Mr..
| Curran. IL am aware that private deiec-
| Itives. possibly engaged by the Mayor, haze
! been going around my district trying 10
| find something irregular IA these side
/ walk stand cases. Whether or not (his
| inquiry was started in good faith or
I merely to divert attention from the
/ Mayors total failure I'm the Rosenthal and
/ Becker cases and his lack Of sympathy
/ with tho aldermanic Investigation of th"
| Police Department IS a matter Tor inc
| public to Judge"
Two Tell Of Money Paid
The story was told 10y Samuel Gordon
/ and Anraham Wcincr, who placed what
! they had to say in the form of alhdavits
! Mr.. Rice sent out q number Of suup~uas
| last night and expects to hoid hearius
/ to-day
Gordon said that some time prior 90
/ March - ho was told that 4 certain
cigar dealer. whose name Mr Rice would
not give. could set him the license for
I fruit stand in West 2lth street The
cigar dealer told MIN he could have the
! license for S10o. but he had better 80 To
I the district clup and see the captain Of
/ the district and the alderman. Gordon
declared that at the club he was told ne
would have To see another person to
whom the license had already been prom
/ ised. This other person, whose name Mr.
Rice also refused 20 make public. SAID
re would withdraw his right @ the stand
, for 500.
Gordon declared that be and Abraham
! Weiner. his p,r.ncr. gave the So" 20
this person and then went back 20 tho
cigar dealer to get the application for
the license. The cigar man then wanted
$500. Gordon said they could not give
so much. and they finally compromised
| on Sl25. he declared.
( In the latter part OF May or early IN
June Gordon said, he thought he would
start another stand in West I'D street.
! That time. ne said. he went direct 20
the certain person to whom he had been
directed by the cigar man. he was told.
he declared. that hc could have the
( license for s235. Gordon told him to
go ahead and get the license and the
money would be paid.
Gave Cigar Man $50, He Says.
Befoi they got the license Gordon de
clared. the cigar man hunted Wcincr up
and said he wanted $50 for his influence
Weiner gave him SO iu cash and "a note
for $50. Gordon declared. Then they
went back and paid s235 to the person
first seen.
For these stands the owners of the
premises i'm front Of which they are
must issue a permit and are permitted
to collect rent for the space occupied
Gordon said that he had not had the
stand I'm West 22d street long before he
was evicted. He was told that the own
or Of the building. who was away when
he got the permit. objected. The permit
that he got was from the lessee Of the
building Weiner says he sued him to
recover sI25 that he paid for three
months rent.
The formal statement Of Alderman
Curran said.
The story. as YOU tell Il 20 me, accord
ing TO the Acting Commissioner OF Ac-
counts is uncertain and incomplete and
has nothing whatever TO do WIN me, as
the Commissioner himself says. ! have
no objection. however, to giving out the
following facts as 10 the three stands
The license for the 18th street stand I
consented TO after a careful examination
Of the applicant. because he appeared 10
be a poor man and IN bad health, win
no other means Of earning "A living. That
stand. | am Informed, Is still running.
The stand at No. Il West 22d street was
consented to by me for the same reason
but with my acqWesence was soon after
removed by order OF the Chief Of the
Bureau of Licenses an appointce Of the
Mayor. because the neighbOrhoOd consid-
cred it a nuisance.
The stand applied for at No. q West
22d street | did not consent 10. although
impOrtuned many times, because Of the
desire OF the business people OF that
neighborhood. organized and represented
| by the Central Mercantile Association
and the Retail DrygOods Association,
that no more soda water stands be al
lowed in that part Of my district These
| associations include all OF the large de-
the smaller stores in the region bounded
by 14th street and 23d street, Broadway
and Sixth avenue.
Merchants Objected to Stands.
Mr.. Rice, the acting Commissioner OF
Accounts said nothing about having any
Information about an attempt to get a
stand at No. 81 West I'D street, mentioned
In the Curran statement.
Alderman Curran made public copies OF
correspondence he had had with the sec
retares Of the Retail Dry Goods Associa-
tlon and of the Central Mercantile Asso-
citation. a letter from the former. dated
May H. referred to the stand at No. 81
West 22d street as being regarded by the
merchants as a nuisance. lie protested
against the granting Of any more licenses
for fruit and soda water stands in the
retail drygoods district. The secretary Of
tho Mercantile Association also urotegtod