New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-09-08
Writ Puts John Williamson
Back at His Old Stand at
Brooklyn Minus Evening
Journals and "Ameri-
cans, and Orders Harman
and Enright to Show Cause
Why His License Should
Be Revoked

John Williamson, the ncwsdealer at
Borough Hall, Brooklyn, whose license
was revoked for the second time on
Friday because he refused to sell Will
lam Randolph Hearst's papers, was
doing business yesterday by authority
Of the Supreme Court Of the State Of
New York.
Lemuel Ely Quigg, counsel for the
newsdealers in their fight against
Hearst, obtained from Justice Leander
3. Faber, of the Brooklyn Supreme
Court. temporary injunction restrain
ing John N. Harman, Brooklyn Park
Commissioner, and Richard f. Enright,
Police Commissioner, from summarily
fevoking Williamson's permit cor in
termeddling in any way with the plain
tiff or with the business which the
plaintiff is entitled to carry on under
or by reason of the pretended or at
tempted and unlawful revocation of
said permit or privilege"
Order Returnable Wednesday
The order is returnable Wednesday
IN Special Term, Part l, of the Supreme
Court in the Kings County Courthouse.
On that date Park Commissioner Har-
man and Police Commissioner Enright
are ordered to show cause why the in
junction should not be made perma-
| nent during the tendency of the action
which Williamson has instituted to get
the opinion Of the court concerning his
position, that, having paid the city for
the right to engage in a newspaper and
magazine business, he is entitled to use
his judgment with regard to what
papers and periodicals, and how many
of each, it will be profitable to buy.
Quite apart from the personal views
of John Williamson, who has tried in
vain to enlist in the navy, who has a
brother in France, and has subscribed
to the limit of his purse in Liberty
bonds and war savings stamps, he be-
lieves it is poor business to stock up
with New York Americans" and even
ing Journals"
Convinced by Experience
His experience has convinced him Of
this. He has seen too many customers
buy the Hearst papers, he says, simply
for the purpose of throwing them in
the handiest refuse can. He has had
too many new customers seek him out
with congratulations since Hearst
started to "break" him, with the as
sistance of the city administration.
His was the first license revoked af-
ter the threats circulated by city off,
cials last month. The action of w. H.
Muldoon, Acting Park Commissioner Of
Brooklyn, in revoking his license was
rescinded by Commissioner Harman af-
ter injunction proceedings had been
started. These proceedings were with
drawn by agreement, the understanding
of Williamson being simply that the
revocation was withdrawn.
Then. when it was found that he
persisted in his refusal to sell Hearst
papers, Commissioner Harman sum-
marily revoked his license again. as
serting that Williamson had agreed to
sell them. Williamson's protests that
he had entered into no such agreement
were unheeded. The second revocation
came on Friday, after the injunction
proceedings had been stopped, and
when the courts had adjourned. Under
ordinary circumstances, the proprietor
of newsstand would have succeeded
in finding no justice to listen to his
complaint before Monday, and, in the
meantime, would have lost his Satur-
day and Sunday business. Mr.. Quigg,
however, succeeded in finding Justice
Faber and laying the matter before
him.
Findings of Court
In his injunction Justice Faber said
the affidavits submitted to him relat-
ing the history of the case, showing
the procedure before Justice Lazan-
sky, satisfied him chat good, suffi-
cient and meritorious cause Of action
exists in favor of the plaintiff and
against the defendants, and that said
defendants and each of them are doing
acts in violation of and derogatory to
the rights and interest of the plain
tiff herein, in violation Of the law,
Continued on last poge