New-York tribune., 1918-08-27
the newsdealers declaring they will
call upon Commissioner Delaney this

call upon Commissioner Delaney this
morning and ask for an explanation.
Mrs. Mary Basil, of 124 Madison
Street, who has been peddling news
papers at the entrance to the Munich
pal Building for many years, ex-
pressed herself in no uncertain terms
at this action by the city authorities.
81 can't understand how these men,
can be so hardhearted," she said. al
have two sons who enlisted and are
now in the war. l am widow and
must make living. l applied for a.
stand license long time ago. but the
men in the department always told me-
that they could not give out any per-
mits for this place, because it would
be all obstruction.
II am an old woman, fifty-nine years
old. I can't stand much or walk around,
and so l thought maybe they would
let me have a stand somewhere around
here. Now, see, somebody with some
kind of pull with the Mayor has got
them all right. If my sons, who have
gone to fight for this free country,
can imagine what they would do. They
will find out when they come home,
all right.
Blames Hearst
81 guess that Hearst crowd is respon-
sible for this. They are terrible They
don't care for young or old. I used
to sell 800 Journals but now | can
get rid of only $50. The journal in
spector came to me at the beginning
of the strike and said: Mrs. Basil you
must take as many "Journals" as you
bought a month ago or you won't get
any. Besides. you won't get any of the
other papers either The people
wouldn't buy as many Journals as
sold d month ago, but the inspector
didn't care. He tried to make me lose
d lot of money. Now ne is glad if
take any Journals
"Mv sons have gone away to fight.
but | have to live somehow All, if
my sons only knew how the city people
treat us-ah, if they only kncw!"
Jacob Laikund, 1346 Thirty eighth
Street, Brooklyn, cripple, known
among the "newsies" as "Humpy," also
resented the appearance of three new
stands at the foot of the Brooklyn
Bridge stairways.
81 have been selling papers around
here Tor twenty-five years." complained
Laikund, who is thirty-eight years old,
"and ] have asked the city people to
let me keep stand here but they said
they wouldn't allow anybody to have
the way Yet, you see, somebody is
permitted to have stand there, and
you can bet it's the Hearst people.
Il got sick" continued Laikund
some time ago and my doctor said |
mustn't stand up or walk around much.
but you know q man has to live some
how, so | asked one of the license off
Gals if couldn't have little stand
some place near the bridge.
"These Hearst people always forced
me to take more papers than | could
sell. They insisted that I should hold
their papers in the air all the time, and
II | Wouldn't do it they would cut me
off | used to sell about 500 of their
sheets, but now have hard time get
ting rid of zoo
81 support a wife and my old mother,
and so have to be careful what do,
but one day l told the Journal man
was going to sell what pleased.
You know, began to lose trade. Poo
pie would come up 10 ME and saw, 'Why
do you handle the 'Jourrals,' ANYHOW,
Humpy I'm fighting the journal
people for the principle of the thing.
| would be mighty glad if the Hearst
papers were out of existence.
But let me tell you this, I'm going
TO find out why it is that a friend of
fiearSu can nave stand where nobody
else is allowed to have one. I'm as
good as any of them, and I'm going to
see Commissioner Delaney about it,"
Patrick Fl. Hawkins, 80 Columbia
Place, Brooklyn, blind man who owns
a little news booth at Borough Hail.
was also warned by Hearst newspaper
inspectors that unless he sold "ail the
papers" he would lose his license.
"The New York Association for the
Blind" explained Hawkins, "notificd mo
OF the Mayors order, so that I would
know what was going on. But on Sat
urday morning last three men came up
to my stand and said: Hawkins, where
is your hcense?' told them | didn't
have il with me, adding: why, what's
the matter?'
"Thcy said Nothing, and walked
away. haven't got anything against
anybody. I'm married and we'll, hope
they let me alone"
.