New-York tribune., 1918-12-25
Harman Assails
Critics of His Plan
TO Assist Hearst
Park Commissioner De-
fends Attempt to Force
Unwanted Newspapers on
the Borough Newsstands

A reply to the aldermanic denuncia-
tions of the city administrations ap-
parent plan to use its own judgment
about what papers are to be sold by
the borough hall stands was issued yes
terday by Park Commissioner John N.
Harman.
In his statement Commissioner Har-
man says at is the right not of any
newspaper but of the public, which
owns this property, that every news
paper shall be sold, provided any is
sold"
The stand taken by the alderman
who attacked Commissioner Harman,
and was not defended at the time by
the friends of the Hylan adminstra-
tion, was that in his advertisement for
the sale of the borough hall stands
the Commissioner expressed opposite
views.
A section in the advertiseme reads:
"The Commissioner reserves the right
to designate and determine the leading
papers which must be offered for sale
at the stands"
Commissioner Harman's reply fol-
| lows:
"The Board of Aldermen voted down
the resolution introduced by Falconer,
of Manhattan, and supported by Alder
man Squiers, of this borough, and Al
/ i l,a n &c
/ war was putting up resolution de
nouncing the war savings stamp cam
paign of the government.
"The resolution is unnecessary. The
/ facts Of the matter are perfectly clear
and Falconer can have them, as Squlers
| has them The theory of park conces-
sions is that they shall serve the pub
lie and not private enterprise The
Borough Hall newsstands leased by
! Williamson are park concessions. tie
! gets them for S144 a year on con-
tract made before I went into Office.
| Anv one who knows the value of a
! stand at the Borough Hall knows that
such a price as rental is absurd.
/ His obligation is to serve the public by
/ selling all the newspapers the public
desires to buy. Nothing constitutes
the lessee Of the park newsstands a
censor to determine what the public
should buy and what it should not.
Says Promise Was Broken
Mr.. Williamson decided last summer
to cut out the Hearst newspapers. The
courts have just decided that even d
municipality like Mount Vernon has no
right to act as newspaper censor, and
the assumption of such a right on park
property by a concessionaire is in
tolerable | revoked his permit lie
g. !, II
Lemuel f.. Quigg, his counsel, calico
up the Corporation Counsel and sale
Williamson had decided to sell all the
newspapers and desired his license re
newed. 1t was renewed. He i'm
mediately broke his promise. His pre-
text was that selling the papers causec
disturbance in front Of his stand. We
have a police force TO take care of dis
turbers, and the other neWstands o.
Hearst newspapers without any dis
| turbance. Williamson got q temporar,
= injunction pending decision as 10 the
right of the Park Commissi sioner to in
terfere in the matter. II has beer
hanging fire since. Meanwhile hi,
stand license expires January /.
have advertised for bids on the new
concession. have inserted IN tht
advertisement the same provision prac
&
: cessions, giving the commissioner tn,
right to see that the service given j.
pubic service and not private service
OF one newspaper as against another
Denies Hearst Direction
81 can understand why Lee with hi,
? professed sympathy for the red far
and his recorded opposition to the ma
tlonal government may consider it gooc
, politics to spread falsehood and fomon-
, disorder over this question. car
understand why The Tribune, for cir
culatlon reasons, assails a Successfu
rival. But ! cannot understand VIII,
SQuiers ties up with the Socialist Lee
and utters this pettifogging falsehood
"You members of the board know
that it may have been the Park Com
missioner who wrote tho advertise
ment, but 1T was Hearst who directed
his hand.
, The Park Commissioner, unlike tho
!, cheap politician, owns his own hand, ane
no one directs it but himself. He has
no interest N the sQuabble between
I me Tribune and "The American but
E he is determined that not with his con
+ nlvance Will the cheap terrorism tc
! "hich Alderman Lees Socialstc prin
clples and Alderman Squier's obsequi
Gus instincts predispose them be ef
r1VN'cu 'hrough the agency OF a Part
, department concessionaire
1t is the right, not of any newspaper
but of the public. which owns this prop
erty. that every newspaper. whether i
be Tribune or "Sun" or "Heraldo O,
"American' or "Times," or any of ou
Brooklyn newspapers. shall be sold, pro
vlded any is sold The Park Depart
ment has not tried to stop the sale O
any paper. If the paper is offensive t,
the American people, they viii not bu,
1T. The Park Department ia merel,
seeing to it that a ncwsdealer. in tn
{ interest Of the circulation department
OF one newspaper. shall not determine
winch newspapers may be sold in tn
City of New York.
"rhat is plain, orderly, dcmocrati
/ government of American origin an,
spirit, and am surprised to see Alder
, man Falconer trying to break it down
although not particularly surprised t,
find Socialist Lee and his ally, Nj
Squiers, busy in such work"
The contemplated sale OF Boroug]
Hal Park news stand is the latest ste1
I'm the drive made by the city admins
1 traton against John Williamson, be
cause Of his refusal to handle Hears
papers.
Willia@son's refusal was based o,