New-York tribune., 1919-02-28
WOman's Plan for
Hylan Painting Is
Blocked by Whalen
Mayors Secretary Advises
Department Heads Not to
Subscribe to Miss Hunters
Scheme; 10 Do, 6 Do Not

An attempt to have made for future
generations likeness of Mayor John
+. Hylan done in OIL" was nipped in
the bud yesterday, but not before sew
eral members of the city administra
ton had collectively contributed $1,000
to fund to be used in securing the
services Of an artist.
Grover A. Whalen, secretary to the
Mayor, did the nipping. And this be-
fore Mayor Hylan, down at Palm Beach,
could get a chance to answer letter
sent him by Miss S. w. Hunter, who
was raising the fund. The letter ex-
planned to the Mayor, in the event that
he had not heard of it before, that she
was going to have him done in oil, the
finished product to be presented to the
city.
incidentally, the Mayor was given
an opportunity to learn just what his
department heads thought of him. For
Miss Hunter submitted to him the
names Of those who had contributed.
the amounts, and also those who re-
fused to subscribe.
Regarding the contributors and the
Other kind, Miss H1nter wrote:
The proposition was personally
submitted to sixteen department
heads, of whom six subscribed $1,000
as per list inclosed; Jonathan C. Day,
Nicholas J. Hayes, A. b. MacStay,
James A. Hamilton, 5000 each Morris
Cukor and Francis d. Gallatn, $1OO
each Four promised to contribute
later: Peter j. Brady, Joseph F. Hol-
iams.
six refused entirely: Thomas J.
brennan, John II. Delaney, Bird S.
Coler, D. Hirshfield, Joseph F. OGrady
and Thomas R. Killilea, the latter de-
claring it an outrage which he would
have Immediately stopped"
According to the letter, Miss Hunter
outlined her scheme to Mr. Whalen
when she first conceived the idea, on
February A. On three later occasions,
she said, she called on the secretary to
get his decision.
Apparently, Miss Hunter decided that
she would do without decision, for
she wrote that she "considered his
(Whalen's) letter OF the 11th to the
department heads gross injustice
to me-" implying that his attention had
just been called to the matter. 81
Failed on Mr.. Whalen on the 18TH" she
continued, "when he expressed regret
for his hasty and ill-considered action"
Mr.. Whalen, however, declared yes
terday that he had said no such thing
statement, he wrote letter to the
various. department heads. In it, he
said:
Only attention has been called to the
fact that there is woman of the
name of Miss Hunter going through all
city departments soliciting subscrip-
tions for an oil painting to be made of
the Mayor and then pre- fented to the
city. The proposition as put forth by
Miss Hunter is purely a commercial
one and should not receive your sane
ton OR approval"
AS Mr.. Whalen's letter is substan-
TALLY similar to some of those issued
by the Mayor when he is in town,
there was not a bit of doubt at the
City Hall that It would receive consid-
Grafton. Still, city hallers are wonder
ing what Mayor Hylan will have to
say about the matter when he returns
to his desk on Monday.
Miss Hunters address was given at
1913 Lexington Avenue. Of the "con-
scientious objcctors'' mentioned in her
letter David IIirshfeld is Commits
sioner of Accounts; Joseph +. O'Grady,
Tax Commissioner for Richmond; !;
Thomas j. brennan, Fire Commission
er; John II. Delaney, Plant and Struct-
ures; Bird S. Coler, Charities, and
Thomas r. Killilca, Civil Service. The
others mentioned, aside from Francis
D. Gallatin, who is a city magistrate,
head departments as follows:
Jonathan c. Day, food; Nicholas J.
Hayes, water; A. B. MacStay, street
cleaning; James A. Hamilton, correc-
tions; Morris Cukor, Civil Service
Commission; Peter j. Brady, Super
visor of the City Record; Joseph f.
Howell. weights and measures; Frank
Mann. tenement house, and Richard