The New York herald., 1921-09-27
aucsEFIEsa IN THE CITY HALL


40 .rorc singuirr ard surprising
Official document was ever issued
than Mayor FIrLAN-s = Proclamation
|" to tho Business Men. Merchants
80 and Shopkecpcr5 or New York
s'City." 1t Is Defamation. presum-
ably written for the Mayor by his lit
serary. ianitors. 1t is not the pronlul-
cation of an executive act or notifi-
cation OF an executive purpose with
regard to the execution Of the laws.
Possibly the Mayor never read it be-
fore setting his hand and affixing the
zeal CT his office thereto, but it is a
solicitation and an Indictment to the
persons addressed to injure the bust
ness of newspapers guilty Of oppos-
Ing the Peoples Mayor. Whoever was
Its gifted composer, ne didn't foresee
the sudden official right-about- face
OF the police in regard to what he de.
scribes as . ar-riot in Bryant Park
that would have made the world
- think that New York was lawless
% as an old-time mining camp II IL had
s'been allowed to spread" The day
after the near-riot the police were as
benevolent as the Cheeryble brothers
and as good as pie.
But the grand passage in the Decla-
nation is this:
MFR. Business Man. Mr.. Merchant.
lfr. Shopkeeper. when these hate
c-azed newspaper publishers besmcar
New York and advertise it to the
world as a paradise for criminals, they
are making you pay the price of their
political spite. The same :" crime
wave" propaganda that practically
invites the crook to come to New York
operates at tho same time to frighten
away the visitors, shoppers, tourists
and business men from other parts OF
the country. Think this over, place
the blame where it belongs. and act
accordingly.
In a speech week ago Mr.. HrLAN
stated the great thought oven more,
markedly than his literary janitor4
state It. He suggested that I" Il sony
" of you business men would stop az
- yertisng for the next six mont&
" many or these newspapers woIld;
I" have to go out Of business and. Ney,
.. would then stop this knocking Eryy
" conform more to decent busGie$
methods" Our honored ChiefA AitS-
istrate and some of his counseldVs are
skating mighty near the edge @f;the
Penal law. The Mayor cann& ton-
spire with his agent, the SECRETARY to
tho Mayor. whose name alsE adorns
tho Defamation, but he ig inciting
business men. merchants ed shop
keepers to conspire to comrJt an act
injurious to trade or comHerce. II
he should consult the Corporation
Counsel. that official might kdvsc him
TO hold his fury's pace aIId give uU
these foolish and futile efforts to w
hsboycott into the campaign. II
He Is attacking the freedom Of the
press. In his view. so FARMS IeAt
may be attributed to him. tAt &e&\
dom should not include the rigT ofNtN
taclring him. 1t Is not an edifyhg eA'
hibition Of himself that he Is mdkjng \
but the public is used to that andgill
have to put up with it for the resi- pof
the year. OF course, he is impotentstp
injure the business OF newspapers than
don't dote on him: and even IL no
could. they wouldn't abate their op-
position by hairs breadth. All this
explosion against the press is HARM
less; humorous, If one is not con-
oerned about tho dignity OF the city:
IN the highest degree encouraging as
m indication and a portent.
Evidently Tan,many Is scared out of
It's boots. The harmony and strength
Of the Coalitionlsts. the revolt in Tam
many. tho disclosures of tho practices
IN tho Dock Department and the
yPcllce Department. the accommodating
evidence OF maladnnlnistration. cor
rupuon and disorganization. the grow
inx evident general public dissatisfac-
ton and Gssust, are clothing the