New-York tribune., 1921-09-27
NEW YORK. FRIDAY. SEPT
GoosEFIEsH IN THE CITY HALL.


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GoosEFLESH IN THE CITY HALL.
No moro singular and surprising
official document was ever issued
than Mayor HYLAN's " Proclamation
to the Business Men. Merchants
and Shopkeepers Of New York
=. CITY" 1t Is Defamation. presum-
ably written for the Mayor by his lit
crary. Janitors. 1t Is not the premul-
CATION of al executive act or a notifi-
cation Of an executive purpose with
regard to the execution Of tho laws.
Possibly the Mayor. never read it be-
fore setting his hand and affixing the
seal Of his office, thereto. but 1t is a
solicitation and an Indictment to the
persons addressed to injure the busi-
ness OF newspapers guilty of oppos-
ing the Peoples Mayor. Whoever was
its gifted composer, he didn't foresee
the sudden official right -about-face
Of the police in regard to what he de-
scribes as near-riot in Bryant Park
. that would have made. the world
think that New York was lawless
s' as an old-tirne mining camp II it had
been allowed to spread" The day
after the near-riot the police were as
benevolent as the Cheeryhle brothers
and as good as pie.
But the grand passage in the Decla-
nation is this:
Mr.. Business Man. Mr.. Merchant.
Mr. Shopkeeper. when these hate
crazed newspaper publishers besrnear
New York and advertise 1t to. the
world as q paradise for criminals, they
are making you pay the price Of their
political spite. The Same crime
wave " paganda that practically
invites the crook to come to New York
operates at the 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 1t belongs. and act
accordingly.
In q speech week ago Mr.. HyzAN
stated the great thought even more
markedly than his literary janitors
state it. He suggested that 90 II SOM;
. Of you business men would stop a&
- vertising for the next six monty s.
- many OF these newspapers woAld
. have to so out Of business and Hey
. would then stop this knocking Arys
- conform more to decent busnaY
methods Our honored Chief f&asg
astrate and some Of his counselqSs Are
skating. mighty near the edge &fRthe
Penal law. Tho Mayor cannM ton.
sptre with his agent, the seer NARY tc
the Mayor. whose name als@ adorns
tho Defamation, but he Is incitina
business men, merchants AID shop
keepers to conspire to comr&t an aci
injurious to trade or comNerce. II
he should consult the Corporation
Counsel, that official might 9dvise hin
- hold his fury's pace and give ur
these foolish and futile efforts to M
ths~ boycott into the campaign. II
He. is attacking the freedbn, OF tAt
press. In his view, so farNNs AeA,
may be attributed to him. init Aea
dom'should not include the rigM of&sa
lacking him. 1t is not an edifyAg IA
ninition Of himself that no is maAing
but the public is used to that anYAvil
have to put up with It for the restao
the year. Ofcourse, he is impotentA.
injure the business o. aewspapers thS
cont dote on him: and even. If b.
Gould, they wouldn't abate their op
position by . hairs breadth. All thi
explosion against the press is harm
less: humorous, II one la not con
earned about the dignity OF the city
IN tho highest degree encouraging q
an Indication and portent.
Evidently Tammany Is scared out o
its boots. The harmony and strength
Of the Coalsttonists. tho revolt In Tam
many. tho disclosures Of tho practices
Ia tho Dock Department and tht
Police Department. the accommodating
evidence of maiadhainistration. cor.
ruDtlon and disorganization, the grow.
Ind evident general public .dissatisfac-
tiop and Gsgusts are clothing tbs