New-York tribune., 1921-11-02
Hylan Asked by
y
Unter1nyer for
Traction Plans
If Mayor Has Any, He
Should Make Them Pub
lie, Lawyer Says, Assailing
Charges as Common Lies
Not a Traction Tool'
Never Had Connection, but
Produces Letter Warming
Hylan to Protect Citizens

Samuel Cntermyer, a Democrat and
counsel for the Lockwood committee,
who cams out in support Of Henry H.
Crrran, coalition candidate for Mayor
because, he said, he "believed the pub
lie interest required character and in
telligencc in the Mayors chair" made
a biting reply yesterday to Mr. Hy-
lan's assertion that he was "tool'
OF the traction interests.
Mr.. Untermyer branded the MAYORS
charges as false" and 'lies" in every
particular, insisting that he never had
at any time had any personal or pro-
fessional relations with the transit
companies or any of their officers, nor
had ever received fee from them.
He said that the Mayor has always
known Of his open hostility to the
transit crowd, and produced CORE
spond,nce that passed between himself
and M. i:y!a@ N the early part Of
1919, showing how he had urged and
warned the Mayor "to do something to
protect the interests of the people of
the city against the elimination of
transfers, that had then already be-
gun, and in order to preserve the five
cent fare"
Transit Middle Due to Hylan
He pointed out that the present tran
sit muddle "has been brought about by
the Mayors incompetent and do-noth-
ing policy" "If after the fight | have
been making and am now waging
against the trusts" he continued, "and
my persistent fight for the fve-cent
fare and against some of these trac-
tion men, the public pays any atten-
ton to this camouhage of Mayor Hylan,
they deserve just the kind of a Mayor
they have and they are welcome to
him."
He added, however, that he was not
going to permit the Mayor to befog
the issues of the campaign. and pro-
pounded series of questions to Mr..
Hylan respecting the transit question,
which he asks the Mayor to answer,
"if he knows how to make a straight
answer to any question" These ques-
tions are:
Calls for Mayors Plan
"1. Has the Mayor read Major Cur
rams statement and his comprehensive
constructive plan for restoring to and
maintaining for the city, for all time
to come the fve-cent fare with free
transfers, which has already been part
ly destroyed under the Mayors admin
istration by the abrogation of 80 per
cent of the pre-existing free transfers
and is in a fair way of being super
seded by a higher fare if the Mayor
continues his present policy? Has he
read that plan?
''2. If he has read Major Curran's
does he oppose it?
"3. If he opposes that plan, as there
set forth, what features of it does he
oppose?
"4. What is it that Major Currar
proposes to do or to leave undone tha
the Mayor would do otherwise on thi!
traction issue, if reelected?
"5. What constructive plan or mode
of procedure for defeating the presen
Transit Commission plan, which Majol
Curran has announced his determine
tion to contest, has the Mayor t!
suggest?
What Of Honest Investors?
&c. What does he propose to do will
the 25 600 honest investors scattered
all over the world in small sums VIII,
bought the S200,000,000 of 5 per cen
and per cent notes within the last few
years through J. P. Morgan & Co., an,
who paid for them 95 per cent and owe
of the par value, besides inviting then
to come together and make bonfire o
their bonds? That is the only con
structive' suggestion we have yet hear'
from him.
"Let him tell US specifically what h
would do other than what Major Cur
ran has pledged himself to do. w
want no more glittering generaltie
that mean nothing. We must hav
specifications
when these questions have been an
swered, if the Mayor ever answer
them, instead of hurling denunciatio
and billingsgate at the man who dare
to ask him for his program on Traction
the public I am sure will be deepl
interested in the replies"
Garden Variety of Lies
In denying the Mayors charges tha
he was affiliated with the traction rims
Mr.. Untermyer said:
'Is it not queer that the men wht
like myself, have spent their lives fight
ing the old traction crowd and who's
bitter enmity they now enjoy, and wh
Mayor Hylan regarded as of the high
est order of public-sp citizen
denly become traction TOOLS wolves i
sleeps clothing and trust magnate
the moment they oppose him becaus
they believe the public interest L,
quires character and intelligence
the Mayors chair? If the Mayor had
glimmer Of q sense of humor he woul
not say these silly things that he know
are false and that the people of thi
city know to be downright lies. The
are not even clever lies, but Just til
common garden variety.
"And yet I am not in the least SUI
prised that the man who went upon tt
witness stand and solemnly swore /
did not know Hettrick, with whom +
, had had repeated conversations ar
correspondence; who insisted that /
= did not know Goslin who denied II
, sworn testimony of Shonts as to tt
seven-cent fare, but who made no
nial until after Shonts was dead; WI
says he fired Bugher; who has Il
{ audacity to tell the people Of this ci
that he is responsible for the REL
q laws, the housing reforms and the re
/ of the constitutionality of the law
with which he had not the slight e
connection; the man who has imped,
housing relief by his Brindell and Go
n appointments on the housing comm
! tee; the man who invaded the pulr
:. ITO electioneer and who has utter
more falsehoods to the square in,
than all the candidates put together
the history of the city, should have Il
temerity to class me among the ira
iion men in the face of my long al
/ consistent record"
Produces Letter to Hylan
Mr.. Untermyer then produced lc
= ter of January Is, 1919, in which
I had written to the Mayor that he w