New-York tribune., 1922-05-05
w allalnaker
Quits Mayors
: Committees
Letter of Resignation Dated
Dec. 81. Just Made Public.
l-~ludes All Positions
but Special Police Post
''Split? Absurd.' '-Hvlan
His Honor's Stand on War
Memorial Had Bearing
on Action, Is Report


public only yesterday from the Mayors
office, resigns from all the committees
TO which Mayor Hylan appointed him
Mr.. Wanamaker was chairman Of the
Mayors Committee on Reception to
Distinguished Guests, the Mayors Com
mittee on Permanent Memorial and the
Mayors Committee on Public Welfare
He is also Special Deputy Police Com
missioner IN charge OF the Police Re
serves, but no intimation was given
in the letter that he intended 10 resign
this office
The date on the Wanamaker letter
was omitted on the copies given out to
the newspapers, but supplied later at
the Mayors office with the EXPLANATION
teat 1t had been inadvertently LEFT
off. MIR. Wanamsker gave no exnlana-
ton for reslgning except to say that
re desired the Mayor 'to be quite free
in your plans as YOU begin your second
term"
Mr. Wanamaker, however. dwelt anon
the activities Of the Memorial Commit
tee. which he appointed at the request
OF the Mayor, to consider and determ inc
upon suitable permanent war me
noral In honor of the New York
soldiers and sailors who sacrificed
tnelr lives. He said that he assumed
KS esienatlon dissolved the commit
tee After many hearings and numel-
Gus proposals considered, the commit
tee failed to determine upon a me-
morial.
Politics lnterfered, He Saws
Although certain political aud per
sonal elements were injected into the
situation said MIR. Wanamakcr in his
letter, your committee feels Il has
been unable to complete it's undertake
ing thus far, mainly because the senti-
ment of the people had not vet been
crystallize into practical form 1t is
hoped now, with a new committee and
a united people back of you, that pub
lie sentiment and the press will work
together to the fuldllment Of the duty
which so deeply concerns the entire
clty-the erection of suitable me
morial to the brave men and women Of
the war, so many Of whom made the
supreme sacrifice"
Mayor Hylan made light Of the sug-
gestlon that the resignation of Mr.
Wanamaker from his committees meant
break between them.
1T is ridiculous 10 assume that there
has been break, between Mr. Wana-
maker ana myself, he said. The
facts are that he is a very busy man
and he has accepted many burdens on
committees when | requested him to-
Some Of these committees can be
handled by other men, but | am asking
Ny. NananlaHer TO retain his work on
at least some Of the committees. par
tcularly the radio committee. | am
writing him letter embodying such
request"
Mayors Memorial Action Recalled
The fact that he Mayor interested
himself in a proposal for a memorial
independent Of the Wanamaker com
mittee is believed to have some bear
ing on Mr.. Wanamaker's resignation
from the permanent memorial commit
tee. This proposal originated with
City Chambe rlain Philip Berolzhemer
and was for the erection of an ap-
propriate building to be used as a
music center or conservatory for the
advancement of musical education and
entertainment An enabling act was
passed by the last Legislature author
izing the city to select a site and
raise the funds for the erection of
such building.
A public hearing was given by the
Mayor on this bill at City Hall on
April d, and the Manor announced at
its close that he would approve the
measure. Previously he had appointed
the City Chamberlain and Joseph Haag
secretary of the Board Of Estimate. 9
special committee to study and ex-
anime into the desrabiity of such a
project They submitted report to
the Mayor on February q, 1922, in
which they said:
Before your departure from the city
on your vacation you requested us to
examine into the deslrabllity OF Civ
ing at this time serious consideration
TO project of erecting in the City
of New York an institution for the
advancement or musical education and
entertainment to be conducted along
the lines upon which the museums of
Art and Natural History, the Zoolog-
cal and Botanical gardens in the bor-
oughs of Manhattan and the Bronx
and the Museum of Arts and Sciences
of Brooklyn arc conducted. Your
suggestion that the creation Of such
musical center might be in commence
ration OF the ending of the World War
and be called Peace Memorial con
Flderably enlarged the original sugges-
ton by Mr. Haag for an opera house
and It's attendant requirements, and
means the bringing together in one
great effort of movement the various
undertaklngs already considered for
cue tNNdplIshnent OF mem mOrlalS of the
war; as for example: the work of the
Mayors Committee, of which Mr..
Rodman Wanamaker is the chairman,
IN It's efforts to erect upon Madison
Square an altar of peace and a sta
dun; the other, the erection at Per
shlng Square, or some other suitable
site, of a Soldiers War Memorial un-
dertaken by committee of which
General George W. Wingate is the
chairman. and other undertakings
along the same line, discussed from
time to time in the daily press. The
activities for the creation of 'Caruso
American Memorial Foundation, now
occupying the attention of many of
our citizens. might also be co-ordi
mated and made part of the project
you have in mind
Music, one of the most beautiful Of
the arts, might furnish the nucleus
around which the many PROPOSITIONS
made for memorials in commemorative
OF the war could be gathered and the
term peace memorial instead of war
memorial. consistently substituted. 1t
would represent the idea of commem-
Grating peace, sought and prayed for
Eli over the world, instead of war, which
wrought so much destruction and
caused such great sorrow"
1t would appear that Mr. Wanamaker
did not intend to have his committee