The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-10-26

term of office, and which, through his
efforts, resulted in the closing OF public
and private business at noon on Satur-
days in this State.
When, in 1883, the general government
decided to send a commissioner to Spain
to ascertain what class of American ma
chinery was best adapted to the various
localities of Spain, President Grover
Cleveland selected James NJ. Seymour to
the mission. Mr. Seymour, however, was
unable to leave his business interests in
this country and his son was sent in his
place.
In 1891 Governor Albeit appointed Mr..
Seymour State Supervisor of Prisons.
which position he held from 1891 to 1884,
and while Supervisor his interest in be-
half of honest labor was made manifest
by his insistment upon the enforcement
of the law that all goods made in the
State Prison should be plainly and con-
spicuously marked Manufactured in the
N. ]. State Prison." for the protection Of
honest labor against cheap prison work.
He was nominated in 1898 for Alderman
by the Democratic party in the Eighth
ward of the city of Newark, then. as now,
Overwhelmingly Republican, and came
within 3s votes of election. The following
year he was appointed by Governor Werts
a member of the State Board of Educa-
tion and is still member of that Board,
having been reappointed by Governor
Voorhees,.
Mr.. Seymour received the Democratic
nomination for Mayor of Newark in 1894,
and, although he led his ticket by nearly
1900 votes, he was defeated, but in the
inc ha tad far
member of Assembly and carried the city,
but was defeated in the entire county.
In 1886 he was again nominated for May
or Of Newark and received a plurality Of
S.363 over julius A. Lebkuecher, who had
defeated him two years before. At this
election the Republicans carried the city
of Newark by 1854.
TWO years later he was again elected
Mayor of the City of Newark by S73s
over John c. Eisele, an ex-Aesembly-
man and very prominent in labor circles.
In that year the Democratic ticket car
ried the City of Newark by 1888.
When Mr.. Seymour was first elected
Mayor of Newark, the firemen were re-
quired to do carpenter work, painting,
repairing of fire wagons and apparatus.
plumbing and other work for the Fire
Department. Mr.. Seymour insisted that
firemen should only do fire duty, and
should not be required to do work which
would in any wise conflict with other
trades.
In the winter of 1899 the Board of Edu-
cation of the City of Newark decided to
close the night schools. because of lack
of funds. Mr.. Seymour vigorously OBJ
jected, and demanded that the night
schools be kept open in the interests Of
working boys, and secured the transfer
of other city moneys to the Board of
Education for that purpose, thus en-
abling the night schools to be continued.
He was again reelected Mayor Of the
City of Newark in 1900 by majority Of
1869 over Richard c. Jenkinson. who was
then President of the Newark Board of
Trade and a leading manufacturer of
Newark. In that year the Republican
ticket carried the City of Newark by
1913.
Mr. Seymour succeeded. after much eff
fort, in securing the vestibuling of street
cars for the protection of motormen in
bad weather.
On October 26, 1896, Bernard Mananey,
who was then laborer working in the
Chester avenue sewer in Newark as
plumbers helper, at a point about % feet
in DEPTH was entombed by the earth CIV
ing way. After much effort by those
present his rescue was about to be aban-
doned when Mr. Seymour. who was then
at his home. was notified of the fact.
This was about o'clock in the morning,
nevertheless he Immediately went to the
place and found that Mananey had been
entombed all the preceding night. Mr..
Seymour lost no. time in planning for the
rescue and superintended the work him
self. He ordered planks and had an in
cline made beginning about 40 feet from
where Mananey was and worked to-
wards him so as to keep the earth from
falling in, and by skillful management
and continuous labor, without leaving
his post. succeeded in rescuing Mananey
between and o'clock in the evening.
AS a token of labor's regard for Mr..
Seymour he received in 1928 the rare dis
tinctfon of being made an honorary MEM
Der of the Newark Typographical Union
No. 103. a branch of the International
Typographical Union of North America.
In the spring of 1901, at the time of the
machinists, strike throughout the coun-
try. Mr.. Seymour refused to permit his
firm to go into any combination, and was
the first employer to give his employees
ten hours pay for nine hours work.
While the Spanish-American War was
in progress, many of the soldiers having
left their wives and families in destitute
circumstances and dependent upon charity
for support, Mr.. Seymour urged the call
ing of special session of the Legislature
for the purpose of appropriating money
for the care of these families.
In the winter of 1896 and 1897 Mr.. Sey-
mour established relief station in the
CITY of Newark for the support of the
poor and succeeded in relieving thousands
Of the suffering poor. without any assist
ance from the city government It was
during the same winter. when hundreds
of men, scantily clothed and out OF work,
were compelled from necessity to walk the
streets of Newark at night Mr.. Seymour
applied to the Board of Street and Water
Commissioners for the use of the old Sec
ond Precinct Police Station on Morris u
Essex r. r avenue. The request was re-
fused. He then asked for the Summer
avenue bath house, that was also re-
fused. He then asked If there was any
suitable place where ne could nave y
shelter these poor men, and was told ne
could have the dog pound. (This place
xvs,s exnosed and unfit even for dogs on