The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-04
Judge Gaynors RISING Star.


1--WE are so much accustomed here in
Tammany on men elevated to office by
this political organization that we some
times overlook the real worth of some
men who achieve position in New
York." said a man who keeps in touch
with national politics.
Judge Gaynor (now So years of
age), who was indicted into the office
of mayor of New York on the first day
of January. is one of the most notable
men of the present day. He is of the
Samuel J. Tilden type, and believes in
keeping faith to the letter, on all pre-
election promises of Importance. His
record as police commissioner some
years ago proved this to the sorrow of
some of the doubling among dive
keepers and shady politicians.
Here is Gaynor's record which be-
gan as a farm boy in Oneida county,
New York, his native state. He had
common school education and attended
whitestown seminary. BY teaching
school he was enabled to read law. He
settled in Brooklyn. In 1898 he de-
clined the nomination OF a mass meet
ing for mayor, but accepted under
pressure tn GREATER the nomination for
the supreme bench, which placed him
thereon. In this election he warned
John Y. McKane, The Boss of the
Coney Island district that IL he per-
sisted in his election frauds he would
send him to the penitentiary. McKane
laughed; Judge Gaynor kept his
promise-McKane was sent to Sing
Sing for seven years.
"In 1894 he declined the nomination
offered him by the democratic party,
with David B. Hill then leader. Boss
Mclaughlin tried to get him to run for
mayor of Brooklyn on democratic
ticket, which was equivalent to an
election in his case, but he declined.
In 1897 Richard Croker. then in abso-
Lutte control, endeavored to persuade
Judge Gaynor to make the race for
mayor of Greater New York, but he
declined this. In 1904 he was pressed
to run for governor on the democratic
ticket, which in that year was headed
by Alton B. Parker FOR President In
1905 he declined the offer of the sew
eral factions of the fusion movement"
to make him their candidate for mayor.
Judge Gaynors record en- the bench
is of the very highest. He always
opened court at 10 q. m. and held until
.. m. One OF his practical reforms
was revising the jury lists of Kings
county throwing out more than 10000
men shown to be incompetent. Judge
Gaynor also wrote a set of nine rules
for expediting the business of his court
to avoid unnecessary delays for It'll
giants. AS trial Judge his record
reached the highest mark. While one
of II judges, he did one-fifth of the
work Of the court He did one and two
fifths times the work of the next high
est Judge. On appeals he was reversed
only 10 per cent Of tho cases tried by
him-some of the judges had as many
as 80 per cent of reversa1s.
Judge Gaynors record with grafters
is a bright star In the matter of the
fee grabbers he was Spartanic, notably
in the Knickerbocker Trust company
receivership. He cut the fees of this
bunch Of grafters from 100000 to $751;
900. He brought taxpayers suit In
the matter Of the Elevated Railways of
Brooklyn. which made them pay nine
times the taxes which they had ten
dered.
Summing up, a magazine writer
says of Judge Gaynor: But his entire
life record makes a picture of man
of intense humanity, and as admins
tered by him. the law, offering equal
consideration to the poor and to the
rich, in all it's cold majesty, has stood
In truth for the cause of Justice
And now many politicians are fgur-
ing on the mayor of New York for the
democratic nomination for President in
1912"