The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-08-11
WILLIAM J. GAYNOR.

GI NEW IOIh WIN was SlOl uSo-
day as he was about leaving for a
trip abroad, was born SO years ago,
in Oneida county, New York, and
there was no time that he appeared
to better advantage, socially than
when engaged in telling the stories of
his early boyhood there. His talks
concerning the little frame school
house at Skeeterboro and the old
fashioned box stove using great
sticks of cord wood, around which
he thawed out his ears and fingers
during the winter months, were al
ways laugh producers.
He secured his education at the
Whitetown, IN. " Seminary and in
the schools of Boston. Afterwards he
lived in Flatbush, L. l., a suburb of
Brooklyn, where he studied law and
when 81 years of age became re-
porter on one of the Brooklyn news
papers.
Describing Flatbush one time May
or Gaynor said it was the last place
which the Creator made and that
there was little left to make it with,
but that it had forty saloons. Among
this large number of saloons there
was but one license held. The place
was the center of a vicious political
ring, and the young lawyer began a
crusade against the political misrule.
AS a result of his efforts the unli-
censed places were closed and their
owners driven out of business. He
did not stop there, but continued and
started a citizens movement which
resulted in the election of a new set
of officials and the making of Gaynor
police commissioner The same Wig
or which has since characterized him
both as a lawyer, judge and mayor of
Greater New York was then mani
fest BY his own personal effort he
drove the criminals out of Flatbush,
changing it from center of lawless-
ness to one of the respectable places
of Long Island.
Not long after this had been ac-
complished Mr.. Gaynor moved to
Brooklyn. His attention was attract
ed by the methods of Hugh Nc
Laughlin, the political boss of that
place. The same spirit which prompt
ed him to clean up Flatbush sent him
into the arena of Brooklyn politics
against Mclaughlin. Unaided he
successfully defeated the big water
steal, an elevated tax swindel and a
public celebration fraud. Brooklyn
awoke 1t rallied to the support of
Gaynor They offered to make him
mayor; he declined. Later he was
persuaded to go on the ticket as a
supreme court justice. He was elect
ed and the result of the election was
the humiliation of McLaughlin's
rIle.
For three years he remained on
the bench, declining nominations for
mayor of Brooklyn, of Greater New
York, for judge of the court of APP
peals, and for governor of New
York In 1906 he went to the ap-
pellate division of the supreme
court, and in 1909 he accepted the
democratic nomination for mayor of
| New York. and was elected by a
plurality of 1904 being the only
candidate on the democratic ticket
/ elected.
/ Gaynor WAS the Tammany candi-
date, but the people believed him
/ honest. When he become m9Vor he
proved the co~rectnese of int lief.
He instituted reforms. lis app oint-
ments were of the best, and there
isn't a Tammany man among them.
Charley" Murphy, the head of Tam
many hall, called to see the mayor.
At the end of the interview the mayor
remarked that there were many
worse men than Charles Murphy.
| Notwithstanding this, Gaynor never
went to see the Tammany chieftain,
which Is contrary to past usage of
Tammany mayors.
At the very commencement of his
administration he found that the bill
for repairing automobiles owned by
the city the previous year, amounted
to $750,000. Cut it," he said, and
the automobiles were taken away
from all city officials who had no
official need for them. New York
city's telephone bill was a big one.
The mayor examined it, and after the
examination there was an order
which stopped the paying of private
telephone bills. So it went through
out the entire city. Where the city's
ferry boats were being operated by
crews double the size of those oper-
Grated by private corporations
reduction in help was made. When
he found In one city building, II men
doing the cleaning where five were
all that were needed ~ were dis
charged. In the first sixty days of
his administration he had cut the
city's pay roll nearly million dol
lars. For example, in the dock de-
partment there was reduction of
100000 annually; in the department
of parks, $150000; and in the water
department, $343,0O0 The mayor
could find no reason for an aqueduct
board and it was abolished, saving
New York $225000 yearly. A total
of $1,718,000 a year saved.
AS mayor, he has been active In
righting the abuses of the police
force of the city. One of his most
important moves was to impress upon
that department the fact that the con-
stitution of the United States, as we'll
as that of the state of New York, re-
CARDS all men as being innocent until
proven guilty, and that in photo
graphing suspected persons for the
rogues' gallery this precept was vio-
lated. Now. only pictures Of con-
victed criminals are = taken for the
gallery and all photographs Of per-
sons arrested but acquitted in the
past have been removed.
Moore Family Reunion.
The Moore family will hold their
annual reunion at Lakewood Weakness