Arizona republican., 1910-08-10
PHOENIX, ARIZONA. AUG. 10, 1915
William Jaw Gsynor,

To the nation. HIS death at the hands
of an assassin would accentuate in
the public mind a sense of the coun-
trys loss.
William ]. Gaynor has grown i'm
mensely in popular esteem since he
took office as mayor of New York
on the first of this year. In his cam
paign for the mayoralty he was Bit
terly opposed by every newspaper in
the city with the exception of one
opponents conceded his excellent rec
ord on the bench, but they based their
opposition to him on the ground of
his supposed alliance with the bosses
OF Tammany Hall, who had nominated
him. In his campaign replies to his
critics he asked the people to wait
and judge him by his official acts in
the chair of mayor. He denied that
his nomination by Tammany implied
any understanding on his part that
he WAS to do Tammany's bidding. On
the contrary, he insisted it would be
found that he had made no bargain,
and that if elected he would act from
his own Independent judgment. and
that he would not be tool of the
machine.
His very first official acts bore out
his campaign promises. and his rec
ord as mayor during the six months
he has been in office has upset all the
calculations of his campaign oppo-
nents In the hundreds of appoint
ments il was necessary for him to
make, he ignored party lines almost
entirely. He filled the principal Of
fices with men who were known for
their special fitness for the jobs they
were called to fill, and all of them
were men of high character. Among
them were republicans as well as
democrats, and but few of them had
direct affiliation with the democratic
machine 1t is admitted now that he
is the best mayor New York ever
had Ii was charged against him
before the election that he was a
demagogue In office he has shown
himself to be a stern upholder of the
law, rigidly standing for equal justice
for all, and knowing no favorites. He
has reformed the fiscal affairs of the
city, so that many millions have been
saved to the taxpayers. His admins
tration throughout it's personnel is
acknowledged to be the cleanest the
city has ever known. His greatest
service, perhaps, has been in his re-
form of the police department-the
department which in a great city
comes in closest touch with the peo-
pie. To a large extent he has put
an end to arrests for blackmailing
purposes He has stood resolutely for
the protection of the poor and the
ignorant against police tyranny and
police stupidity.
On Thursday night of last week
he visited the might court" which
is one of New York's new institutions,
and to the newspapers next day he
made a statement which we reproduce
for the purpose of more clearly
pointing out that he has shown him
self an executive of rare common
sense:
Since so much and some that is un-
true is being said OF my visit, maybe
l should say a woSd, since you ask
for il. What saw convinced me
that the only necessity for the night
court is for the prompt discharge
OF persons stupidity or unjustly ar
rested by stupid or vicious policemen,
instead of having them locked up all
night or making them the victims of
the professional bondsmen.
1t is no injustice to hold over night
persons justly arrested. They should
look out But two-thirds of those
brought in last night were stupidity
and needlessly arrested. and one or
two of them corruptly, to extort mon
ey, and / understand that proportion
is the rule. The careful and prudent
magistrate, who presided in the most
admirable manner. had to discharge
them one after another.
The policemen who make these stu
pid arrests are the stupid men of the
force. The intelligent men do not cd it,
! saw few intelligent policemen arraign
prisoners. One policeman brought in
boy who threw a rubber ball in the
street. He should have stopped him
only. Another brought in a boy who
danced on a building platform on the
street. Another brought in two men
who were quarreling. He had only
to separate them and send them off.
They had done no harm at all Anoth-
er brought in two men on a similar
charge of battery. Their dispute was
perfectly harmless. II was only nee
essary to tell them to stop and go
along. A London policeman would
hardly notice them.
Another brought in man for dis