The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-09-12

town election, and, to the wonder OF
those who helped him, victory for
the ticket he favored.
This was the first flash of Gaynor's
meteoric career. His defeat of the ring
politicians in Fatbush not only brought
him public recognition, but clients to
swell his practice His success was SO
great in civil law that he was drawn
into the criminal courts much against
his inclination. Here he made a nota'
BILE record for himself, securing the
first trial, when defended by the most
celebrated criminal advocate at the
New York bar, had been found guilty.
Gaynor became known as clear and
extremely forceful speaker, who pos
sessed moderate eXtemporaneous clio
quence and a power to hold the atten-
ton of his audience His chief charac.
teristic was earnestness without much
demonstrativeness Everything he did
or said seemed to tell
Fight Against Politicians.
About this time the gradual ABSORB
ton of small adjacent municipalities
by the growing town of Brooklyn
brought to the young lawyer an oppor.
tunity to continue his fight against cor
rupt politics.
The Hugh Mclaughlin organization
which then dominated Brooklyn's pol
itics, had seen in an annexation of the
town of New Lots an opportunity for
advancement. Through dummies they
gained control of the private water
plant of the little town for the sum OF
$4,000 This done, the annexation was
carried through.
With the assistance of Alfred G
Chaplin, then the mayor of Brooklyn
the politicians contracted to sell the
modest water plant of New Lots tG
Brooklyn at profit of something more
than $1,200,000. There were murmurs
against this high-handed proceeding
but the ring continued it's preparations
to jam the measure through the board
of aldermen and were about to make
the purchase when Mr.. Gaynor took q
hand.
He interested William Ziegler, rich
property owner of Brooklyn. and as
Ziegler's counsel applied to the SUI
preme court for an Injunction to pre-
vent the SALE Mayor Chaplin used his
corporation counsel to oppose the In
junction, and the ring marshaled q
number of prominent lawyers on theil
eiI ~ fod w
opposed him on every point, and after
a fight that extended into the court OF
appeals, he succeeded in having q
commission appointed, which ultimate
ly appraised and bought the property
for a quarter of million dollars. The
costs, $4,000, he paid out of his own
pocket.
In the years that followed Mr.. Gay
nor, still a private citizen, fought the
elevated railroads and compelled the
disagreement of some 100000 in
taxes. He unearthed and brought to
naught an attempt to rob the city in
connection with the Columbian Cele'
bration in 1893-also a venture of GER
tain Brooklyn politicians, who had
padded the bills the city was asked to
pay and were about to stuff the sur
plus into their own pockets.
During this same year, 1893, Mr.,
Gaynor was asked by Commissioner
of Public Works Willis, who divided
the political power of Brooklyn with
Mclaughlin, to run for mayor. This
plot to lead him to defeat and break
his hold upon the people was met by
Gaynor with a fusion agitation which
entered the political field with Charles
A. Schieren as the reform candidate
for mayor. Mr.. Gaynor, In the mean
time, without being consulted, hae
been nominated for the supreme courl
of New York He made strong hgh
and the Mclaughlin ring, which gen
orally carried Brooklyn by at least 20,
900, was defeated by plurality o
$4,000