The San Francisco call., 1913-09-11

stations and frehouses throughout
the city should be placed at half mast
When Commissioner Waldo entered
his Office later he held a handker-
chief to his eyes.
waldo is burly, rugged, red faced
man who has received honors for
bravery while serving in the United
States army in the Philippines, but
he made no effort to hide his grief
today.
PROBLEMS GAYNOR SOLVED
one of. the biggest problems which
scohfronted the city hall when Mayor
Gayner took ONCE was the regulation
OF the police department.
: Mayor Gaynor met this issue
.souarely and put into effect orders
which completely reorganized the old
systems. He refused to allow plain
clothes men 10 90 into saloons, gam
bling rooms and disorderly houses
He prevented clubbing" of citizens
by police and reduced the number OF
useless arrests by so per cent. He re-
buked. policemen for arresting boys
for such orenses as skating In the
streets, walking on the grass in parks
and playing ball in vacant lots
some of his letters on this point are
classics.
Then came the assassination of
Herman Rosenthal and the graft ez-
posures in the police department.
FOLLOWING this sprang up the quarrel
between Mayor Gaynor and District
Attorney whitman as to which should
control local politics.
STANDS By COMMISSIONERS
Mayor Gaynor stuck up for Police
Connnissioner Waldo and the force
as a whole. admitting that ten thou
sand. men could not be gathered to-
uether without finding a few bad
ones among them" He assaiied Po-
lice Lieutenant Becker, who was ac-
cused of instigating the murder OF
Rosenfhal, as worthless sccundreL
.but continued to persist that there
were not more than so rogues in the
department.
POLITICAL PLANS SHATTERED
Mavor Gaynor's death came as
.hsftering blow to the political struc-
.ture that had been built for the No
vember election, at which the election
OF a city ticket was the center OF
interest.
For the ofiee OF mayor there had
been selected by Tammany, Judge
Edward z. Mccall; the fusion COM
nittee Of lo7 had named John Purrey
Mitchell, collector of the port; the
=Gayhor fusion and nominating league
had nominated Mayor Gaynor.
= on. the face Of the actual figures
.4f1tE. three cornered race promised TO
give Judge Mccall an easy plurality
: of..fHe total vote. assuming, as the
!: recSrd' Of the past Justifles, that the
. I.annnnany machine strength was
::polied* To nominal extent only.
? "A. defnite idea OF the situation may
be: atswn from the vote in the last
.e1e6tfon.:for mayor. The consolidated
returns showed: Barnard (rep). H.
s64;: Gaynor (dem.), 25o,3s7; Hearst
.(cixfc. alliance), 1541s7. Total vote.
:5s1,s7s,
.....:That the Gayner vote was a Tam
many: vote is shown by the vote for
R. r. Moore. the Tammany candidate
9 for controller. who polled 25o,os2
votes in the face of an unusually hot
personal. fight. 1t viii be seen that
tie. combined anti -Tammony vote
exceeds the Tammany vote by s1.104.
with iNe Tamn sny problem that of
finding a way TO split it's opposition.
CAREER OF MAYOR GAYNoR
Mayor Gaynor's boyhood was spent
9 in Whitestown. " Y. where he was
born in 1851. His early education was
sarauired in the public schools of that
district Later he entered the Whites
town: seminary and was graduated
from that institution with honor He
then. went to Boston, where he contin
sued to learn from books, supporting
hisnself by teaching and occasionally
whiting for the press.
AFTER. pursuing this mode of life for
a Tiumber of years Gaynor. then %.
moyed to Brooklyn in 1873, settling IN
Fsatbush. then q suburb Of Brooklyn.
In. these days Flatbush was gov
erned BY ring OF corrupt politicians,
who rad waxed wealthy through their
nefarioas. trafic in the goods of the
municipality. For two years Gaynor
them a. reporter on the Brooklyn Ar
gus. studied the political situation OF
the little village, gaining clear in
sight. into its corrupt condition.
The municipal studies of the young
reporter and law student bore fruit
in the fall of 1875, shortly after he
had been admitted to the bar, and
he went before the voters OF that
town on a. platform OF better gov
ernment..