The San Francisco call., 1897-12-23
Speakers Intimate That the Or
ficials Are Simply Waiting
''tO Be Seen"
INSIST ON FAIR DEALING.
Will Not Supply a Golden Key to
Unlock the Vaults OF the
Treasury.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SAN JOSE, Dec. 22-Public indigna-
ton over the manner in which the
members of the Common Council have
played battledoor and shuttlecock with
| the honest claims of large number of
citizens broke bounds to-day. 1t found
vent in meeting held tonight in JUS
tice Gass' courtroom for the purpose of
| taking some definite action to secure
the payment of all just claims against
the city.
A. -. Mcneil of the well-known firm
| of Mcneil Brothers was the leading
spirit in the gathering. He made an
address, in the course of which he did
not hesitate to frankly express his con-
victions. He stated that it was his be-
lief that a golden key would unlock the
| City Treasury, and that one of the
members of the claims committee was
/ simply making a pretext when he stat
| ed that he wanted further time to con-
slider the bills. Mcneil gave it as his
| opinion that the gentleman was sim
ply waiting Ito be seen" He further
charged that all the members of the
Council were hand in glove" in the
matter of preventing the allowance of
unpaid bills. AS the result of the meet
ing a committee of five we'll known
merchants was appointed to wait upon
the members of the Council and the
Mayor to urge favorable action upon
the unapproved claims that were just
and honest.
While this meeting was in progress
the members of the Council were in
executive session in the City Hall on
the floor above, wrangling over which
bills should be approved and which
not, and many of the creditors of the
city kept themselves employed trot-
ting up and down stairs between the
two meetings.
The Indignation meeting adjourned
at about $3.50 O'Clock and most of those
who had been in attendance marched
upstairs to await the outcome OF the
action of the Council The Council
men finished their executive laoOrs ut
lO O'Clock, and it took them but d few
minutes to allow in open session all
but very few of the claims that have
been hung up for so long a time. Dit
tus voted mo- to the very last
Among the bills that were approved
by the Council are many which, the
Mayor says, Will not receive his ap-
proval. He will begin the task of ex-
amining, approving and vetoing these
bills tomorrow morning.
Between fifty and sixty creditors of
the city attended to-night's meeting
in response to the following call, dis
tributed broadcast in the business
portion of the city this afternoon:
Notice is hereby given to all creditors
and friends of the city of San Jose to
meet in Justice GaSS' courtroom in the
City Hall this Wednesday evening, De-
cember % at 7:30 o'clock sharp, for the
purpose of devising plans for securing
the payment or enforcing the collection
of the just claims against this city, and
for such other business as may properly
come before the meeting. Let every
creditor, whether he be merchant, labor
ing man or employe, and every we'll
wisher of the city of San Jose, attend
the meeting.
(Signed) COMMITTEE.
A. B. Mcneil Of Mcneil Bros, print
ers, called the meeting to order. Homer
Prindle of Prindle & Woodward of the
Citq Park Carriage Works was elected
chairman and A. b. Mcneil secretary.
After Chairman Prindle had explained
made a talk in which he broadly init
mated that certain members of the
Council wanted Ito be seen"
THAT which is everybody's bust
ness" he began, lis nobody's business
L thought this afternoon that we
would have plenty of cooperation this
evening l find, however, that when
is mostly in the mouth, and that many
people who have talked the loudest,
many people whom we had been led to
believe were the most anxious to Sc
cure the payment of their claims
against the city are conspicuous by
their absence.
1T is not very gratifying to men
who are interested in the public well
fare. 1t appears to me that there are
men in this town-reSpectable mer-
chants, honorable business men-who
hold high rank in our councils and. in
this community, who have not the
self-respect that they ought to pos
sess. We have men here who are evil
IDENTIFY afraid of the gang, who are
afraid of one man or of one another
/ believe there are men here in town
who are afraid of their own shadows.
They have not the nerve to call
their souls their own.
This is a meeting of indignant cred
itor-citizens who have exhausted all
of the means in their power to obtain
the payment of just claims. We are
men who have waited, many of us, six
months to obtain our money for work
honestly performed, for services faith
fully given, for material honestly fur
nished this city. Why is it we cannot
obtain the payment of our bills when
our city treasury is bursting with
money? 1t is high time that some ac-
ton was taken by our people for the
purpose of inducing-to persuade, if
necessary, to demand if necessary, to
enforce if necessary-the payment of
these moneys that are due us. Many
of the men here are workingmen, who
are waiting for their own money. not
to use ii for the purchase of Christ
mas presents, but to buy food for their
children, and they can't get it.
II believe there is a golden key to
that treasury. 1 believe we can get
our bills paid if we want to use that
key, but 1 for one am not that kind of
a man. don't propose to work that
way. believe that every claim against
the city would be paid if the proper