The San Francisco call., 1898-03-30
AUSTIN NOT
 4 SUCCESS
 AS MAYOR Record of One OfRea's Candidates at
 San Jose. Has Already Been Tried and Found Wholly
 Wanting. Former Administration Noted for High Taxes and Big
 Deficits.
WANTS THE PLACE AGAIN.
Though a Commercial and Official Failure, He Is Faithful to
 the Boss.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

Special Dispatch to The Call.
 SAN JOSE, March 29.-In the "gang" and out of it, Paul P. Austin is looked upon as the king-pin of the Peoples Municipal ticket, the aggregation of candidates backed by Boss Req and his adherents. If any one has any doubt of the fealty of Austin to Req let him but utter a word of dispraise of Req in the presence of Austin, or let him be present when the boss is issuing orders to Austin for execution in the Board of Supervisors, of which Austin is a member, or anywhere else. There is no question in the mind of any one familiar with the local political situa- tion for the last decade or more that vote for Austin is certainly a vote for the gang" of which Req IS the oosS as if that vote were cast direct for the boss himself, or for Johnnie Mackenzie.
 If anything were needed to confirm this idea it is furnished in the columns of the gang" organ this morning. The Mercury, with a pride all it's own. sets Austin on a high pedestal for the ad- miring inspection of the people whom It is seeking to delude in this campaign. It's laudation finds vent in the follow ing, which is portion of an editorial:
 MT Austin is one of the peoples candi- Cates for election to the Appointing Board, c position oI paramount import ance and responsibility under the new charter. It will be the duty ot the Ap- pointing Board to appoint the members of the several city departments. During US brief period of existence 1t will nave not only the present but largely the future destinies of San Jose in it's hands. The necessity, therefore, of electlng to that board only men of the highest ability and Integrity, who can ~e absolutely depend- ed upon to be governed in their official actions by the most earnest regard Tor the city's welfare, must be apparent to every voter. Such man is MT. Austin, who as Mayor looked after the interests of the city with sagacity and fidelity.
 All of this is only too true, with the exception of the last sentence, which reads:
 such a man is MT. Austin. who, as Mayor, looked after the interests of the city with sagacity and fidelity"
 The official records and acts Of MT. Austin and his commercial career 1n this city prove just the contrary. If ''only men of the highest business abil- ity" should be selected as members of the Appointing Board-and of this there can be no doubt-then MT. Austin is ab- solutely disqualified. Not only has his commercial career here been fragrant failure, but in the last three years he has succeeded in accommodating a judg- ment indebtedness of more than $27,0OO, not dollar of which has been satisfied, as shown by the records of the Superior Court. It is not likely that man inca pablo of taking care of his own proper ty will prove more capable of taking care of what belongs to others or to the city.
 But Mr. Austin demonstrated his ut ter unfitness for public affairs when he sat in the Mayors chair of this city from 1894 to 1896, and was evidently dis posed to do anything rather than be governed in his official actions by the most earnest regard for the city's well fare.'
 The records show that for the first year of MT. Austin's term as Mayor of San Jose-that is, on January 1, 1885 there was deficit in the city treasury exclusive of new taxes collected, of s32,619 93, and that year later this deficit had gro~~ to S5S,lS5 zl-
 But this was not the worst feature of his administration. Ex-Mayor Aus . tin has the unenviable distinction of having caused, by his administration of the city's affairs, the highest two tax levies ever imposed on the people of San Jose. Previous to his advent as executive of this city the tax rate had never exceeded $1 25 on the S100, though before the gang got it's fatal grasp on the municipality the rate had bcen as low as S5 cents on the $100 Dur ing the first year of AuStinS admins tration the rate had to be increased to $1 40, and during the second year 1t was $1 35 on the $100, yet when Austin went out of office the annual deficit in the city treasury had increased to the enormous amount of $5S, 1855 21. That was a period of clover for the "gang" and it's numerous parasites, while the taxpayers had to labor harder than ever to keep the public crib full for the tax eaters.
 bo frc, fO i-1fn11i- gence of the voters of San Jose to ask them if they thought a man with the record that Austin has made for him. self looked after the interests of the city with sagacity and fidelity" And 1t is of this kind of material that the candidate of the Peoples Municipal ticket is constructed. The people of San Jose can best answer If they can afford to elect him and his colleagues on the boss ticket. As a commercial factor MT. Austin proved himself to be void of business talent; as Mayor of the city of San Jose his admins tration was the most extravagant in the citys history, as the result of either gross incompetency or infidelity.
 Escape from the rule of such men as Austin, and others subservient to boss and "gang" nomination, lies in voting the New Charter Club ticket straight from top to bottom.
 Another large and enthusiastic meet ing under the auspices of the New Charter Club was held in the Fourth Ward tonight at the corner of Pond and Orchard streets. The speakers were s. E. Crosman, D. M. Burnett, J. NJ. Burnett, J. M. Allen. J. P. Jarman, c. L. Written, Dr. McDougal and J. J. Southeimer. Boss rule and it's evil ef- fects on the people and property of a city were the subjects under discussion. The audience was made to understand how 1t alone could apply the remedy for the extermination of the boss and poodle pest. This remedy, it was ex- plained, lay in the election of the New Charter Club ticket from Mayor to the last member of the Appointing Board.