The San Francisco call., 1898-03-20
Even These Men Differ as to When the Meeting
 Convened.
NAMED A CITY TICKET.
Organ of tho Ring Reports the Con- oIave as q Conference of Many
 Candidates.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SAN JOSIE. March lS--ftoW TnaCnlle politics are manipulated in star cham
 Der proceedings by the gang" Is being strilingly illustrated at this juncture. It has been consistently asserted by every one familiar with the methods of the ringsters that every independent candidate who filed his petition and
 intends to run in opposition to the nominees of the New Charter Club was either creature of the bosses or would
 be used by the latter as a catspaw, Events of the past few days are fully justifying that sweeping charge,
 In the Mercury, the organ of the gang" there appeared an editorial this morning in which occurred the fol- lowing:
 "A meeting was held yesterday at which were present nearly all the per sons who have been named as inde- pendent candidates to be voted for at the coming city election. The meeting was at the instance Of the business men and taxpayers, who are anxious that the affairs of the municipality at this important crisis shall be placed fin the hands of competent and honest men, who will administer them impar- tially and without regard to party pol itics or ring connections"
 Continuing, this editorial. aSsault!ng HuEilSn 6IlQ luTlIlVT ulullldl- ing the truth, said
 "The result of the meeting. so far as results were obtained, were emlnently satisfactory. The ticket so far as agreed upon is as follows. For City Clerk, J. w. Cook; for City Treasurer, J. N. Ewing; for members of the Ap- pointing Board-Rush McComas. Henry Booksin Sr., A. c. Bennett, Paul r. Austin, Milton Campbell. Al Col. Frank Stock, Elmer Chase, F. E. Spencer, J. K. Secord, John Leffier, r. D. Hartman. C. n. Wright and Il. J. Fixes. "
 Here were sixteen men named as having been selected at meeting men and taxpayers" at which there were present nearly all the persons who have been named as Independent candi- dates
 A strange thing in connection with | this meeting, vaguely described In the editorial columns of the gang" organ. was that there was no report of it in the local columns of the paper. Ani- mated by the desire to give the people of San Jose the details of so important an affair as this meeting appeared to have been, the correspondent of The Gall made a personal canvass of the candidates named Tn tho Mercury odi- torial. nearly all of whom were said to have been present at the meeting. The facts and circumstances sought for were those usually given in bona fide reports of bona flde meetings. An effort was made to learn who had called the meeting who had been invited to at tend it. how the call had been issued, who were present, where IL was held. who presided and what was done. Only three men could be found in the city who had attended the alleged meeting, and each of these differed from the two others as to the day on which the meeting "called by the busi- ness men and taxpayers had been held. 1t was further ascertained that ten at least of the sixteen named in the Mercury editorial were not present at the meeting" that four had abso- lutely no Knowledge of the meeting having been called. and no one could tell who had called the meeting" would give a straightforward account of the meeting" Some interesting short stories were obtained however. in the course of the interviews had with some of the men who had been in dorsed at the meeting"
 Frank Stock was not at the meet ing" He had been asked to be pres ent, but would not give the name Of the gentleman who extended him the in- Vitation.
 J. N. Ewing was not there, and he had not had notice of any meeting. I. W, Cook told the same story. Rush McComas was at the meet
 ing," He said that Paul P. Austin presided and that il was held in the office of c. n. Wright. either on Wednesday or Thursday This was all that he could be induced to tell. He referred the interviewer 10 Paul r. Austin for further particulars.
 Wright said that he was present at the meeting" only part of the time s-fs, made up as announced in the Mercury
 He declared that the meeting was held yesterday IF'ridayl afternoon. He ! said that he did not know who had called it. His clerk had told him that his office was wanted. and he had sim, ply consented to the use of his office, To his recollection neither Leiller. Se- cord nor Fixes were present.
 F. E. Spencer was too sick 10 be pres ent,
 Milton Campbell was not there. and had no notice of any meeting. Al Co.'s story was a repetition of Campheil'S
 A. .. Bennett was there. but declined to say anything about the meeting. ' except that il was held Thursday. So far ss he could remember Hartman was not present.
 Accepting in good faith the state ments of McCouas, Wright and Ben nett. h spite of some giaring 6sscrsp- aneies therein. there were four men present at this meeting called ..at the instance of the business men and the taxpayers" and aI which were prSsent, according to the Mercury nearly sil the persons who have beer named as independent candidates 10 he voted for al the coming cstv elex-. ton There are some who are wiling to wager that Req and Msekeuzle can tell more about this Eathesux than any of the men who claim to have been present,
 II Is this ticket. being namei fn this peculiar manner. that the Mercury says will receive the hearty saapcrt Of every voter who desires to el;nainass perSanat paiifics from the SSsnssnISsY-a-