The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-03-02
Councilmen Dare Not Act
Without Consulting
Their M asters.
Rev. H. j. b: Wright Cites an
Instance Of Servile Obedi-
ence Of Politicians.
VOTERS SHOULD PONDER.
Pastors of.the Garden City Now Enter
- the. Campaign for Better
~ Government.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


SAN JOSE, March mo more thor
nugb and graphic expose of the meth
DDS of the local political gang was ever,
made than that embodied in an address
delivered before the Pastors Union OF
this city by DR.. H. j. B. Wright. HIS
object was to enlighten the clefgy1nen
Of this city concerning the political: Deg
radiation that the gang has proueht
upon fair San jose, and to Suggest
method for its eradication The MN
listers present when this address was
delivered: represented nearly every
= Protestant church In the city, ana the
affect of-thfs talk will undoubtedly be
felt in the election of. April II: d.
Wright began as follows;
Perhaps no. city in the United States
the size of San: Jose has fewer electlVe
offices. Under the former charter there
were :twenty-four.. elective ofhcers, uhder
-.-- the present charter. the number. is re-
duced to eight. From this it Will be seen
that great responsibility is. to be placed
upon q few men, and with thlS respohsl-
=. bility greater power, '--'i' :;
= Referring to the trainers of the char
ter and present political conditions, he
said: =. - =:
They knew, the elections in San Jose
have resulted in the selection OF o!acerS
who the. time of their electoA 2ei.e ,s, co
or soon after learned that their duty was
:. to promoteathe welfare. or Anew :.potILtsicdt
bosses rather than: promote. the. welfare
. of the city"of San Jose -''f =, -,
- city of San Jose is in the grasp or one OF
-: the most complete. noWer1ul ana DANGER
!. Gus gangs OF. POLITICAL tricksters that ever
seized the throat of any municipality In
saving. this ! do not wish TO be under
. stood as saying that: every oh1cer IN the
- CITY of San Jose is under the lnnuence
+Ina tsQa
for years past. and is now the only rule
by which the affairs of the city are man
aged, by. which the citizens OF san Jose
are ~'disgraced, abused, tnsu1ted ana
robbed by a gang of political bosses.
" Much If not all or TINS unIortuIlat,e Sori
d. dftion may be corrected by the .cltlzeiiis
of this city at the next election by aVa1l,
ing themselves of the opportunity 2Hereo
by the new. charter, and When Inis ,,,, n
accouhplfshed and not. until tnent VIII
they be permitted to enjoy the peheLts
., flowing from an economical, self-respect-
ing, business-like and patrloIlc aarniiltS
Let me cali your attention. 10 rev
facts which show beyond cavil the truth
fitness Of my statement "A gentleman l,
who was building a house in a street
where there was no sewer wishing %
have sewer connection requested tne
: CROSS street. about 100 feet away, to the
point where he was building his house
THE Mayor very properly, referred MN
to the Councilman who is CHAIRMAN VI
the sewer: committee. = 49,.
u. p. Fay is the chairman Of this COM
nittee. and is we'll known to:.be COM
plete1y under the domination or the
gang. Continuing, DR.. Wright said:
This Councilman at once referred him tc
q certain private citizen whose once Is
not on South First street and who is MOI
a member OF the Common COUNCIL, saying
.'FWhatever he says about 1t will be salts
factory to me.
Jim Rea's office is mot on South
First street." it is on. North First
street.
told him what he wanted, and this boss
said; My friend, Mr., NJ. is in the ad-
Joining room; go In and see him. he
knows more about these things than do
Whatever will be satisfactory to him vii
be satisfactory to me-
This subordinate boss asked my FRIEND
many questions and then said: THAT vii
be all right. Wen have your sewer made
for you, but we can't do it for two OIL
three weeks yet. OF course. If we should
need your help at any time, we should ex-
pect you to stand in with u.s.
In due time the sewer was made, agree
able to the promise of this man who is
not a member of the Common Council, but
who controls the Common Council.
Think of the confidence a citizen has iT
his power to make the Council do what he
bids it do when he says: I'VE will make
the sewer for you, according to your re-
quest, but we can't do 1t for two or three
weeks yet" And think of the weakness
refer q citizen of this city to a politica
boss when that citizen comes to a Coun
Gilman asking him to build a few feet OF
sewer, at the same time saying: What
ever is satisfactory to the boss will bt
satisfactory to me-"
Our schools are nominalIy under the
control of the Board of Education and
am willing to concede that this board
would like to have our schools good anC
efficient. But there is a pail of mysteri
Gus power which covers them, and
fear, sometimes makes towards of then
all. So completely is the Board of Edu
cation under the influence of a certain
man. known as our political boss, tina
l assert. without fear of successful con
tradictian, that the Board OF Education
Will not, under: any circumstances, ap
point 70, or remove from, our schools an,
teacher; without the consent Of the boss
To show how shamefully true thi
is, will relate what gentleman tolc
me-a gentleman whose veracity is be
yond question He said: "a friend o
mine, living East. who had long laugh
in a normal School, wished to remove t
San Jose and become teacher in gu
schools. / interviewed one of the mem
bers of the Board of Education and toll
him of my friends qualification There
ing time talking to me- Go and see tn
boss. Whatever he says, goes with me-
! went to see a second member, who said
go and see the boss. Whatever he say
will be agreeable to me-. / went to Sc
third member, who said: II can max
no promise until l nave a tax with IN
boss?" went to see the boss, but moth
ing ever came of it.
certain minister who was once paste
of a f1ourishing church in this city, wen
to each of the eight members of tn
Board Of Education intercedng for
young woman who wished to secure tn
position of teacher in our public schools
Not securing satisfactory promises fror
any of these gentlemen. and having toll
some of his friends what poor results h
had had they said: why don't you e
and see the boss?" And he went to Sc
the boss, and the boss said THAT vii
pc an r,sht' q; Az ti,ee tbs yni,na nay
was appointed, and is now a teacher il
our schools.
It does not mitigate the wrong to sa,
that the young lady was competent an
the request as an honorable one, for tn