The San Francisco call., 1898-02-25
POLITICS IN SAN JOSE.

THE speech of Councilman Nolting at meeting
 of the Common Council of San Jose on Mon-
 day evening the opening gun of the gang attack upon the citizens movement for municipal re- form It sounded the keynote of the desperate cam paign of the frightened booders and gives notice to the reformers that they called upon to meet stink pos and that whatever foulness and alseness do to drive decent men from the field will be done
 It is but justice to MT. Nolting to say that one acquainted with him or with San Jose suspects him of composing the speech He probably had no more to do with 1t than the brass cannon has do with the ammunition that is fired through its brazen throat He was at once below 1t and above 1t. He was below 1t for he could no have arranged slander in such cunning way than he could have written a commentary on English grammar, and he evidently above 1t because the explosion like petard beneath his feet has blown him to such pot cal fragments that a Coroner will never be able to find enough Of his remains to hold inquest on
 The speech has interest surviving the fate and disappearance of Notng because it has led to dis closure of certain tactics practced by the San Jose gang. Among the men whom Mir. Nolting spat- tered with the loose approximation of his eoquence" was J. P. Jarman, formerly member of the Common Council. It was charged that Jarman, while mem Der of the Council, had expended $2ooo in improve ments about the City Hall, making of the ex- pendure as a means of getting votes to procure his election to the County Board of Supervisors.
 It appears that the work referred was in charge of a committee of which MT. Notng was member, but MT. Jarman not the committee. He says he requested to take charge of the work and perintend it because he had practical knowledge of the kind of work to be done and he adds: T learned afterward that It trap set by the bosses to in sure my defeat Supervisor they taking 1t for granted that would do as they would under similar circumstances that is, furnish all the materials from my store and have my own painter do the work l did not furnish of material did put enc Of my on the work, nor did handle enc dollar of the money.
 The statement of Mir. Jarman needs nothing to con- firm it. but abundant confirmation exists in the many disclosures that have been made from time to time of the methods of the Santa Clara County gang in the practice of politics Records of the courts records ofthe proceedings of grand ures and records of one nota- ble legislative investigation at Sacramento bear ample evidence that for ways which are dark and for tricks which are vain the San Jose gang is peculiar
 The fight for reform and good government in San Jose has been well devised and the forces that main tain it have been well organized Nevertheless the victory will not be easily attained and the men who accept positions in the forefront of the battle will have many hard blows to face and many mean stabs in the back to guard against The Nolting speech IS as full of warning the rattle of rattlesnake It means venom The friends of honest politics must be on their guard. If sander or any form of cur- nlng can carry confusion into their ranks or weaken confidence in their leaders and candidates the vic tory that seems we'll assured will be wrested from their grasp.