New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1892-05-18
KOCH WON'T BE BLUFFED.
Ina Communication to the Council he Gives
the Members Few Straight Tips.
He Tells Them That they must Show Cause
Wherefor his Nominations are
not Confirmed.
One Of the New Members Having Asked
For the Mayors Opinion, he Gets all
he wants.
The Letter is Plain and Pointed and Shows
that the author knows what he is
mayor for

u. ". hOCn1S mayor. II any C1IZen
of New Ulm had doubted that fact he
should have been present in the extra oun-
Gil session, which was held at Schilling's
office on Thursday evening and listened to
the reading of the frstofficial communi-
cation handed in by the new executive
of the city. This session had been called
by the council, acting upon the request
of Alderman Steinhauser for comuni-
cation from the mayor as to his appoint
ments, and when the report had been
read it was quite evident that the council
realized that in Mr.. Koch the office of
mayor was not to be robbed of its au-
thority OF made to play a second part to
the whims of certain councilmen.
In his letter the mayor does not mince
matters. After stating that the council,
upon motion of Mr.. Steinhauser had asked
for an expression from him regarding his
appointments to the offices of attorney,
marshal and superintendent of water
works, he says:
Il am at a loss to know what shall
communicate to you relative to these ap-
pointments, as [ have noticed from the
minutes of your meeting of organization,
that you had at first confirmed my nom
nations, put shortly before adjourning
and upon motion of Councillors Roos and
Steinhauser, you reconsidered your vote
and refused to confirm. Consequently
expected that you would take up the
nominations in question at your meeting
last Tuesday evening and state your OBJ
lection if any such you had. In your
wisdom, however, you did not see fit to
do this, but passed the resolution, asking
for communication from me. | am
therefor in the dark as to your objections
to these appointments, and, as | might,
by making new nominations, encounter
the same difficulties and as some of the
new members of yours honorable body
might be displeased with any new APP
pointments that I might propose and op-
pose their confirmation, I have according
ly refrained from action. In selecting
and nominating the various officers that
were submitted to you for approval, I
had, only the best interests of our city
at heart and selected men, as far as was
able to obtain them, who in my opinion,
when appointed Jand confirmed, would
serve the city faithfully and do their
full duty, Had I, according to your
views and judgment, erred in making
some of these nominations and you had
assigned reasons for your disapproval, |
certainly should have considered them
conscientiously, and, if convinced that |
had committed. a mistake in making these
nominations, should, with your honor
able body's advice and consent, most
cheerfully have tried to correct such mis-
takes by making new nominations. AS
matters now stand, however, I have no new
names to Offer
The mayor then enters into detail
and springs a surprise in the following,
all of which is respectfully submitted for
the councils consideration
'Relative to the offices of superinten-
dent of water-works, will say that Mr..
Behnke would have qualified if Jonas
| Laudenschlager had been confirmed as
city marshal. He will not qualify how
ever as long as Mr.. Zieher continues in
his present position as chief police officer
of the city. As to the attorneyship,
am again at a loss to conjecture why the
appointment of Mr.. Jos. A. Eckstein to
| that position of trust was not confirmed,
as in my opinion and to my personal
knowlege and think all of the mem
bers of the fo rmer city council will con
cur with me in this -- Mr.. Eckstein. dur
ing his administration of the city attor-
ney's office, has been a very faithful ser
want of the city and has done as much
or more for the promotion of the best
and true interests of the city as any 9TH
er man of his age. And am satisfied
in my own mind that he would be as
faithful and as efficient as city attorney in
the future as he has been in the past
Notwiths tanding the above clear and
forcible statement Of the facts as they
existed, the opponents of confirmation
persisted in their anita gonism and when
a vote was taken placed themselves
squarely or record as against the pre-
/ ferences of the mayor without any valid