The San Francisco call., 1897-11-30
KOCH TAKE< 10 COFER.
Prerents That Might Hnce Been da I,
ferestinJ COuncn Mcefinr.

Prerents Uhat Might Hnre Been aa IN
terestfnJ COuncil Ncefint.
SAN JOSE, Nov. % Mayor Koch took
snap judgment on the public tonight and
disappointed a large mum ber OF citizens
who had come to attend the session OF
the City Council. What his reasons were
for doing this can only be surmised. Many
important matters. including a large
mum Der of bills, were TO have been acted
upon by the Council tonight, as this was
the last regular meeting night before the
1st of the month.
1t has not been the custom of late to
call the Council to order promptly at the
hour fixed, 7:30 o'clock, but tonight the
NJ ayor raped for order on the very sec
ond and Councilman Fay Immediately
moved for adjournment on the ground
that no quorum was present. The motion
was carried, and in less than half min
ute the Council stood adjourned. The
only other member present beside Fay
was Noting
Before the Mayor and the two Council
men had time TO leave the precincts of the
City Hall Councilman krieg put In an
appearance. lie was informed that the
Council had adjourned owing to a lack of
a quorum, and that :herc would be no
meeting tonight. Krieg made q feeble
protest, but the Mayor declined to again
call the Council 10 order.
Some light may probably be throw n
upon the Mayors unexpected and peCu.
liar action when another chapter is added
TO the history OF the Wehner $500 claim.
As already published, this claim was
passed for the second time, and lilies ally,
by the Council several weeks ago and
placed in the hands of the Mayor for his
approval or disapproval.
Every effort heretofore made by The
CALL correspondent to get sight of this
record has proved unavailing. Mayor
Koch's office hour, as announced on the
Mayors door is from to 10 a. NJ. not
withstandlng that the new charter pro.
vides that his office shall be kept open
from $3.50 A. NJ. until P. NJ.
Another effort was made this morning 9
to secure an inspection of this Elusive
claim. The Mayor appeared at his office
at $3.50 A. NJ, and when requested to sub.
m This claim to the inspection of THE
CALLS re preventative declined 10 do so, on
the ground that it was not public rec
ord All argument failed to convince him
to the contrary. He finally agreed TO SUBJ
NIT the matter to City Attorney Welch,
and promised that if the latter advised
him that the claim was public record he
would have it at his (the Mayors place of
business at 1890 P NJ. to-day, and permit
Il copy to be made OF 1t.
Mayor Koch saw City Attorney Welch
in the course of the morniu, and was ad-
vised that the document in question was
a public record. He failed, however, TO
keep his appointment, and the secrets of
that document, whatever they may be,
are still his own.
In the course of the interview at the
= h.. s..d
that he had prepared veto message on the
claim, and that the same would be sub
mitted to the Council tonight.
Word reached Councilman Noting OF
this fact. Councilman Noting claims the
credit of having induced Wehner to return
the money which had been illegally paid
the contractor on the original $3.50 claim,
and denies that the Mayor saved this
am cunt 10 the treasury Of the city as the
Mayor has claimed.
Noting expected that in the Mayors
veto message the odium of having passed
the claim would be cast upon the Council,
and Noting publicly declared his inten-
ton of taking a fall out OF the Mayor"
if the latter attempted to find fault with
the council in his veto.
1t is these ciroum stances, it is believed,
that caused the Mayor to prevent meet
ing OF the Council. This enabled him to
withhold his veto and gave him an oppor-
tunity TO trim a little" before he SUBJ
mitted it. Mayor Koch mas had frequent
tastes of Nolting's tongue lashings and
was probably not inclined to face another
tonight.
special meeting OF the Council will
probably be called during the week.
On being asked after the ad djournm ent
OF the Council to permit an inspection of
the Wehner claim, TIE Mayor declared
that he had placed 1t in the hands OF the
city clerk. This was about a minute after
the adjournment. but the city clerk had
disappeared, his office was locked and he