The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-01-24
WILL GO TO SOUTHERN FARM
After Nineteen Years of Service as City
Treasurer He Will Not Seek Re-Elec-
ton But Later in Year Will Go TO
His Farm in Virginia.

City Treasurer Martin Steinmetz is
through with politics. He announced
today that after nineteen years of
service as City Treasurer of Kenosha
he would not be a candidate for renom-
ination at the coming March primaries.
Treasurer Steinmetz is giving up pub
lie life for the seclusion of his favorite
farm down in the green fields of Vir-
ginia and sometime after his term of
Office is over and after he has brought
in all the delinquents he is going down
to Fredericksburg to join Mrs. Stein
metz and the children and they are
going to "work the farm" while they
allow others to run the political Of
fees of Kenosha.
81 have heard the call to the farm -
said Treasurer Steinmetz this morning.
81 want them all to know as early
as possible that there will be one place
on the ticket IN which new mama
is going to be written. Nineteen years
in one city Office is long enough for me
and most people will agree that it is
pretty nearly long enough for any one.
They have been pleasant years at that
and in running away from it now I
want to tell the people of Kenosha that
| feel very kindly to them for the fav-
ors they have shown me. have been
planning to go to the farm for some
time and now it is ready for me to
come and I can not be city treasurer
in Kenosha and really farm down in
Virginia.
Treasurer Steinmetz was reminis-
cent Let's see it was in 1899 that
IL was first elected City Treasurer"
he said, "You remember at that time
we had the office of the treasurer in
the First National Bank and we used
to keep all the collections in a cigar
box. The amount we collected that
year was less than 100000 by a consi-
derable. The next year it was large
enough to use an envelope box to carry
the proceeds of the collection but we
kept the cigar box just for old times
sake. This year the tax toll will bring
collections of million dollars more
than it was the first year. We have
progressed some in the treasurer g Office
just as they have in other departments
III the city and / believe that Kenosha
has just as good method of handling
its finances now as any city in Wiscon
sin. am going to turn over to the
man who succeeds me much better
organized Office than I had when |
was first elected. He will have to col
lect lot more money than I have coll
lected but he will find it easier on ac.
count of the adoption Of modern me-
thods.'
The announcement of the retirement
of Treasurer Steinmetz came as sur
prise to even close political friends.
He had been considered a sort of a
fixture up at the city hall. For sever
al years he has had no opposition at
the primaries and not a word had been
heard of any opposition tQ his candi-
dacy this year.
Undoubtedly there will be consider.
able of a scramble for the office and
there will be no lack of candidates
when it becomes generally known that
the treasurer for nineteen years is to
retire
Treasurer Ste1nmetz has for years
had charge of the Kenosha Country
Club house during the summer months
and he expects to spend a part of the
coming summer at the club house, but
when the frost comes on the pumpkin
again he is going to HE himself away
to Virginia and with the rest of the
Virginians settle down to that pleas
ant life on the farms of Virginia which
has been featured in song and story.
In the Tetirment of Treasurer Stein
metz the city will lose one of the most
faithful of its officials. He has been
popular with the officials and with the
pebple and had he decided to continue
in Office he would undoubtedly have
been unopposed for the office this year.