The Niemuth
Family - Newspaper Articles
-- Leo T.
Ensen Niemuth --
- [advertisement - candidacy for assemblyman; Source: Oshkosh
Northwestern, November 2, 1936]
- LEO T. NIEMUTH CHOSEN BY CITY AS
ASSEMBLYMAN
Republican Candidate in First District Carries 12 of 16 Wards
to Defeat Opponents
- Carrying 12 wards in the city of
Oshkosh, Leo T. Niemuth, member of the city council for the last
three
- years, won election to the assembly
from the First District of Winnebago county on the Republican
ticket with a plurality of 2,700 votes over his aldermanic colleague,
Paul J. Sitter, Democratic candidate.
- Although he received pluralities
in the four wards which were not Alderman Niemuth's, Charles
F. Potratz,
- Progressive, finished third. The
totals:
- Niemuth, 6,963; Sitter, 4,286; Potratz,
4,113.
-
- Carried by Niemuth
- Niemuth carried the following wards:
First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Tenth,
Eleventh,
- Twelfth (his home district), Fourteenth
and Fifteenth. He began with a lead in the Eighth ward, from
which returns were the first to come in, and increased his margin
steadily.
- Alderman Niemuth polled his largest
totals in the Fifth and Tenth wards. He received 254 in the First
to
- 191 for Sitter and 104 for Potratz;
516 in the Second to 336 for Sitter and 219 for Potratz; 270
in the Third to 249 for Sitter and 225 for Potratz; 605 in the
Fourth to 402 for Sitter and 178 for Potratz; 771 in the Fifth
to 257 for Sitter and 243 for Potratz. Other wards voted as follows:
In Other Wards
- Seventh, Niemuth 559, Sitter 163,
Potratz 95; Eighth, Niemuth 324, Sitter 224, Potratz 232; Tenth
- Niemuth 736, Sitter 272, Potratz
222; Eleventh, Niemuth 659, Sitter 443, Potratz 295; Twelfth,
Niemuth 686, Sitter 326, Potratz 227; Fourteenth, Niemuth 282,
Potratz 271, Sitter 240; Fifteenth, Niemuth 337, Sitter 174,
Potratz 158.
- Potratz received pluralities in
the Sixth ward with 531 votes to 257 for Sitter and 158 for Niemuth;
in the
- Ninth ward with 455 to 434 for Niemuth
and 243 for Sitter; in the Thirteenth with 463 to 271 for Sitter
and 187 for Niemuth; and in the Sixteenth with 195 to 185 for
Niemuth and 138 for Sitter. [Accompanying
photograph]
-
- [Source: Oshkosh Northwestern,
November 4, 1936, p. 4, col. 2]
- [advertisement - thank you to voters; Source: Oshkosh Northwestern,
November 4, 1936]
- NIEMUTH SAYS HE HAS NOT DECIDED
HOW HE WILL VOTE
Assemblyman-Elect Declares He Will Consider Each Measure on Its
Merits, Will Offer Bills
- Assemblyman-elect Leo T. Niemuth
today denied reports published recently that he will be found
voting
- with the La Follette Progressives
on many of the major measures that will come before the legislature
which opens next Wednesday.
- Mr. Niemuth, who was elected as
a Republican, said he authorized no such statement; that he has
not
- made up his mind as to how he will
vote on any of the matters to come before the session. He declared
he intends to study each measure and judge it on its merits.
- Concerning reports that Governor
La Follette had recently "dined" with him in an effort
to win his vote
- on a new works bill, the Oshkosh
assemblyman declared the report was false. He said that on a
recent visit to Madison, Aldric Revell, formerly of Oshkosh,
had introduced him to the governor and that the latter had discussed
with him "for over an hour," various phases of a new
works bill.
Did Not Suggest
- "Governor La Follette did not
suggest in any way, how I should vote in the next session of
the legisla-
- ture," Assemblyman Niemuth
declared. "He explained certain phases of the bill. I disagreed
with him concerning script. I told him that I would use my best
judgement on each piece of legislation before the session, studying
each bill and judging it on its merits."
- Assemblyman Niemuth expects to leave
for Madison on Monday. He will take with him several proposals
- which he intends to introduce.
- One of these measures pertains to
the two-payment tax plan. The existing law, he said, is not a
two-
- payment plan at all. Under the present
plan, he explained, if the first payment is not made, the taxpayer
does not have an opportunity to make the second payment and the
entire tax is delinquent.
- If his plan is adopted a taxpayer
will be able to make his second payment in June regardless of
whether
- or not the first payment was made
and may be extended to July 31 if desired by the local treasurer.
He proposes that second payment taxes shall remain collectable
in the hands of the local treasurer and not be returned to the
county treasurer until the following year's delinquent first
payments are returned delinquent. Thus failure to make the first
payment in January shall not make the whole tax delinquent, only
the first payment shall be declared delinquent and returned to
the county treasurer with delinquent second payments of the previous
year's tax.
- With Galow's Aid
- Mr. Niemuth said this proposal was
worked out with the assistance of Harvey Galow, Oshkosh city
- treasurer.
- Another change in the law proposed
by Assemblyman Niemuth relates to Chapter 62.09, Subsection 6,
- Paragraph B, regarding salaries
of city officers. Mr. Niemuth is drafting a bill which will permit
the setting of salaries for city officers at the time the budget
is prepared instead of several months later as now prescribed.
- Still another amendment he will
suggest relates to the right of a city treasurer to name a deputy.
There
- has been a question as to the right
of the treasurer to appoint such a deputy. If adopted, Mr. Niemuth
declared, his amendment will settle this question.
- At the suggestion of former Assemblyman
Ray Novotny, Mr. Niemuth will also introduce a bill amending
- that section of the statutes, exempting
homesteads of beneficiaries of old age assistance from transfer
or claim under the old age assistance law.
- At the present time aged persons
are required to turn over to the county all of their property
when they
- ask for old age assistance. Under
the bill proposed, homesteads under $5,000 in value would be
exempted from this provision of the law.
- Will Offer Petitions
- Mr. Niemuth will also present to
the legislature a number of petitions which have been adopted
by local
- civic organizations, and the county
government. The petitions urge: Transfer of the state pension
department to the industrial commission; adoption of a county
area Bang's disease test law; amend the present T.B. cattle testing
law to provide for a three-year retest throughout the state;
that coroners fees for viewing corpses be paid out of the estate
of the deceased instead of by the county; and asking that control
over property of persons committed to state institutions be returned
to the jurisdiction of county judges.
- Another petition which Assemblyman
Niemuth will take to Madison originated with the Oshkosh Booster
- club and asks the state highway
commission to aid the city of Oshkosh in resurfacing South Main
street from Ninth to Sixteenth streets.
- Assemblyman Niemuth expects to return
to Oshkosh on weekends; also to attend regularly, sessions of
- the city council of which he is
a member.
-
- [Source: Oshkosh Northwestern,
Friday, January 8, 1937, p. 5, col. 1]
- Niemuth Quiet But Efficient State
Legislator
Youthful Oshkosh Assemblyman Presented City's Views
Post-Crescent Madison Bureau
Madison - A youthful, quiet Oshkosh alderman represented the
second Winnebago district, and for the last months the whole
of Winnebago county in the 1937 legislature.
Because of his intimate acquaintance with the problems of Oshkosh
city government, gained through his work on the city council
and as the mayor's assistant for several years, Mr. Niemuth was
able to present the point of view of his home goverment to legislative
committees and to the legislature itself.
Because he is a newcomer, and because he belongs to what is
now a minority party, the Republican, Mr. Niemuth did not receive
as much notice as many of his coworkers in the legislature.
He introduced few bills and made few speeches. He had an almost
perfect attendance record, however, a perusal of the journal
of the house shows, and made many appearances before house committees
on important bills.
- On Important Groups
Niemuth had the distinction during the past session of serving
on the most important committee in the legislature, the joint
committee on finance, of which he was the youngest member. There
he toiled with a dozen other prominent lawmakers, three afternoons
every week, over the myriad appropriation requests submitted
by lawmakers eager to prove to their constituents that they were
doing all possible for their home districts.
The most important product of that committee's work was the
biennial budget bill, which, although the members pruned departmental
requests rigidly, totaled more than $66,000,000, the highest
in Wisconsin's history.
Proposal of Mr. Niemuth's which were passed and signed by the
governor, and are now on the state statutes include: authorization
to city treasurers to appoint deputies in case of absence or
vacancy; changing the time for fixing city officer' salaries
from February to November; extending the time for making application
for receiving aid under the state soldiers' rehabilitation fund;
and deeding submerged lands in Miller's Bay, Oshkosh, to the
city of Oshkosh for the construction of a pier and breakwater
for navigation purposes.
- Introduces Bill
He also introduced a bill which would have granted homestead
exemptions up to $5,000 for applicants for old age assistance.
This measure, duplicated by several other assemblymen, died
because of early adjournment. Niemuth took over the soldiers'
fund bill after Nels Larson, of Neenah, who originally introduced
it, died.
Another measure, which would have authorized counties to appropriate
money for the encouragement of new industries, was tabled by
the assembly and subsequently withdrawn by Niemuth.
Niemuth also introduced and obtained unanimous passage of a
resolution eulogizing the life and services of the late Assemblyman
Larson of the second Winnebago county district.
-
- [Source: Appleton Post-Crescent,
Wednesday evening, July 21, 1937, p. 15, col. 1]
- NIEMUTH SPEAKS TO NEW VOTERS GROUPS
- Three branches of state government,
the legislative, executive and judicial, and how each acts as
a check
- on the other, were explained to
new voters of several wards at the Vocational school Monday evening
by Assemblyman Leo T. Niemuth.
- Introduced by George Sanders, chairman,
the Assemblyman listed the constitutional officers, their pay
- and duties, and explained how laws
are enacted.
- For an illustration of how a law
may go through all three branches of the government, he cited
his bill
- authorizing the Oshkosh water department
to make refunds of water main assessments. This measure was passed
by both houses of the legislature, signed by the governor, upheld
in circuit court when its validity was questioned, and upheld
when an appeal was taken to the supreme court.
- Assemblyman Niemuth explained the
organization and functioning of the assembly and senate, legislative
- committees, and the supreme court.
He related the duties of the governor and spoke on state finances,
explaining the organization of a research department to eliminate
unnecessary workers. During a question period he emphasized the
importance of voters exercising their franchise, regardless of
how they vote.
-
- [Source: Oshkosh Daily Northwestern,
Tuesday, April 9, 1940, p. 2, col. 2]
-
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