The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-03-23
THANKS GRAND JURY
ilhfF9 FOR GOOD CLEANUP
Judge L. B. Belden in Diminishing Grand Jury
Commends Them for Good That
Has Been Done.
FINAL REPORT Is NOW FILED
Report Tells of Barriers Surmounted by Grand Jury
in Their Efforts to Clear City and County
of Vice Centers.

transformed the city and county from
a Condition of rottenness" and a
place where laws were generally dis
regarded to, a community where the
law now stands for something, Judge
E. B, Belden today handed down the
order which officially dismisses the
grand jury from further service. In
his order of dismissal he reviews the
conditions. which made the calling of
the grand jury necessary and COM
ments pertinently on the conditions
which The Jurors were found to exist
and which they remedied by their work
The order is an interesting COM
mentary on the work of the grand
jury. 1t declares that the grand jury
has brought a. new vision and new
purpose and high resolve to the peo-
pie of the community. The order of
Judge Belden also made public the re-
port of the grand jury which throws
some new light on their deliberations.
Must Now Garry On"
In his report Judge Belden pointed
out that the grand jury had merely
helped the people to the right road and
that it was necessary for them now to
"carry on" if the value of the grand
jury was to be realized to the full
His order, will be of interest to all;
it reads as follows:
To the Grand Jury of the Circuit
Court Of Kenosha County:
have received your formal report
While the public service which it
seems Gamble nnoreJeffectively rendered
through the medium of a Grand Jury
than through amy other medium is by
no means finished in Kenosha County
as you we'll know and say, there are
certain legal reasons impelling if not
compelling me to accept the report
as the final report of this Grand Jury
and to formally discharge you.
Public Opinion Demanded Probe.
In the latter part of October, 1920
several hundred citizens Of Kenosha
County asked me By formal, written
petition, to cali a Grand Jury to inves-
tigate persistent rumors of official mis-
conduct and corruption on the part Of
certain public officials and to bring
about prosecution of other and no
torious violations of laws in KenoshS
County. Many other people verbally
joined in this request. During several
weeks thereafter I asked numbers Of
people, what do you think about call
ing Grand Jury?" The unvaryine
reply was at would be a good thing
"Why?" / inquired. "Well, because
the town is rotten" was the answer
usually given. Subsequent events have
proven that those men, either knowing
whereof they spoke or merely sensing
the situation, spoke truly, but how
truly they then had little comprehen'
sion. Assurance was given to me by
it's Chairman that the County Board
would stand back of investigation anC
SO it proceeded. You know more Of
the Investigations and the evidence
produced than do. In contemplation
Of trials to follow purposely avoided
knowledge of evidence and details.
Revealed Disregard for Law.
The situation uncovered by your in.
vestigations as somewhat shown in the
prosecutions following your indict
ments, the extent of disregard for law
pervading this community, the extent
Of violations of laws, official malfeas
ance and corruption, was shocking
The results of the trials of your in
dictments are we'll known. Conviction
has followed in every trial but tive
and in each Of those cases convictions
would have been sustained on the evi
dence. 1t should be said that those
acquittals were not in any sense du'
TO lack Of integrity on the part o.
Jurors, but undoubtedly to their inter
probation of the doctrine of REASONABLE
doubt and circumstances incident t,
the trials.
l am aware, ras you say, that you
work was impeded rather than helped
by people having knowledge of trans
gressions of the laws and that ha,
those persons met their citizenship
and moraladuties by testifying befor
You, rather than evading and refusing
so to do, the results would have beer
even more far-reaching and publicl.
beneficial than have been realized.
Called for Real Men.
The motives animating persons hav
r ing knowledge of violations of the Law
and of official corruption in refusing
to give the facts to so impersonal
body as the Grand Jury are varied
fear that personal business or politi
cal fortunes, or standing as "good fel
lows" might be affected or, with leas
reason of all, aversion to being in
volved in prosecutions. Since whe'
did such motives or reasons rise su
perior to public duty? How often
like conditions bring to mind thos
strong, inspiring lines by Holland;
God Give Us Men!
A time like this demands strong mind,
great hearts, true faith, an
ready hands;
Men whom the lust of Office doe
not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannc
buy;
Men who possess opinions and
will;
Men who have honor, men who wi
not lie;
Men who can stand before dems
gogue,
And damn his treacherous flatterie
without winking;
Tall men, sun-crowned, who liv