The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-02-09

have we'll served some of those who
favored you with their votes or with
their corrupt money, or both; you have
thus far kept faith with them as you
promised then and more recently; but
| you have broken faith with your Of
fetal oath, with your conscience, with
your community, with your state and
with your own family. For filthy
money you have trampled all these in
the mire. And now you must suffer
the punishment of the law.
bribery is a serious crime and ac-
cepting brides for the purpose of cor
ruptly influencing official conduct
cannot be too strongly condemned.
Such conduct strikes at the foundation
of law and order, of public safety and
of government itself If disrespect for
law, disregard for law, violation of
law, defiance of law, are to go on,
countenanced by public officials and
unpublished, social and political con-
fusion and disorder and disregard for
government, which is called anarchy"
is the end.
81 do not expect that result in this
community or in this country, but the
conditions I have described have dan
gerous tendencies. The great major
ity of the people are for observance of
the law and integrity of public Off
Gals, and the ultimate conscience of
the great majority of the people, their
insistence on observance of the law
and good order, may always be de-
pended upon.
"The present resentment against
certain laws on the part of some peo-
pie is but temporary. This observation
/ is not strictly germane to this case.
but it may be remarked in passing that
even those who believe their natural
rights thus interfered with lily to the
law and to the courts for redress. Even
law violators insist upon honest ad-
ministration of laws which they are
not interested in violating and except
as to their instant violations they too
want honest public officials and prop
er administration.
II say these things not alone to you
feasance in office, not alone as part of
your chastisement, but also to hold
these conditions up before the public,
for their remedy lies with the people,
and as salutary warning to others
not to commit like offenses; for such
is the purpose and the penalties of the
law.
"It is the judgment of the court that
you, Joseph M. Meyers, are guilty of
the crimes of bribery as found by the
verdict of the jury returned to this
court on the 26th day of January, 1922,
upon the several counts of the indict-
ment returned by the grand jury Sep
TENDER 20, 1921, and numbered in the
files of this court 555c.
Upon each of the several counts of
this indictment numbered 555c, towit
upon the first, second, third and fourth
counts, respectively, it is the judgment
and sentence of the court, and of the
law, that you, Joseph M. Meyers, be
punished by confinement at hard labor
in the state prison at Waupun, Wis
consin, for and during the term and
period of five years, beginning at noon
this day, the first day of actual con-
fnement to be solitary.
at is the order of the court that
these several sentences so imposed run
and be served concurrently, with one
another, and with the concurrent SEN
fences imposed this day upon you upon
| Indictment numbered o562c; it being
the intention and judgment and SEN
tence of the court that all the several
sentences imposed uponayou upon both
indictments numbered,e555c and 562c,
shall run concurrentlyR and for the
term of five years, beginning at noon
this day. N
"You stand convicted in this court
by the verdict of the jury, returned
January %, 1922, of giving brides to
Peter Fisher, Jr., district attorney of
Kenosha county, as charged in each of
the eight counts of"the Indictment re-
turned against you by the grand jury
October 10, 1921, and numbered in the
files of this court 562c.
Upon the verdict of the jury, it is
| Tie uQSluGuG VI C1IS gCOul 1hcL JNN al Z
guilty of the several crimes of bribery,
committed by paying money to Peter
Fisher, Jr, with the intent and pur-
pose of corruptly influencing and af-
fecting his acts and conduct as dis
trict attorney of Kenosha county and
to influence him to use the power and
influence of his Office to protect and
to, refrain from prosecuting persons
committing crimes and misdemeanors
in Kenosha county, as charged in each
of the eight counts of the indictment
respectively and found by the verdict
Of the jury.
The first count specifies $3.50, the
second count 500, the third count
$500, the fourth count S125, the fifth
count $125, the sixth count $3.50, the
seventh count $175 and the eighth
count $500, total of $1025.
The evidence justifes the verdict of
the jury upon each count that, be-
yond reasonable doubt, you did the
corrupt acts for the corrupt purposes
charged.
Motions have been made in your be-
half in arrest of judgment, and, in the
alternative, for new trial, both of
which were denied, because the court
entertains no doubt of the suficiency
of the evidence to support the verdict