The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-01-12
STATE PRISON TERMS
MAY FACE VIOLATORS
Judge Belden Tells County Board He May Use
Extreme Measures if County
Refuses to Help.
BOARD MEETS BELDEN WITH SNUB
Circuit Judge Kept Waiting When He Asks for Cooper
alton on Grand Jury Probe-"Surface Just
Scratched" They Are Told

erence to the house of correction con-
tract, but requested the board to take
some action with reference to the pay
ment of the Russell Detective agency
bill.
Wants KenOsha to Be Model City.
"The surface of the cleanup has only
been scratched" declared the speaker
Chow could you expect otherwise when
as the convictions in the court already
show, the officials of the county who
were to see that the law was not vio-
lated were stepped in corruption. I
want the city of Kenosha and Kenosha
county to be model community and
want this board to do it's full duty
towards the end that it is made so,
and that the nasty mess may be cleaned
up"
when I last had the privilege of ad-
dressing you," said Judge Belden, III
asked that you make some arrange
ments with Milwaukee county so that
persons given Jail sentence by the court
could be committed there. l asked you
to do this because persons committed
to the county Jail here just sit around,
when the state provides that the per-
son sent to Jail should be committed
to hard labor. If committed to the
house of correction at Milwaukee, they
would be given suitable employment.
"When l last addressed you, several
month sage, left with you a proposed
resolution. / heard later that the course
it had taken was received and fled
] do not understand what you meant by
that, whether you meant to table it
indefinitely, or whether you meant to
take the matter up again at this ses-
sion.
81 now suggest another resolution,
which calls for immediate action, and
suggest that you appoint committee
to go to Milwaukee this noon to confer
with the county board there relative to
making a contract for sending persons
to the house Of correction from here.
II am of course speaking with refer
ence to the persons who may be and
who probably will be given Jail senten-
ces. Persons who are sentenced to Jail
either sit around or are given jail
liberty, which practically nulli6es the
sentence and makes farce of the
court. 1t does not make bit of differ
ence to me personally one way or an
other what you do.
"But have suggested and l suggest
again that you make contract with
Milwaukee county so that persons COM
mitted to jail may be sent and received
+haTo Grnh ~ h 10, -
the actual per capita cost, which Mr..
label tells me, will be probably not
more than 81 week. If you think
you might use the men here in some
gravel pit, it will cost you the expense
of two guards to watch them, plus their
transportation to and from work and
cost quite as much as if they were sent
to the house of correction.
81 speak earnestly and only in behalf
of the persons who may be given prison
sentences. 1t is not right on the one
hand to compel man to set around,
that word set just describes it, and
neither is it right not to give them the
punishment which the violation of the
law merits.
eff you do not see fit to make this
arrangement with Milwaukee county,
the state has suitable institution at
Waupun which may be used for this
purpose.
Il hope also that you will take some
action about the Russell bill. / want
to sit down with your committee, to-
4 gether with Mr.. Symmonds, Mr.. Walker
and Mr.. Burgett, and discuss this mat
ter fully. Some settlement should be
made. | know about the bill in a gem
eral way, but the three other gentlemen
know about it in all its details. The
district attorney has also asked for
$500 for the purpose of carrying on
the work.
"We are not through with the clean
up in Kenosha county by any means.
We have only scratched the surface.
do not care what influences may be
brought to bear and know some very
subtle ones have been laid at my door,
and / have picked them out. Regard
less, | shall do my duty as see it."
Judge Belden read the resolution
made by the. county board that it would
support the work of the grand jury,
from the Kenosha Eve ming News, in
which it was published.
II am reading you your own resolu-
ton" said Judge Bleden, "and nope
you will sta by the spirit of that
resolution to the full. Everybody
knows what mess there has been in
Kenosha county. How could you ex-
pect it all cleaned up when everyone
connected with the official life whose
duty it was to see that the law was
obeyed, was corrupted?
Il want Kenosha city and Kenosha
county to be model community and
want this board to do its full duty in
cleaning up its nasty affairs.
| Supervisor Bacon-"In case of per-
sons sentenced, aren't there crimes
such as require state prison SEN
tence?'
Il Judge Belden-"There are some of
them / should not like to be forced to
consider as state prison offenses. Any
one or all of those which are connected
with violations of the Mulberger law
may be sent to Waupun, but that is an
extreme measure. / should rather that
they were sent to the house of correc-
ton than to the state prison at Wau-