The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-06-15

the term of imprisonment at hard la
Dor to begin upon the termination of
the imprisonment imposed until such
fine and costs are paid.
Recalls Local Conditions.
You are somewhat familiar with con-
ditions in Kenosha county, but desire
to refresh your mind on some phases
thereof.
Disregrd for law, brazen defiance of
law, had become so common, so motor
ious and so obnoxious, that in October,
1920, several hundred residents of Ke-
nosha county formally advised me that
conditions had become intolerable to
law-respecting citizens and in despair
of any other means of law enforcement
asked me to call a grand jury.
The grand jury was called, large
number of indictments were returned
and every indicted person, with one ex-
ception, was convicted.
Many Officials Convicted.
The former sheriff, his undersheriff.
the chief of police of the city of Ke-
noeha and the district attorney of Ke-
nosha county were convicted upon
charges of bribery and all sentenced
to the state prison. Some twenty-five
or thirty violators of the prohibition
law were committed to the house Of
correction of Milwaukee county and
several to the Kenosha county jail. In
all of the liquor violation cases, with
the exception of three or four, impris-
onment in addition to that in default
of payment of fine was imposed.
Sam Grotsky and Joe Ruppa, part
~ners, were convicted and sentenced.
Both appealed to the supreme court.
The conviction of Grotsky was set
aside and that of Ruppa affirmed. APP
peal is made for executive clemency
for Ruppa because of the alleged seri-
Gus condition of his wife.
Follow Duty, Not Sympathy.
We all know that in many. if not
most cases, the punishment imposed
for violation of the law falls heaviest
upon the innocent, We are sorry for
Mrs. Ruppa and we are sorry for all
the other wives and children who sui
fer in consequence Of their husbands
transgressions.
If sympathy were to be our guide,
we might set all these men whose fam
lilies are suffering, free. We have sym.
pathy, but we must not forget that we
have duty to uphold the law and
punish those who violate it.
TTbouo Two yo1.iy oivooI
sentencing ,violatcrs; one is to punish
the offender and the other is to set up
salutary warning to him and others
not to violate the law
If convicted men, of whose c,-;'t
there is no doubt, are released a
cused from the penalties imro4@
the courts, the sentence of thu c It
which has tried the case and i f'n1il-
lar with all the details and ound-
ing conditions, is nullifed the
purposes of the sentence, and the pre-
ceding prosecution, held for naught.
The conditions in Kenosha county
were very serious and required heroic
treatment. Sentence was deferred in
all cases of like character until all per-
sons under similar charges had been
tried. Then, laying them all on the
table side by side. being thoroughly
conversant with all the conditions,
undertook to impose Just sentences
and am satisfied that I treated all with
consideration and relative fairness.
Make Work Ineffective.
am not so much concerned about
one case or another as l am about the
whole. If we pull one stone out of the
dam the water will rush through and
soon ruin the structure; the work will
not be as effective as it was designed
to- be and respect for the law, which
has been pretty we'll established in