The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-06-14
COUNTY PAPAS
ARE AMIABLE
D0wse Calls District Attor-
ney Necessary Nuisance
But Votes for Fund.
ESYMMONDS GETS $1,000
But Board Also Insists on
Paying Ruetz and Bar
nett's StenOgrapher.

''The district attorney is a necessary
nuisance" said Supervisor Richard
Dowse of Pleasant Prairie late Tues
day afternoon in summing up the
boards position in the tangle, follow
ing the urgent request of Frank SYM
monds for stenographer, an assistant
and general fund.
Dowse urged that the board stand
back of the Office no matter who was
in it, since that was the customary at
titude Of the board. Some of the su-
pervisors thought that the matter of
securing an assistant and granting
fund could ride while until the mat
ter was finally settled as to who will
be the district attorney for the remain
der of the term when the supreme
court renders decision, but Dowse
insisted that the board stood back of
the office, not merely back of the man.
Play Fair With Ruetz.
The board as result voted not only
to give the district attorney an as
sistant and stenographer, but also
voted that he be allowed a general
fund of $500.
The county board also voted to stand
back of Edward Ruetz in his conten-
tion that, he was not out of Office until
his resignation as assistant district at
torney had been accepted by the board.
by voting Ia give him his salagg from
June 1st to June 12th This was also
allowed Mr.. Barnett's stenographer,
Miss Nielsen, and the only voice heard
in opposition was that of Supervisor
Wicks.
Can't Do Work Alone.
eff the county board does not want
to give me an assistant" said Frank
Symmonds, "some of the work will
have to go by. can't do it all. Ii
is impossible I understand that this
meeting was called purposely to ar
range for the appointment Of an as
sistant district attorney. There are
plenty of cases in circuit court await
ing trial, one Of them a rape case
where the main witness is in Boston
and must be brought back. If we do
not get this witness back, we will have
to dismiss the action. If this is the
attitude of the board, that this case
and others like it are dismissed, all
right. That will be all there is to it."
The first step the board took was to
pass the motion Of Supervisor Roy
White that the district attorney be
empowered to hire a stenographer at a
salary of $3.50 month, the same as
heretofore allowed.
Symmonds-"Now I wish to take up
the question of the district attorneys
fund and assistant. I am almost as
badly off without an assistant as with
out stenographer."
Must Back Up Office. ]
Supervisor Richard Dowse-"We as
a board are outside of the district at
torney squabble. The district attorney
is necessary nuisance for Kenosha
county. We have been in the practice
of standing back Of that office, no mat
ter who is the incumbent. and I don't
think we should desert that attitude
now. 1t has been clearly shown to us
that the district attorney is in need of
an assistant continually The fact that
The office has changed hands once dur
ing the last six months and may change
hands again, surely has no bearing on
our desire to have the office run eff
GENTLY, and should not affect the board
so as to swerve from it's customary
attitude Of backing up the work of the
Office"
81 move" continued Dowse, "that the
county board appropriate $500 month
for an assistant district attorney and
authorize the district attorney to ap-
point an assistant"
The motion was passed by a vote of
thirteen ayes and two noes. Those
voting aye were: Gull, Spartz, Dowse,
Wicks, Barrows, Luke, White, Herr
mann, Priddis, Becker, Bacon, Zerfas
and Sorenson. The noes were: Roders
and Cook.
On the question of the district at
torney's fund, curiously enough there
was no debate or opposition whatso-
ever. The fund is the one once termed
the emergency" fund when it arose
during the period of the grand jury
investigation. While $1,000 was allow
ed Morris Barnett for an emergency
fund, he did not put it to use except
to pay his assistant out of it and al
lowed the assistants fund to accumu-
late in the county boards treasury.
81 have no talent for hiring private
detectives" was Barnett's only com
ment when asked why he had not used
the fund. He added that occasions
might arise however where in running
down crime the district attorney would
be put to it if he had no funds avail
able for extra help.
Ruetz Wins Out Too.
Meanwhile the county board, endeav-
oring to play fair with both sides in
the district attorney situation, voted
unanimously to pay Edward Ruetz his
salary from June LIST to 18th, thereby