The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-12-17
THURSDAY, DECEMBER II, 1925
SHARPEN THE TEETH.

E the law designed especially to protect
tiiose who defy it?
That question naturally pops into the mind
OF those people of Kenosha who have followed
the case of assault and battery against Emil
F. Meissner, a police detective, as a result OF
his activities in making raid on so-called
soft drink parlor several days ago. The trial
in the Municipal Court ended Saturday after
noon when Sergeant Meissner was found guilty
by Judge Slater and fined 81 and costs. The
counsel for the defense announced Immediately
that an appeal would be taken to the circuit
court.
We have no particular fault to find with the
verdict of the court The court listened to all
the testimony and no doubt delivered the YER
dict which appeared to be just in the sight of
the law and the evidence presented.
If such is the case, however, it is high time
that we get some common sense teeth in the
laws which will give the police officers power
to enforce their commands.
Let us look the facts in the face. Many of
the so-called soft drink parlors are only that
in name. Many of them are cleverly evading
the law and doing this VIGOROUSLY. This is no
particular reference to the place involved in
this case but is statement of the situation in
general
IF there was enough respect for the law
that a policeman could enter one of these
places and make a search entirely peaceably,
there probably would be few of them in opera
ton. But anyone who knows anything about
the situation knows that the minute a police
man enters one of these places for the purpose
of raiding, he may expect to be met with every
possible effort to destroy evidence and defeat
the purpose of the raid Is the policeman to
be so hamstrung that he is to be powerless to
act? Can he at most slap the bartender on
the wrist and expect thereby to accomplish
the purpose for which raid is designed?
This is no defense of police officer to over
step his rights in the enforcement OF law. In
deed if the police officer is actually guilty OF
assault, we believe that he should be fined not
the minimum amount but the maximum. But
just as the powers of the President of the
United States expand in time of war; so that
powers Of policeman should have some elias
ITCHY when he knows that he is facing serious
attempts to prevent enforcement of the law.
There seems to be some difference in opinion
as to what happened in this particular case.
The point upon which the verdict hinged &C
cording to the statement of the court was the
testimony that the police officer had thrown a
bottle against the wall, the prosecution main
tanning that it was deliberately thrown at the
complaining witness in the case, while the
policeman maintained that he was holding it as
evidence and in the jostling which took place,
it was hurled from his hand.
The saloons in the city of Kenosha will never
be brought to respect for the law unless we
have courageous policeman who are not afraid
to do their duty. Let us hope that the present
episode will not operate to create those of the
other class.
The verdict seems to indicate that there are
sharp enough teeth in the laws to protect the
alleged bootleggers. Let us have just as sharp
teeth in the laws which are to operate against
them.