The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 12, 1917, Page 4

argo Forum Gets in Deeper HE Leader presents herewith some mighty interesting corre- spondence. You remember that the Fargo Forum printed on the front page what purported to be a ‘‘news’” report of the League meeting at Jamestown, N. D., at which President Townley spoke. The Forum made Mr. Townley utter near treasonable words. This was done to bolster up the fight the Forum was then making on the League on the ground that Townley was a traitor to the United States. The Forum faked the news of the Jamestown meeting to give basis for its attacks on Mr. Townley. You remember also that the Fargo Courier-News printed the stenographie report of the Jamestown meeting, showing that M. Townley made no such statements as the Forum alleged. The Courier- News on its front page openly charged the Forum with deliberately lying about the Jamestown meeting. The Courier-News gave the evi- dence and proved its case. ~ Then you remember that everybody waited anxiously for the Torum to deny or admit the charge that it was a liar. But the Forum never made a peep. It did not attempt to back up its fake story. By its silence it admitted the charge made by the Courier-News and proved by the stenographic report. The Forum did not dare bolster up its false and untrue story about fhe League meeting, because its editors knew they had been caught with the goods. But—and here is the point of the correspondence reproduced here —while not daring to publish openly a defense of what it knew to be a deliberate falsehood to deceive its readers, the Forum NOW RE- SORTS TO PRIVATE LETTERS TO DEFEND ITS FAKE. The Forum says in the letter given herewith that its correspondent at Jamestown was responsible for the story of the Jamestown meeting. Norman B. Black, ‘‘president’’ of the Forum, formerly secretary and manager of the ‘“Good Government’’ league in a private letter says that the Jamestown correspondent of the Forum still insists that the report is true. ) But Norman Black HAS NOT DARED TO MAKE THIS DE- FENSE PUBLICLY IN THE COLUMNS OF THE FORUM. He has not dared to do so BECAUSE HIS DEFENSE IN THE LETTER RE- FERRED TO IS A FAKE THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL STORY. The Leader knows who wrote the IForum’s fake of the Jamestown meeting and how and why it came to be written. The shifting of re- sponsibility and ‘‘explanation’’ given in Black’s letter WOULD NOT DO TO PRINT, AND NORMAN BLACK KNOWS IT. The Forum DARE NOT DEFEND ITSELF OPENLY in its own columns. It attempts to do so in private letters. Here is the interesting correspondence referred to: HUSTON’S LETTER TO THE LEADER Carrington, N. D.+June 27, 1917. Editor Nonpartisan Leader: I note with interest your article about the Fargo Forum’'s misleading statements regarding the Jamestown meeting and Mr. Townley's speech made there. 1 was at the meeting and sat directly under Mr. Townley and took partic- ular note of what he said. When I read in the Forum, which, by the way, I DO NOT NOW TAKE, I wrote a letter to the editor, copy of which I inclose, and it AGREES WITH TOWNLEY will be of interest to you no doubt to read the answer to this letter which I also inclose. e osen is up to the members of the League to defend the leaders of the League from misquotations and misstatements of their speeches, when members hear what they say. We have had plenty to do in this community to represent the League in its true light, and am glad to say that we have the upper hand here now and June 19 held one of the biggest meetings ever held in this country, at which Mf. Thomason and Mr. Wood spoke. They made members by the dozen that day. I am sending you under separate cover picture of the crowd in two arts. * We are here to fight for the League and we never sleep. Yours very truly, WENDELL HUSTON. HUSTON’S LETTER TO THE FORUM Carrington, N. D., June 12,1917, Editor Fargo Forum: In your Monday evening issue of the Forum your paper reports the speeches made at Jamestown by A. C. Townley and Governor Frazier. In the caption of your report on the first page you refer to a remark made by Mr. Townley as to his business experience at Beach and report him in the body of the article as saying that “I hooked: ’em at Beach and am glad of it.” I sat in the front row immediately under Mr. Townley when he spoke, as well as the rest of the speakers, and took particular note of what he said regarding his business life at Beach, because I had heretofore heard so much that was uncomplimentary of that experience. You falsely report Mr. Townley when your reporter states that he said “l hooked ’em at Beach and am glad of it.” What he did say was that “l decided after several years of successes and failures to make good at farming or get out, and | got out.” | refer you to the short hand notes of the reporter who took the speeches verbatim for the League, and who is always at the meetings of the League for the very purpose of report- ing all speeches accurately. You can get these notes by applying-to the headquarters of the League in your city, | am sure. You also report him as saying that the "government must treat us right before we get into this war.” He did not say this, but did say that “now we are into this war we must demand that the government also conscript the hoarded wealth made from war profits and see to it that these trusts and monopolies do not use this war in which we now are personally engaged as a nation to make more profits.” I live on a farm near Carrington but did not join the League until this spring. It was as much through the misrepresentations such as your dispatch from Jamestown concerning the meeting there as my be- lief in the justice of the Nonpartisan cause that impelled me to join the League. | am sure it is not too much to say that the greatest strength to that cause is being contributed by the stupidity of the enemies of the League, in the campaign of falsity that they have undertaken in the state. It may not mean much for you to lose one subscriber, BUT YOU LOST MBE JUST THE SAME WHEN THE FORUM CHANGED HANDS AND BEGAN ITS PRESENT COURSE AGAINST THE LEAGUE PRINCIPLES AND PROGRAM. Very respectfully yours, WENDELL HUSTON. BLACK’S LETTER TO HUSTON June 19, 1917, Mr. Wendell Huston, Carrington, N. D, Dear sir: g We acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 12th inst. and note your objec- tion to our report of Mr. Townley's alleged utterances at Jamestwn. .The Forum relied on its Jamestown correspondent for its report of the meeting referred to, and he still insists that he quoted Mr. Townley correctly. : However, correspondents and newspapers themselves are not in- fallible and it is very easy to err when one attempts to quote a speaker literally and verbatim. The Forum aims to be first of all a newspaper in the broadest meaning of the te_zrm, and it is not strange if in our criticism of public men and measures our views are not approved by even our very best friends. We believe, however, th_a( you. will find so much of real value in The Forum, as a newspaper, that VOl; ;}ljlt:vsgiié?shf:p it coming even though you may righteously disagree with some Yours very truly, FORUM PUBLISHING COMPANY, N. B. BLACK, President. — e e e il R e O Underwood, N. D., June 12, 1917. Mr. A, C. Townley, Fargo, N. D. Dear sir: 5 ; Your speech in the Courier-News of June 10 was read, and I certainly agree with you. You advocate some very good measures when you say, stop the gambling business, and conscript war profits as well as wealth, instead of only men’s time and lives. It is cer- tainly unfair that these captains of in- dustry should pile up their millions upon millions. I can not see how men can be so stupid and call your speech treasonable or unpatriotic. It is just the opposite. In your speech you voiced the wish of the great majority of the common citizens. I have written to our senators and congressmen already months ago that it would be only fair to conscript wealth as well as men, and I hope the government may make this a law, It will have a great mass of people’s con- sent. Let profits of war pay expense of war, and if this is not enough, let the wealth of the rich pay the balance of war expenses, then the common people will have no heavy burdens to bear after the war. Continue in speaking and advocating those measures, Mr. Townley, and if any papers dare to call you “treason- able” they will find the people in mass opposing them. Yours very truly, R. E. BUSCH. League Meetings The following League picnies will be held during the month of July, at attractive and convenient places where it will be possible to get the largest gatherings of farmers: July 13—MecCluskey July 14—Sykeston July 17—Pleasant on Mouse River, northern Renville county. July 18—Suydam’s Grove near Tagu. = July 18—Loraine in Renville county July 19——Maxbass. July 21—Lloyd’s Grove, South of Fessenden _ July 21—Brush Lake, 2 1-2 miles from Mercer in McLean county July 21— ‘H. T.”’ Ranch, 12 miles Northwest of Amidon, in Slope county. . AT ‘‘H. T.”” RANCH On July 21 a big Nonpartisan league picnic will be held at the famous ‘‘H. T.”” Ranch familiarly known as the ‘‘Dude Ranch,’’ locat- ed in Slope county, 12 miles northwest of Amidon. The League members in that vicinity are arranging for a complete program of sports and have secured Governor Frazier and Attorney QGeneral Langer to deliver addresses in the afternoen. CONSCIENCELESS PIRATES . North Dakota Editor Nonpartisan Leader: It is time a limit was put to human greed in this country and a limit will be as soon as an aroused public con- science demands the imprisonment of those whose gold lust carries them be- yond the interests of actual trade into the region of ruthless plunder and merciless exploitation, We can not have too much honest merchandising and we do not wish to set limits to the scope of legitimate enterprise; nor do we begrudge the man the money he can make in specu- lative operations that are fair, square and above board. But the man who would add to his millions cornering the necessities of life and exacting tribute from multi- tudes of poor souls who can only by a desperate struggle keep the wolf of hunger from the door, is a public menace, and laws should be enacted along the same lines as those in force in Europe to prevent operations of con- scienceless pirates of finance who would make public hunger a source of profit. F. HL HALLBECK. DISGUSTED WITH HERALD Mr. A. C. Townley, Dear sir: I assure you, you changed the feeling in this part of the country with your meeting of the 6th at Williston. A lot of local business 'men are disgusted with the reports of the meetings by the Grand Forks Herald. I am send- ing in eight subscribers to the Courier- ‘News. Kindly let me know where I can do the most good. I feel as though I could g0 against a buzz saw. Yours for victory with honors. O. A. HALL. PAGE FOUR et TR e et t 2 FROM A MERCHANT Fin Mr. William Lemlke, g g Dear sir: 5 I was in Fargo for the League mass- meeting. It was fine. No one “stand- ing at attention”; no guards in sight; no need of any. Mr. Townley only ex- pressed sentiments which we all al- ready feel and believe. It would be a serious matter if the men we elect to office would suddenly get up so high that we who elected thgm could not call attention to their mistakes., Yours very truly, K. S. RAMSETT, ?_HEADQUARTERS ADDRESSES The Leader herewith gives mail addresses of the national and vari- ous state headquarters of the Na- tional Nonpartisan League. Com- * munications dealing with organi- zation work, payment of dues, se- curing speakers or meetings forl various localities, etc., should be addressed to the proper League | headquarters and not to the Non- partisan Leader. NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, Box 294, St. Paul, Minn. MINNESOTA HEADQUARTERS, |. Box 655, St. Paul, Minn. | NO. DAK.’ HEADQUARTERS,. . Box 919, Fargo, N. D, . $0. DAK. HEADQUARTERS, Box, 464, Sioux Falls, S. D. MONTANA HEADQUARTERS, Box 1625, Great Falls, Mont. KANSAS HEADQUARTERS, Ellsworth, Kansas. COLORADO HEADQUARTERS, Box 538, Denver, Colorado. | IDAHO HEADQUARTERS, i Box 1127, Boise, ldaho. WISCONSIN HEADQUARTERS, Box 71, Madison, Wis.