Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-07-06

SCRAPPING
Barnes Faction Is Attempting to ousi
T. jefferson Johns From the Lew.
istown Democrat.
BUT JOHNS WILL STAND PAT
fractional Quarrel Thrown Into the
District Court for Adjudlc alton
Very Pretty Scrap.

With an election approaching the
expected row among the would-be
leaders of the Democracy of Fergus
county is on. and on with all the Wig.
or each side can command, already
seven lawyers being engaged in the
combat.
AS in several previous instances
the fight is over the control of the party
organ. the Lewistown Democrat, or
rather the printing machinery and
presses in the office from where the
Democrat is issued, for eve though
Johns loses a few fonts of old type
and a busted press, it looks as though
the subscription books and name
Democrat" would still be his.
There never was very much love
between John p. Barnes and T. j.
Johns and the admiration for each
other has not increased any within
the past two or three years.
BY various and sundry transfers,
not necessary to enumerate, though
it is doubted if a single dollar ever
changed hands on the deals, the
printing plant some two years ago
got into the hands of the Barnes fam.
lily; that is n or the other Of the
Barnes family-we believe it is Clar'
ence Barnes this time-got a mort.
gage on the stuff for something like
$1,000. This was a heavy load for
the paper, considering all the machin'
cry and material in the office was not
worth over $500 and as a result inter
est has accumulated and frequent at
tempts on the part Of the Barnes
crowd to unload have been unavail
ing.
The affair is very complicated but il
now appears that T. ]. Johns, who in
partnership with j. b. Ritch or by
himself, has run the paper for two
years or MORE, claims to hold a lease
given him by Clarence Barnes, a
clause In the lease giving Johns an
option of purchase at any time.
Johns claims the lease has not ex
pired and when he offered the last
monthly rental a surprised when
Barnes would not accept II.
Barnes wants to get Johns out and
we understand, get Tom Stout and II
]. Kelly in, at least 1t is reported that
in the contingency that Johns Is GUST
ed, Messrs. Stout and Kelly will be
come sort of ~residuary legatees, al
the lawyers say.
Yesterday morning Barnes made
demand upon Johns for possession o.
the machinery and material, but me
with a stern refusal and immediatel,
following this move, Johns filed II
the district court a suit to compe
Barnes to stand by the provision o.
the lease and verbal agreements since
then made. For Johns, the firms Of
Huntoon, Worden & Smith and d.
Kalb & Ayers appear, while for the
Barnes clique Blackford & Blackfort
are interesting themselves in the
fight.
Behind il all Is some sort of a pc
litical deal. Johns has leaned toward
Heinze as against Clark, while j. P
Barnes has always been a Clark man
but whether this is at the bottom o.
the row cannot be learned. Some o.
the Democratic officeholders are tax
ing sides in the trouble, while other.
are %endeavoring to keep their balance
on a slack wire, but with Indifferent
success.
A temporary restraining order wa
issued by Judge Cheadle and hearinl
in the case set for SatuI day next. 81
for the present Johns holds the fort
To an Argus reporter Mr.. Johns
said yesterday that although thu
Barnes reformers may succeed IL
taking from him a poor lot of typ'
and a worse lot of machinery, he vii
still regularly issue the only true-blue
simon-pure, dyed-in-the-wool Demo
cratic paper in Fergus county, ant
don't you forget 1t.
Sic 'em, Tige.