Grand Forks daily herald and the evening times., 1914-08-11
EQUITY MANAGERS
were NOT LIKED
Interesting Testimony Re-
vealed at Hearing Of :.
Fargo Case.

Fargo, N. d., li-rIeu,
Schmidt, c~o-plaintiff in the case be-
fore Judge Pollock against the Equity
cooperative exchange, was the first
witness on the stand yesterday morn
ing, Under cross-examination he said
that he did not like the managers of
the exchange. and had advised farm
ers not to ship to them. He denied
emphatically that he was or ever had
been an employe Of the chamber Of
commerce, He testified that his at
torney had written him about the case
and he had told him to go ahead.
j. p: Dotson, MANAGER Of the Far
stand in relation to the distribution Of
h issue Of July "a. He testified that
on that date they had run 10000 cop
les, of which number 1000 had been
sold to the Minneapolis chamber of
commerce. He did not know If a
thousand copies had been distributed
at the fair grounds or not. If so; 1T
had been done by the solicitor who
was working subscriptions, and those
SO distributed were not paid for. No
copies had been marked in the office
so as to call attention to the article
on the Equity trial..
Many Points Brought Out.
In the course of the day several in
teresting things were testified to by
various witnesses. One of the direc-
tors of the exchange told Of going to
Minneapolis, where he offered TO- sell
grain to various flour companies, and
was told by the .Washburn-Crosby
company and the Pillsbury Milling
company that they would not buy
from the Equity Cooperative ex-
change because, it was against the
rules OF the Minneapolis chamber OF
commerce. The quality of the grain
was admitted to be all right, but the
representatives of the two milling
firms did not like the management OF
the Equity.
Many Ugly Charges.
Secretary McHugh of the chamber
of commerce had refused to- allow the
investigating committee from the
that. they could find but if grain had
been sold at i cent below the market
or not. He told the committee that
Lotus was a crook, the Equity a LOT
tus institution. and that they were be-,
ing robbed. When the committee ask
ed him to substantiate these charges
re refused to do so.
Much interest was created in the
court when the attorneys for the.
plaintiffs We're put on the stand and
asked as to their relations to the case.
o"o6e .L1iSSi VIA u liie iiiaeo!SoL
the case and the taking Of the de-
position of the cashier Of the Scan
dinavian bank in Minneapolis. which
showed that the Equity exchange had
owed $4,000, and. had just. paid $25,-
300 on this Indebtedness. When
questioned as to whom he had divulg-
ed this information. he said only to
Editor Adams Of the Cooperative
Manager and Farmer. He said that
his fees were only nominal. and that
they We're guaranteed by Mr.. Adams,
who had engaged him to represent
Fred Schmidt. He did not know who
had telegraphed the, news of the on
tents OF the deposition to the Fargo
papers. ~ a,t
stantially cofrect,@ah 5interview pub
lished in a Fargo paper with him in
regard to the case.1i He had called at
Secretary McHugh's Office in company
with his client, Greenfield. He had
ais discussed the case with John H.
Adams of the Cooperative Manager
and Farmer. Adams had guaranteed
been discussed with some men who
belonged to the chamber of com
merce. There is no member of the
chamber, so far as he knew, who is
connected with this action, either d.
rectly. or indirectly, said the witness.
Much interest was taken in certain.
phases Of Editor Adams testimony
He had written a history Of the Equity
Cooperative exchange. Normally his
circulation vas between five and eight
thousand, but there had been $50, 900
copies Of the number containing this
article circulated.