The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-14
|STATE LOSES THIRD TINE
IN EFFORT TO MOVE HALL
CASE To ANOTHER COUNTY
Judge A. Coy of Jamestown Rules Defendants Rights
Arbitrarily Aside Demand Of Prosecution for Change
of Venue $500.
POLITICS DUE FOR SWAT WHENEVER 80
1T RAISES ITS HEAD IN PROCESS
Calls Attorney General for Alleged Effort Make
Political Capital of Argum ntsDefense Demands North
Dakota to Prove its Charges.

jury having been planned as Hall
whitewashing committee. -
What he seemed to regard an effort
on the part of the state to inject poll.
tics into the Hall trial was severely
scored this morning after another en-
tire forenoon had been occupied in ar.
guments on the states motion for q
change of venue.
The state had introduced affidavits
signed by Isham Hall and others who
were familiar with the petitions call
ing for grand jury and who swore
that Attorney General Langer's fail
ure to act on the alleged frauds for
whose investigation a grand jury had
sought, and his activity, on the other
hand, in the Hall case, had Occasioned
unfavorable comment throughout the
county, and that there was adverse
feeling because Hall had been prose-
cuted and the parties responsible for
! alleged fraud in Bismarck had not
This is all immaterial to. this case,"
said Judge Coffey 1.-The thing this
court is interested in Is whether q
feeling exists for or against Mr.. Hall,
and nothing has been introduced to
show that 1t does. .....: -
Your argument" in response to As.
sistant Attorney General Brennan,
seems to be that 1t would DO to the
advantage of the state for the court
to appoint some other prosecutor In
this case and to relieve the attorney
general OF further responsibility.
Il think all of this is entirely imma.
terial l do not feel that the merits
OF the prosecution should be grounded
on any feeling toward the attorney
generals Office do not believe such
feeling exists anywhere against any
official who is honestly and fearlessly
doing his duty. -n"' &.
II wish this political argument
might cease. If any political monster
rises his head in this case l shal!
smita y. whenever and wherever 1t
appears" 49, .+-~ ,..,-.
The court could not be convinced
that the attorney general had made
himself so unpopular in Bismarck and
Burleigh county as the attorney gen.
erals assistants seemed to believe
and to wish the court and jury to be.
lieve. Judge Coffey granted Assist.
ant Attorney General Brennan's re.
quest that permission be allowed to
present affidavits on behalf OF Attor.
ney General LANCER in response to
affidavits introduced by the defense
tending to indicate that the attorney
general had declined to act In case
which some Bismarck people believed
should be prosecuted. RI
Before we get through with this"
said Mr.. Brennan, I'VE will also bring
out the exact truth as to these charg-
es of fraud in Bismarck city cleo.
TONS s..,.
Nearly all of the discussion and all
of the affidavits brought into the case
do not affect the issue," said Judge
Coffey. 1.-THE one important point
has been raised by Mr.. Bronson, that
Of whether it may not be impossible
to get jury which has not formed an
opinion as to the guilt or innocence
of the defendant. And that question,
as to the guilt or innocence Of the
defendant, has not been discussed.
The state should be, and trust 1t Is,
just as much interested in giving this
defendant fair trial as 1t is in prose.
cutting him. That is the highest duty
of the state, to insure simple justice
to ALL"
Thorp Attacks LANCER.
81 brand Mr.. Langer a coward, IL no
| doesn't bring this case to trial. thun-
dered Thorp of the defense, in closing
an argument against further delays
and "petty-fogging" on the part of tho
state. IF the attorney general wants
to know where this money went, all
he has to do is to try this lawsuit. He
has an opportunity to take on his
lap the sneaking, cringing cur who got
this money. Does he want to drag
this case along until the June primar-
les of 1918, when Mr.. Hall and Mr..
LANCER have political ambitions to be
| satisfied. The state is embezzling
time and it is embezzling the reputa-
ton Of the defendant, who until this
charge was brought against him was
the strongest political figure in North
Dakota.
Demands Investigation.
"The defense now demands the pro.
duction in this court Of the affidavits
which Mr.. LANCER has in his posses
sion of fraud in the paving contract
and in the city election in this city.
He has charged two criminal delin.
quencies in open court. Again in con.
nection with this motion we desire
that the attorney general be COM
PEELED to do his full duty in connec-
tion with charges that money has
been used in this case. The defense
is making no distinction between Tom
Hall as an embezzler and Tom Hall
as a brioer. We demand that this pet
tifogging cease and that Tom Hall be
put on trial. We demand that the At
torney general cease his campaign OF
publicity through the newspapers OF
the state. We insist that he not be
allowed to carry out his evident de.
/ -- f0o~<iovnd m Da~A NOhfN