The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-10-03
MAKES
EFFORT TO SAVE
fRAz|[R'S FACE
Sends Out Incorrect Reports Of
Townley's Appropriation of
Band Concert
SIGNED STATEMENT OF
q DIRECTOR BACHMAN

: The leagues capital city press Ou-
reau in an effort to protect Governor
Frazier from the criticism which is
being heaped upon him for his parti
cipatiOn in Townley's deliberate ap
preparation Of the farewell concert ar
ranged for Bismarck friends by Di
rector Harold Bachman of the Second
regiment band is deliberately misrep'
resenting the facts, and some league
papers are carrying stories emjoOdy'
ing these Misrepresentation, which
might be called by much shorter
and uglier name.
The facts, as stated by Mr.. Bach
man, in a signed statement which he
furnished The Tribune are as fol-
lows:
"My original plans were to give a
farewell concert to the people of Bis
marck in the auditorium on Wednes-
day night, the Goth of September,
This was announced in The Bismarck
tribune, but on the day following |
found that the Auditorium was en-
gagged for that evening, and changed
the date to Friday night. After the
change was made, Attorney General
LANCER called me by telephone and
asked II the Second infantry band
would play for farewell address the
governor wished to give the boys OF
the two North Dakota regiments Fri
day night. | told him that we al
ready had concert scheduled for
that night.
II heard no more regarding any
speeches going to be made until late
Friday afternoon, when l was asked
to go into the Public Opinion office
(locai Townley headquarters) and ar
range the program so as to place the
talks Mr.. LANCER had provided.
~ wish to state that ! did not
arrange any part Of the speaking
program, nor ask anyone to speak
excepting Chaplain MarkIey, who
took up the collection for the
band. Naturally cooperated
when Mr.. LANCER made the re-
quest"
In the face of these facts, Townley's
hired hands deliberately stepped in
at the eleventh hour and used the
concert which had been arranged by
Director Bachman and advertised by
him solely as band concert, and to
which loyal Americans were permit
ted TO come anticipating a patriotic
concert by patriotic and popular
musical organization, and made of it
a league demonstration upon which
TOwnley and Frazier might hang
some doubtful shreds of patriotism.
The public never was taken into
the confidence of Townley's hired
hands except an eleventh hour league
announcement, and Bach
man was consulted only at the last
moment, after he had published his
program in the afternoon daily papers
and had advised The Tribune that he
knew nothing of any contemplated
speeches; but the meeting was care
fully press agented to outside publ
cations as league patriotic demon.
stration, and the band concert was
merely as an incident.
The Tribune repeats that it was
deliberate, contemplate piece of
trickery upon the part of hired hands
Of President Townley, frightened by
the rising tide of indignation against
Orders went out from
headquarters to pull something pa
triotic." The response of the local
agitators and. subsidized press was
to deceive the public by
purloining a meeting which had been
arranged and advertised by Director
Fachman as a concert, and to which
the public had been invited with no
intimation that they would be re-
quired to listen to Townley's bench
man, fresh from LaFollette's feast Of
sedition and pro-Germanism.
The Townley attorney general was
not asked to preside; 1t was never
a. any time his Meeting G0Yernor