The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1917-07-11
Meade and Douglass Demand That
President White Either Retract or
Substantiate Charges

The storm that broke out in the
Federal Farm Loan Bank last week
and which eliminated in the resigna-
ton of Directors Douglas, Meade and
| Thomas, is now followed by a lull
pending the arrival of an official
from the National Farm Loan Bureau
at Washington, ID. C., who will make
thorough investigation of the con-
troversy and presumably upon the
truth or falsity of the charges and
counter charges that have been thun-
derbolted between the majority of
the board and the President.
Following the resignation of DR..
Elwood Meade and r. L. Douglass
from the Board last week and the
wiring of the resignation of DR..
Thomas of Utah, which was held up
at the request of the National Bureau
there has been no meeting of the di-
rectors of the Berkeley bank, all re-
fusing to sit in consultation with
President White.
r. l.. Douglass wired his version
of the affair to National headquarters
and in reply received the following
telegram last Friday: Thanks for
your telegram. Deeply regret con-
troversy and publicity which it has
attained. We do not shrink from in
vestigation and will make same at
earliest possible moment Am sure
you are all big enough, if you cool
off and get down to business to make
this unnecessary. LOBDELL.
Inasmuch as the row has passed
from the stage of mere disagreement
in a matter of policy to one of re
elimination and open charges of
fraud, and collusion made by Presi-
dent White against two of the di-
Meade-it would seem that the ex-
tent of the breach and the utter flu
tility of bridging it is not yet fully
appreciated at the National head
quarters.
President White has publicly
charged that r. L. Douglass, aided
and abetted by DR.. Elwood Meade, is
endeayoring to secure loans on lands
sold by him to settlers, at an ap-
praisement nearly double their act
ual value, in order that he may col
lect from his debtors. He specifical-
ly states that about 5000 acres of
these lands belonging to Douglass
are involved In the conspiracy to de-
fraud the Bank and the Government
| by false appraisement As part of
/ the scheme he cites the efforts of
Douglass to have j. w. Sitton ap-
pointed to appraise the lands. which
he says was thwarted by his refusal
10 sanction the appointment. He
further states that on his own voli-
tion he selected a couple of gentle
men from San Francisco to proceed to
Fallon and appraise these lands that
Douglass claims were worth 1925 to
valuation of s65 per acre.
President White goes on to allege
that Dr. Meade made a visit to Fallon
recently to meet Douglass and at
which meeting the details Of the
fraudulent land deal were settled
upon To all of these allegations
Douglass and Meade have entered a
categorical denial. To all of the
efforts of President White to bring
about a reconciliation by a with
drawal of the charges. they have
turned a deaf ear Said Dr. Meade:
President Whites idea was to frame
a retraction satisfactory to everyone
and give it out. Our position is that
having made these accusations, it is
Mr.. Whites place to formulate his
own retraction; failing this, to sus-
tain his charges
Whatever may be the merits of the
case aside from the absurd charges
made by President White against his
CoiiSdSuSSi lhSg Cau Ohly uc SSllltu
by an official investigation. As to the
graft charges themselves, they will
not be taken seriously by anyone who
knows the two gentlemen in ques-
tion. There can be no crime in Mr.,
Douglass endeavoring to secure an
equitable valuation of the lands of
this district, upon which are based
the promised loans and the only
question involved would be the
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