The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-01-30

Continued from page one.)
to accommodate him if Mr.. Townley
cares to press the matter further.
Mr.. Divet's letter to Mr.. Townley
follows:
Jan. 20, 1917.
IS Mr.. A. G. TOwnley. Bismarck, N. ID.
| Dear Sir:-Your letter of the 2Sth
inst, addressed to me through the
press of the state, without the
courtesy of communicating the same
| to me direct, comes to my attention
upon returning from home this morn
| ing. / might under these circumstances
well ignore the whole matter, as such
an exhibition of i'll manners and lack
| of breeding as to mako 1t beneath
notice. l have concluded. however, to
/ take cognizance of it.
/ am first impressed by the fact that
under a large head line announcing q
! challenge to meet you in debate, there
is in fact declaration that some UNI
known representative Of yours will
meet me in debate. Who or what such
representative may be is left entirely
to conjecture.
think, Mr.. Townley you are taking
yourself seriously. The fact that q
public repi sentative sees fit to confer
with some of the citizens of the state
about a matter of public interest is
hardly sufficient to warrant the as
sumption that he is at your beck and
call to the neglect of his public duty.
/ have no inclination to do anything
to make you famous. or dignity the
position of yourself or any of your
Representatives.
l am at present engaged in the per-
Torrance of my official duties, and it
would hardly seem an opportune time,
when the wolves are gathered at the
door of the fold, for the shepherd to
go wandering into the wilderness in
pursuit of some particular whelp that
may be selected as lure.
am heartily of the belief that
full understanding of the iniquitous
provisions of H. B. No. A is desirable,
and that one appropriate method of
bringing about such understanding is
the dissemination of information from
the public platform. My field of
activity, however, Is for the present in
the legislative halls. Should the
catastrophe of the passage of this
measure overtak0 the state / have no
doubt / will in due time be found on
the platform advocating it's defeat by
the people at the polls, and while I
am constitutionally opposed to dis
orderly wrangles such as are common-
" injected by you and your repre-
sentatives" into public meetings, L
might, then, even enter into debate
with some reputable man of standing
and character in the state. 1t is
obvious, however, l could not, even
then, consent to loan to you my
reputation and mountaineering over
the state to gather an audience for
any Of your many soap box agitators.
II you are seeking to have informa-
ton disseminated in Fargo. and are
not seeking petty controversy with me.
personally, / am assured that there are
many men in that city, not engaged
with any official duties, who will be
glad to lay aside their private affairs
and enter upon some orderly line of
discussion of the dangers hidden in
this dark cloud of socialism, unlimited
debt, and debauchery of the public
school, that at the present hangs over
the horizon. But, obviously, it would
be necessary that you make known rs
the interested people of that city Gas
YOU have not made known to mel who
1t was sought to inject into their
midst for the occasion. The man
would, obviously, have to be such
one that his participation would in
sure that the great questions would be
dealt with, with dignity betting
their Importance; he would have to be
sucn tnaC selr-respecting citizen
would not find himself Inundated BY
discussion with, any anarchist, dis
credited socialist. or J. w. w work
err, with which you are so richly
endowed, seeking only an occasion Ia
rant about his own particular grew
ances against God and society. Shnlld
you have a representative" meetinr
the requirements Of character and
responsibility suggested as NECESSARY
! VIII be pleased to use my good ONCE
to bring about such discussion in
Fargo. remain very truly yours.
"A. G. Divet