Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-07-30
DEMANDED
OF +. L. WATKINS
i(continued Fronn Page 4.

x iNSOitIiiiutu rTOn rage III
federal grand jury in Fargo this
morning and it was necessary that
they hurry to catch a train for Fargo
at once
Watkins Refuses to Comment.
When seen act the Great Northern
depotla few minutes later, Mr.. Wat
kins declined to make a statement.
I have no statement to make at
this time he said. II do not want
to say anything that will aggravate
the situation at present"
Mr.. Watkins. declared. however,
would be worse than what he already
had said. He intimated that he had
evidence to prove that the law was
being violated and that no cognizance
of 1t was being taken.
Mr.. Elton before making his address
had asked Dean Vernon p. squires,
Who was presiding. for permission to
speak and this was granted.
He said that he knew nothing Of
the impending raid and that he was
out of town when it occurred and did
not return until Saturday night. suns
day morning. he read Mr.. Watkins
statement in The Herald.
II read this morning a statement In
The Herald" said Mr.. Elton. I'm 1t
was criticism levelled at me. To say
that l was astounded is putting it
mildly. I could not understand what
Mr.. Watkins was referring to. OF
course, the local officials knew of the
East Grand Forks brewery. The East
Sid has been the source Of our great
est trouble in maintaining order. The
statement thai he had written to me
came as a great, surprise to me. I
have had from Mr.. Watkins no letter
regarding the cast Grand Forks
brewery or on any other question, ex-
cept on matters pertaining to the vio-
lation of the cigarette OF snuff laws. /
received from him a letter saying that
no other persons, outside of Mr.. Fin
wall and Mr. Watkins, was authorized
to represent the league. Later, I.se-
cured a circular from Mr.. Watkins,
which, l presume, was addressed to
all states attorneys, saying that the
league could provide operatives or de-
tectives for Investigating any law VIC
lations at any time"
Read Letters from Office Files.
Mr.. Elton in telling of correspond
ence that he had with Attorney Gen
eral LANCER regarding the enforce
ment Of laws and, specifically, regard
ing the East Grand Forks brewery,
quoted at length from these letters
and quoted from letters that he had
written Mr.. Langer's Office in which
he showed a willingness to cooperate
in handling the case and in which he
asked the cooperation of the attor-
ney generals office.
He told of how Mr.. LANCER had
written him in January, declaring that
his Office lac been informed that the
East Grand Forks brewery was dis
posing of practically all Of its beer in
North Dakota, much of it in Grand
Forks, and that draymen, taxicab'
drivers and others were buying the
beer and ~disposing Of it.
Mr.. Elton, in reply, had told of his
Investigations into this case and into
other cases, such as the illegal sale of
cigarettes. He told of the convictions
he had secured as a result.
Later,2 Mr.. Elton wrote the attor-
ney general, he said, telling him of
the East Grand Forks brewery situa-
ton and asking for an Interpretation
of the bootlegging law. H. A. Bron-
son., assistant attorney general, re-
piled to this, in which he told how
the law would operate and in which
he thought that 1t might not apply If
the principal himself went to the
brewery and took/the Deer from that
his home in Grand Forks.
Inasmuch as that was the source
Of most of the complaints, Mr.. Elton
said, it was impossible to take action,
as such a person could not be prose-