The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-01-17
c. or. LEADERS
PLOT EXPOSED
Nonpartisan League Organizer Re-
lates the Modus Operandi of the
Minnesota Political Wire Pullers
in Approaching Him.
HE WRITES A CONFESSION"
A Corporation Lawyer and Lumber
! Baron Exceedingly Anxious to Con-
ceal the Source of the Money Used
Against League.

ceal the Source of the Money Used
Against League.
The officers Of the National Non
partisan League at st. Paul have re-
Gently made public a remarkable story
of the efforts of Minnesota politicians
to. gather material with which to at
tack the farmers organization and to
cause its downfall.
The plan involved persuading one
Of the state organizers Of the league
to reveal assumed secrets" Of the
organization and to cause him to des-
erta his present employers and furnish
ammunition with which the fight
against the league was to be carried
on, in return for which he was to be
remunerated and set up in business as
q practicing attorney.
The league organizer who was ap-
preached was w. E. Quigley, former
" Of Grand Forks, North Dakota,
but now in charge Of the Nonpartisan
League headquarters at Lincoln, Ne
braska. In giving out his story,
league headquarters asserted that
during all the period of several
months in which Quigley had been
meeting and negotiating with prom
inent Minnesota and North Dakota
politicians he had been in frequent
conference with President "A. G..
Townley and other officers Of the
league and from day to day had kept
them informed Of the progress of his
relations with the anti-league forces.
Leaders in Anti-League Plot.
According to Quigley's story, as
told at the league Offices, men who
were prominent in the plan to use
ainside information" against the
league were:
E. H. Carpenter, millionaire lum-
herman Of Minneapolis and high in
the councils Of the republican party
III Minnesota;
Rome G. Brown, attorney for wa
ter-power interests and other large
corporations and as a committee
member in the. American Bar associ-
alton a leading opponent Of progress
sive legislation.
Rudolph Lee Of Long Prairie, Min
nesota, country paper editor who is
one Of the few who have appeared
publicly as opponents of the league
and is the ostensible author of pamph-
lets attacking the league.
Ed Smith, former lieutent COVER
nor Of Minnesota and political boss.
j. D. Bacon, publisher Of news
paper at Grand Forks, N. D., who
has been an active opponent Of the
league in that state;
Tom Parker Junkin, an employe of
one Of Bacon's newspapers in North
Dakota;
Hunter, who in his confer
ences with Quigley is said to have
claimed to be an editorial writer on
q Minneapolis newspaper which has
devoted large space to fighting the
Nonpartisan league and other farm
ers' organizations.
One Of the interesting allegations
in. Quigley's story as told to league
headquarters is that the "America
First Association" Of Minnesota, os-
tensibly patriotic organization, was
in reality launched to fight the league
under guise Of patriotic effort. This
was revealed to him by Carpenter,
says Quigley. It was also made known
that there were large sums Of money
available for opposing the league, but
that it was desirable to divert the sus-
picion that this money was being fur
nished by large corporate interests.
League Statement.
Further details Of Quigley.s negoti-
tions with Carpenter and others are
contained in q statment issued from
the league Offices, which follows in
part:
ssQuigley worked as organizer for
the Nonpartisan league in North Da-
kota ia 1916. Later he worked in
Minnesota. IN June, 1917, he was or
ranizing for the Nonpartisan league
IA Nebraska. During October and No
vember, 1917, he received several mys-
terious telephone calls at the office
of the Nonpartisan league ct Lin
coin. Nebraska. The person calling
him proved to q local lawyer, who
desired to make an appointment with
him with q gentleman from Min
neapolis.'
aouigley reported the matter to
I League representatives at Lincoln.
I Nebraska, He was instructed to feel
( o,,t Ina man who had been teleph0n-