The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1918-04-24
PR0.HUN "0RAT0R'
TAKEN AT WILTON; !.
J, FEDERAL WARRANT
IIECkS DISL0Y

q Instead of a meeting nbounding
with sedition, and advocacy of trea-
son to the government at Wilton last
evening, there was an arrest of the
stool pigeon juvenile orator, Thur
Der. Lewis, under a federal warrant,
and what was proposed to be a
camouaaged educational" address
turned into a patriotic meeting dur
ing which speakers breathed : the
spirit Of loyalty to the nation and
urged cooperation in aiding the
government uphold the flag which
protects. the nation, Beltrami county
and its people.
Propaganda Terminates.
The arrest of the young man was
the elimination Of series Of six
such addresses staged in various To-
calities in this vicinity, sponsored
by Mrs. ]. F. Hayes of Liberty town.
ship, wife of County Commissioner
J. F. Hayes, Socialist. She admit
ted in an interview that she was re-
sponsible for the appearance of this
youthful carbon copy parrot in
translating verbally the seditous
teachings of Marx and the mouth
ings of radicals to whom law and
order is a stencil.
The boy has the appearance of
one who had "lost some of his but
tons' He wears an intellectual"
pair of heavy trimmed spectacles and
doesn't belle his environment" the
topic advertised for his talk, when
it was learned that his father was
a candidate for governor Of Mime
sofa on the socialist ticket in 1914.
Brought From St. Paul.
He was picked up in Minneapolis
by Mrs. Hayes who met him while
she was attending trials in which
the defendants were convicted and
sentenced to a federal penitentiary.
She said she had brought him to
Liberty township to make speeches,
and that she arranged his schedule.
It was near o'clock that about
IS members of the Home Guard, un-
der command of Captain Swinson,
trailed out of the city in autos. In
other cars were DR.. G. M. Palmer,
president of the Beltrami County
Public Safety commission; H. E.
Reynolds, chairman of the Beltramt
County Food commission; Secretary
f. B. Lamson of the Commercial club,
and few others who are interested
in stamping out sedition and un-
Americanism propaganda in south
ern Beltrami county.
Swinson Carries Warrant.
In a pocket, Captain Swinson car
| ried a federal warrant, for the arrest
of young Lewis. The meeting was
scheduled to be held in building
evidently used for public gatherings.
Upon arriving, the guard formed and
paraded the main street, returning
to the scene Of the meeting.
The speaker of the evening was In
the structure, when Captain Swinson
| walked up to him in the presence OF
several who had gathered around
him and brought forth the warrant
| charging interference with enlist
| ments. The boy started to expostu-
| late and was sided in with by Mrs
| Hayes but Swinson didn't argue nor
go into any details and turning to
J. P. Brandt, one Of the company
members, laconically remarked take
him." and the budding Socialist was
in the clutches Of a federal officer,
who took him in an automobile and
lodged him in the city jail.
CAPTAIN Issues Warning.
| Before the meeting, Captain Swim
SON, in front of the building, address
| ed a crowd, informing them that
henceforth there would be no more
,anti-government talk nor propaganda
| in Wilton and he wanted 1t thor
loughly understood then and now, and
that the first peep there would be
| arrests and the matter pushed.
The meeting was then turned into
an impromptu loyalty gathering at
| which several prominent citizens Of
| the village were present. Mr.. Reyn--
| olds gave a talk on food conservation
and what it meant to the success OF
the war and urged the cooperation
of Wilton in the work of the gov
| ernment.
Lamson's Fine Talk.
Mr.. Lamson gave splendid talk,
brief and to the point. He said he
| appeared before them not in any po-
litical sense whatever, not as Re-
publican, Democrat, Socialist nor
Nonpartisan Lacquer, but as an Am
erican citizen, loyal to his country
and to Beltrami county. He made
strong plea for all to cooperate
with the government in the war and
to lay aside all personal and faction
| al differences until after the great
conflict was settled when all differ
| ences would be taken up. His re-
| marks were frequently punctured
with applause.
DR.. Palmer Shoes Straight.
DR.. Palmer also r:ade few re-
| marks IN which nc shot straight
from the shoulder. l,c told the audi
ence that the first report of sedi-
ton and anti-governnoent propaganda
came to him from Wilton. He as
serted the second report of sedition
came from Wilton ami that since he
had held his office he had received
| frequent reports to the same erect,