The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-04-19
Judge MCGEE Goes After w.
W.Liggett Of Nonparty
TURNS LOOSE HIS WRATH
He Puts Publicity Man For
ToWnley's Organization In
AnaniaS Club
From SATURDAYS Daily.

From Saturdays Daily.
This is the story of how Judge
]. F. MCGEE grilled an official of the
Nonpartisan league.
st. Cloud Journal Press: The Non
partisan league speaker 0ished ou
a hot roast to Judge Niece Of Mimi
eapolis, who is uhe federal fuel adj
ministrator of Minnesota. 1t was
largely through his efforts thai
Minnesota was one of the few states
well provided with coal during the
winter. The whole state owes him
vote of thanks, but because he is
full blooded, 100 per cent American
with his two sons and only daughter
serving the government, he is the
target of the Nonpartisan slackers
Letters From League
st. Paul, March &c, 191S.-Editol
Journal Press: In your issue OF
March Fl, you say, "The Nonparti-
san league dished out hot roast to
Judge MCGEE of Minneapolis, who is
federal fuel administrator in Mimi
esota'
This statement contains an insin
uation that the league is fighting
Judge Niece for his conduct as coal
administrator. Nothing could be
farther from the truth. The league
because of his statement to Magnus
Johnson, "If / had club | would
beat your brains out"
Mr.. Johnson is a member of the
Minnesota legislature and member
of the Nonpartisan league. In his
capacity as a private citizen he went
before the governor and the public
safety commission with other farm
ers making demand for the right
of free speech and free assemblage
in Minnesota. 1t was during this
hearing that Judge MCGEE lost his
temper and told what he would do
if he had had a club. For this reason
Judge McGee has been denounced
by the Nonpartisan league and not
on his record as fuel administrator.
When the farmers went before the
governor and the safety commission
they were clearly within their rights
in petitioning the public authorities
for redress of a grievance. The judge
was not within his rights when he
assails citizen because he is annoy
ed at the nature of the petition
presented.
League speakers at banquet OF
farmers and working men had also
assailed Judge MCGEE for his failure
to work in good faith with the
presidents mediation committee for
the settlement of the street car
strike. The league has seen fit to
criticise number of the official
acis of Judge MCGEE but has no word
of criticism for his acts as coal adj
ministrator
We would appreciate it greatly if
you would set the league right in
this matter by printing this letter,
Very truly, National Nonpartisan
league, w. w. Liggett.
The GriIling BY MCGEE
st. Paul, April 1, 191S.-Journal-
Press, st. Cloud, Mimi: l have a
letter of the Goth ult, from the So
called National Nonpartisan league
(by w. w. Liggett) to your paper
with your note at the bottom asking.
"How about this?" The facts are as
follows:
About month ago Magnus John .
son presented the Infamous resolu-
lions adopted by the reasonable
Nonpartisan league at it's so-called
Ryan Hotel banquet, celebrating the
escape of some of it's members from
the penitentiary. The resolutions
assailed the integrity of the member
of the public safety commission, and
denounced me as dishonest, and a
tool of prifiteers, winding up with
the demand for my removal from the
Public Safety commission.
happened to enter the room
after the performance was over, and
it was called to my attention. said
to Johnson that l ought to take Il
club and use it on his head, or on
the head of any man who would
make such scurrilous charges with
out a practicle of foundation. The
language used in Liggett's letter
about beating out Johnson's brains"
of course, was not used.
A few days later we called Liggett
before the commission and examined
him. He was told that he had ques-
toned the integrity of every member
of the commission and was asked if
ne ndU any reason 10 UolleN0 any
member of the commission was dis
honest. He said: "Yes. have
reason to believe that Judge McGee
is dishonest" He was asked what
the evidence was on which he based
that conclusion. He said that he was
informed by the assistant city editor
of the Minneapolis Journal, Ray
Marshall, that l had gotten order
Number One of the commission, put .
ting out of business all the saloons
in the Gateway district, through the
commission for the purpose of rend-
ering the real property in that dis
trict valueless, SO that | could pur-
chase it for song; and that | then
had my law partner form a corpora
ton, and that corporation bought up
at song 100000 worth of property
in that district. asked him the name
of the corporation, and he couldn't
give it. asked him if he had de-
scription of the property, or any of
it, that was alleged to have been
purchased by this corporation. He
said. no. asked him If he had ex-
amined the records of Hennepin
county, to see if any property, in
fact, had been transferred to any
body. In other words, whether there
had been any sales in that district