The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-16

r.
? @. Lemke has got a kind o
monopoly on It? They can't break In
. A.. Yes, he got in on the groun
floor.
RecrossAexamination by Mr.. Lemke
q. You have stated that the own
ers Of The Courier-News-in you
previous testimony you stated, / be
lieye, IL was The Nonpartisan Pub
that you have not clearly distin
guished between the co-partnershil
forming It?
A. Wen, | haven't given much at.
tention to the matter. 1t has beer
more in your hands than 1t has ii
mine.
q. May / not ask you this ques.
ton, the way you look at 1t, Fox and
Wood are the same as The Nonpar-
tisan Publishing Co?
A. Yes, sir.
BY the referee:
/ @. Mr.. Townley, was the money
advanced by the Nonpartisan league
4 to take over The NoHpartisan Leader
and The Courier-News, or was this
money that was advanced by the
| owners of those papers now?
A. 1t is advanced by the publish
i ing company to take over The News
/ @. You don't understand my ques-
ton. am trying to find out UNI
| derstand the farmers own the Non
/ partisan league and have moneys in
| the league. 1 want to know whether
the leagues money bought these pa
pers?
| A. No. You see in the first place
/ The Leader was published on a con-
| tract. Fox and Wood began to pub
| lish The NOnpartisan Leader on a
contract. The company that published
The Leader was paid out of the sub
when The Courier-News was taken
over 1t was bought by money belong
ing to the publishing company, not
the Nonpartisan league.
@. Then The Courier-News and
The Nonpartisan Leader are owned
by the owners?
A, The owners of the publishing
company. /.
O. And not by the Nonpartisan
league?
Redirect examination by Mr.. Muir
ply:
.. Those funds originally came
from the farmers?
A. Yes, sir. like everything else.
@. And were used for the purpose
OF acquiring these papers under the
direction of yourself and aSEociatesg
a. The funds came from the sub
scription price.
Q. The So?
O. And that is the same fund that
went to buy The Courier-News?
A. les, SIT.
Recross-examinatio by Mr. Lemke.
q. Mr.. Townley, when The Leader
was first published what company
published it?
Equity Publishing Co.
Q. And when that contract was
made for the publishing that was
made by whom, the agreement?
A. Fox and Wood, / believe.
II II Ky s15,11 nA as
A witness by the trustee, was duly
sworn, and testified as follows:
Direct examination by Mr.. Murphy:
Q. You are the Ed +. Wood testt-
fed to here as the owner of the Non
partisan Publishing Co.?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. How old are you?
A. Twenty-seven.
Q. What was your business before
you became connected with this or
ganization?
O. own any farm lands yourself?
A. Yes, sir.
@. How muchT
"A. Half a section.
q. Where?
@. North of Minot?
A. Northeast of Minot.
Q. Still own that land?
"A. ] have an equity in IL, yes.
". w men was IL you pecaHns con
nected with The Nonpartisan Pub
A. In the fall of 1915.
@. Had you known Mr.. Fox for
some time before that?
A. ! had.
@. How long?
A. About, Oh, suppose six months.
q, You had met him through Mr..
A. No, sir.
Q. Where?
A. Met him in Minot.
Q. What was his business7
A. Organizer.
.. For the league?
"A. Yes, sir.
o. And your business was also or
A. Yes, sir, exactly.
Q. You didn't put any money or |
your own into this Nonpartisan Pub |
fishing Co. aside from dues in the |
Ieague-you didn't make any personal /
In it, did you?
A. II wasn't necessary.
@. Well. you didn't, necessary or \
not necessary
A. No, didn't.
Q. And neither did Fox, did he?
A. Not that ] know OF.
@. You fellows got together and /
said we will organize this company
Ind get SIS a head out of each one OF
.hese members for running this pa
A. We considered starting this pa
Der and running il in the interest of
he Nonpartisan league.
q. Who put the idea in your head?
A. don't know. ] get an idea
nee in a while.
q. Well. we all do, but sometimes
We learn from others-didn't you get
IN inspiration from some other
ource, or was 1t spontaneousP
A. We had talked about 1t consia-
O. with Mr.. Townley?
8. As matter OF fact the main
dea was that Of Mr.. Townley, wasn't
4. There had been a lot of people
q, wen, 1 am not speaking about
nybody else except Mr.. Townley-he
5 the man that made the suggestion
hat you form this organizations
8. Now you and Fox have had
to do directly with the man
cement, control and operation Of |
hat concern since it's organization
ave you2
A Not directly, no.
Q. You haven't been down there
D Fargo but very little Of the timer |
A have been there quiet little.
Q, Trayeiing around the state
'G 4. This last year / have been up
n my farm.
q. All of 1917
IA. Yes, sir.
q. Been on the farm7
A. Yes, sir.
q. And Mr.. Fox. where has he
sen2
al. Fox has been organizing for
ae league, I don't know where.
q. Travelling around2
IA. Yes, sir.
q. And this concern has been 60
r. on without the attention or direc-
on OF either one Of you department.
IA. Yes, sir.
O. And you don't know anything ,
bout its financial condition.
IA. In a general way. 2
@, You don't know much about IT. ?