The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-05-23
MANAGER OF CONSUMERS
STORES UNDER ARREST
J. w. Brinton, Well Known Non-par-
tisan Leader, Held to Federal
Court Under $1,000, Charged
With Interfering With Sue
cess of the War.

J. w. Brinton, general manager of
the Consumers United Stores Co..
was arrested in Fargo Saturday on a
federal warrant charging that he
made remarks in an address at Gar
rison, N. D., on April with intent
to interfere with the operation and
success of the military and naval
forces of the United States"
Preliminary hearing was held be-
fore U. S. Commissioner John G..
Pfeffer where the defendant waived
examination, furnishing bail for 49,
600 for his appearance in the Federal
court.
The Complaint.
The complaint upon which the war
rant was based was made by Melvin
A. Hildreth, United States district at
torney, and contains in part the fol-
lowing words: .
"That at Garrison, in the county of
Mclean, in the state and district OF
North Dakota, and within the juris-
diction of this court, one J. W. Brin-
ton did commit the crime of violating
the act of congress passed and ap.-
proved on June Is, 1917, committed
in the following manner, to-Wlt:
"That heretofore, and on or about
the fourth day of April, 1918, at Gar
rison J. w. Brinton did
make statements with intent to inter-
fere with the operation and success of
the military and naval forces Of the
United States and promote the sue
cess Of its enemies * by falsely
stating that one steel company made
20 million in one year before the war
started and when the war started they
raised the price Of steel from $29 per
ton to 1872 per ton, or an advance
profit Of $63 per ton and made 27O
million dollars the next year. Where
did it go? Robbing corporations max
ing millions make it hard to raise
wheat. Gasoline has gone up, tWlne
and shoes. We claim that these or
CARNATIONS are pro-German. We have
to take the money out of children's
savings accounts to buy war savings
stamps to pay for big prices the gov
eminent pays for steel. The reason
why we buy Liberty bonds is because
the government pays all the money
for excessive profits to the DUPONT
Powder company, and other corpora
tions. The DUPONT Powder company
made ~ million IN one year.
BrintOn's Statement.
II have been misquoted and my
statements CARRIED. The complaint
against me comes from, Garrison
where very bitter fight is being made
on the Consumers United Stores Co..
1T comes from some person or per-
sons who do not approve Of my criti-
cism of the steel trust, the OIL trust
and the powder companies-if they
are sincere in their complaint. 1t does
not come from any loyal citizen or
citizens who are standing behind the
president, the national and the state
government. l stand on every utter
ance l have made regarding the prof
iteers and their interference with the
speedy winning Of the war-by charg-
ine exhorbitant prices for the things
the government and the farmers need:
Nv utterances are we'll known as l
have spoken on the platform during
the past six months at Kenmare, MI
not, Crosby, Devils Lake, Parshall,
Turtle Lake, Hurdsfeld, Fessenden,
Darlington, Jamestown, Dawson, Pet
tibone Wing, LaMoure, Kuhn, New
Rockford, Cooperstown, Aneta, Wat.
ford City, Alexander, Garrison and
in the Auditorium in Fargo. At all
of these places gave the same ad,
dress and at all of these points my
audiences were in entire accord with