The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-07-11
FAXED CHARGE
IS DISMISSED

TOwnley and Gilbert Are Ac-
quilted by the Unanimous De
cision of the Minnesota Su-
preme Court.
THE GANGSTERS ROUTED.
League Resolutions Held to be
Loyal - The Opposition is
Completely Discredited by the
Court.
The Minnesota anti-farmer
gang was utterly routed, it's at
tempt to destroy the Nonpar-
tisan League by securing the
conviction of President A. G.
Townley and Manager Joseph
Gilbert ANONYMOUSLY squelched,
and the dishonest and vicious
character of the political perse-
cutions exposed on July 5, when
the Supreme court of Minnesota
by unanimous decision threw out
of court the faxed up charges Of
disloyalty against President A.
C. Townley and Manager Gil
bert.
The case was the most import
ant brought against the League
by it's political enemies. It was
the supreme attempt to destroy
the League by showing that two
separate League resolutions con-
tanned matter opposing the war
and tending to discourage enlist
ments. The League itself was
placed on trial in the person Of
it's two principal officials. Had
these two men been found gull
ty, the political gangsters,
whose power has been threat
ened in Minnesota, believed that
they would have the League
completely outlawed and unable
to continue it's work.
The decision of the Supreme
court is notable. It effectively
disposes of all future attempts
to convict the League as whole
on trumped-up charged and it
shows how far prostituted poll
ticians and the sinister influence
es behind them will go to destroy
an opponent they dare not fight
openly, The decision put these
gangsters in a bad light. 1t
shows that they are capable OF
attempting to destroy a political
opponent by methods that will
not stand the test of a fair court
decision. In doing this it dis
credits the entire attempt of a
few politicians to monopoize all
/ the patriotism of the nation by
making false accusations against
others.
The case in brief is as fol-
lows: In March, 1918, A. R.:
Allen, an appointee of Governor
Burnquist as prosecuting attor-
ney of Martin county and one of
the most notorious enemies of
the League in Minnesota secured
the arrest of Mr.. Townley and
Mr.. Gilbert as representatives
of the Nonpartisan League ON
the charge that an official reso-
luton of the League passed in
June, 1917, known as the League
War Resolution, and another
resolution passed at the confer
ence of farmers and workers held
under the auspices of the League
in st. Paul in September, 1917,
contained matter opposing the
J war and tending to discourage
enlistments.
Following an illegal attempt to
kidnap Mr.. Gilbert in order to
keep him confined in the Jail in
Martin County, Attorney Allen
hailed these officials into the dis
trict court in Martin county.
The case was certified to the SUI
preme court of Minnesota. On
the day following independence
Day this body decided unani-
mously that these League reso-
lutions contained nothing oppos-
ing the war or tending to dis
courage enlistments.
Taking up the resolutions
separatively, the, decision deals
with the September resolution
first. It says that in giving the
causes of the war this resolution
accurately characterizes the
German-Austrian military ma
chine and its purposes and says
the resolution does not connect