Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-03
CRONNA TRIES
TOOUST KELLY
AS CHAIRMAN
Eleventh Hour Loyalty Con-
version Of Senator Not Ac-
cepted in Nelson Co.

Michigan. N. D.. Aug; 2.-The
County CONSUL Of Defense held q.
meeting at Lakota Thursday even
ing, which. developed something
more than ordinary In that 1t showed
the ~out-croppings of the old political
fight in Nelson county between the
Senator. Gronna and the Erich and
Kelly factions.
George d. Kelly has been appoint
ed by the State Counsel of Defense
as Chairman OF Nelson county and
seemingly had handled the job in q
very efficient nda patriotic way. He
had appointed persons as city. town.
or precinct chairmen, men who were
We rywell liked and very capable Of
Bpective localities. Senator Gronna,
who u nov on a vacation at homo.
and who is very well. known to. the
people Of North Dakota as one Of
those senators. who assisted Senator
LaFollette. in the obstruction Of the
Presidents war measures and who
hnce then as editor and proprietor
+ the American at Lakota, has pub
nshed numerous speeches opposing
Liberty Loan and generally promul-
rating doctrines antagonistic 20 mat
eers now believed to be to the best
interests, was very prominent in the
meeting. The senator posed as q
patriot by saying that he had now
two sons in the army and was all
tor winning the war, and he thought
that immediate and necessary meas
chairman Of the Consul Of Defense,
claiming in a speech which he made,
which showed him very deficient in
English and very much to using inn
FASHIONED expressions, that Mr.. Kelly
vas not a person who could be trust
I'd. The meeting gathered the idea
from the snator's talk that he was
.tactional differences. After the SEN
ltor had taken his seat, his attention
was called to the fact that when the
arst contingent Of troops left Lakota
q little over a year ago, that while
he was in the city, he failed to be at
the depot to sc thin off, but at that
time. his newspaper vas promulgat-
Ing anti-Amer1can doctrines; in other
words on the whole the, senator was
eleventh hour conversation was most
apparent to all those who heard him.
During the meeting Mr.. Kelly
called attention to the fact that the
local board, which is a creation of
the senator, had been used fr pitt
ical purposes, that men who belonged
and had been registered in in class
,LaEee, upon suggestion from the sen"
>ator or his henchmen, had been ad-
vanced to class n and that in at
least two instances, advance had
been made on the same day certain
afidavits~ had been filed and that the
men had been required to at once
entrain for the front. While all these
matters were approved satisfactory
to the gathering. 1t was concluded
upon vote taken by Mr. Box, that the
present organization should stand al
least temporarily.
The men Of the~city, including
Mayor Murphy. w. G. Hagler. Mr.,
Ferris, Mr.. Jorgenson, Ed. Hughes
Mr.. Harter, s. st. John and zothel
leading citizens Of Lakota, are heart
lily in accord with the. suggestion OF
leaving Mr. Kelly in charge. This
also meets the approval Of the lead
ing citizens Of the county who were
present at the meeting.
Senator Gronna is no more popu-
lar now in Nelson county than he is
in the rest Of the state, in fact his
exhibition Of himself in bringing
petty politics into the meeting, has
probably lost him friends.