The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-02-01

safety, the sheriff, county attorney
auditor, and the chairman OF the
America First association, also met at
Lakefield with the officers of the viii
lage and number of loyal citizens
and concluded that such meeting
could not be held that If it were held
that 1t would result in great disturb
ance and riot. Feeling was ex-
ceedingly tense and had it not been
for the sheriff and his deputies vio-
lence would undoubtedly have oc-
Cured.
Mr.. Gilbert and his adherents were
called before the county officers and
a clear statement made of the Off
GERS position. 1t was pointed out
that the meetings which, had been
held in this county had been of a most
disloyal character. That represen-
tative of the league that worked in
this county for weeks and held a
number of public meetings during the
last Liberty loan drive, publicly stat
ed at his meetings that Great Britain
was bankrupt, that France was bank
rupt and that the United States would
soon also be bankrupt, and that it
would never be able to pay it's bonds
He further publicly stated that the
merchants of their market town were
robbing the farmers, and that the
merchants and professional men in
general, and the people that lived In
the towns were trying to fleece the
farmers. 1t was further pointed out
to Mr.. Gilbert that the league which
he represents works in the most dis
loyal districts of a county, and that
the disloya1 elements in each county
support the Non partisan league.
Mr.. Gilbert replied that the league
was not responsible for what one or
two of it's men had said, that they
could not control all of their speak
ers and that the league could not be
responsible or them all; that what
their representatives had said at
such meetings in Jackson county was
not the official position of the league.
Mr.. Gilbert further stated that they
would hold their meetings no matter
what the county officers thought about
it and that they would defy the au-
thorit-' Of the director of public safe
ty an6 the sheriff and other officers
of the county, He said he would be
glad to make test case out of It
and that they would not stop with the
highest court of the stateC but that
they would carry the case to the su-
preme court of the United States. He
said they had plenty of money to
spend on the case and that they
would carry it to the limit In short
he threw down the gauntlet to the
officers of Jackson county The Of
ficers replied once more ordering and
directing that such meeting should
not be held and asking all the men
present not to attend such meeting.
Gilbert thereupon withdrew and
went out and called together public
meeting at livery .barnyard belong
ing to one Peter SandkampJ the only
place in the entire village which he
could get for a meeting. Here Gill
bert started to speak by. ridiculing
and hurting defiance at the authori-
ties and officers of the county. A
crowd of men quickly gathered to
precipitate fight and drive the Nom
partisans out of the yard, but they
were quoted by the sheriff and told
not to make disturbance and that
he would arrest Gilbert and end the
disturbance. Sheriff Lee then ar
rested Gilbert charged with the crime
of unlawful assembly, and the crowd
in the feed yard and upon the street
was ordered by the sheriff to dispense.
Gilbert was then brought in GUS
tody before Justice q c.. H. Wendt
County Attorney e. H. Nicholas ap-
peared on behalf Of the state, and
Gilbert was not representedqby coun-
sci, although he said he was an at
torney and that he had been a law
yer in Philadelphia for many years
He asked for an adjournment until
February in which to prepare for
and trial He was grant
ed time and the trial set for Febru-
airy f.
Another meeting of the league has
been announced to be held at Jackson
tomorrow and this meeting has been
ordered stopped bv the sheriff and
the director of public safety. 1t is
probable that further. arrests will fol-
low n lob
Whatever the partisan league
may be in other parts of the state,
the officers of Jackson county are
thoroughly convinced that it has been
of a disloyal nature in this county,
and that it has been injurious to the
nation in the prosecution of the war
The Commercial club of the village
of Jackson at meeting held January
% adopted the following resolution:
Resolved, that owing to the Ma
tional crisis and the governments
trying position in managing the great
war, the Commercial club of Jackson
deems it the paramount duty of ev-
cry loyal American citizen to stand
by his government, and to help re-
strain any movement that might tend
to cause strife or dissension among
US. We, therefore, believe that the
Non partisan league which has been
barred in many places because of dis
loyal and seditious utterances, ought
not to be permitted to hold the meet
ing advertised for Thursday, February
"a, and we ask the sheriff of Jackson
county to forbid such meeting"
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