The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1919-12-19
American Legion
Takes Action

f5lSlndIck, N. ~ OcC. III uc oLOiIlA-
ing of the state capitol building by
235 soldiers. members of the American
Legion of the Bismarck Post, is one
bit of history that will not be written
in the annals of North Dakota, largely
because the special session of the
Frazier Legislature CHANGED to decide
to adjourn at o'clock Thursday Dec.
18th.
However. in the action Of the Bis
marck Legion, is criterion Of the at
titude of the Legion men all over the
state. The Legion met at o'clock
Thursday evening, passed resolutions
demanding the resignation of George
A. Totten from the board Of admins
tration; G.. E. Stangaland as librarian,
Nine. Signe Lund and N. c. Mcdonald.
Some one mentioned the so-called
Red Flag Bill"
\ motion was made and unanimous
ly carried that the members present
approximately 235 Of them, march in a
body to the state capitol and demand
the passage of the law which would
make the flying of the red flag on
anarchy. or the black flag of revolu-
ton illegal. But they were late.
Representatives Ness and Peterson
who fathered the bill at the regular
session in January and again put it be-
fore the house, had demanded that the
bill be brought out of committee. This
started an argument and several of the
Non-Partisan Lacquer majority de-
clared they had never seen such flags
in North Dakota therefore did not
think such a law was reasOnble.
A hot debate ensued just before ad-
journment but the league majority
stuck solidly and voted against bring
ing the bill out Of committee--voted
to allow the bill to die there-voted,
according to legion men by refusing to
pass the law, as though they had en-
dorsed the flying of the red flag of
Anarchisln and Bolshevicm.
One member of the house was ap-
preached by a Legionaire who suggest
ed that such would be the inference
of the soldiers II can take you to
Legion members right here who do not
think So"
Ben Okert the sergeant at arms IN
the senate was suggested.
Okert was one of the first of the 21
soldiers in Bismarck to "fall' for the
argument of Lester Barlow, the dis
gruntled aviation department inventor
state organizer for the Worlds War
Veterans who accused the Legion be-
fore joint meeting of house and SEN
ate of being controlled by officers and
Wall Street. His record is decidedly
interesting. For the war records show
the answer on his questionable card
conscientious Objector' to the query
| do you claim exemption from the
draft?"
Sergeant-at-arms in the senate, high
in the favor Of the leaguers, nominat-
| ed for the job by Senator Fraser of
Mclean county, according to investi-
eating committee of the Bismarck
| Legion he delivered an extemporan-
eous lecture in the lobby of the Nc
| Kenzie hotel following the Worlds
War Veteran organizers talk to the
effect that 1.-THE United Sites should
never have sent soldiers to France" "
Okert's home is at Garrison, he is
Rumanian descent. and when finally
inducted into the service spent all his
| Ctl L1y li1c ttl \'St1lp SuoCCl LII 1S1lSAl6olA,
U. S. A.
That conscientious. objector should
be given a job by the state legislature
! does not set we'll with the Legion men
who did not learn Okert's record until
practically the close of the session.
Following the vote of the soldiers
the members prepared to~start for the
capitol to express their views to the
| legislature but phone call stopped
| them--the legislature had djourned.
The Bismarck Post is the first to
take action by passing resolutions &C.
,nanding change in affairs. The re.
solutions addressed to the governor
were in protest against the introduc.
tion of the Red Flag, free love, Bolshe-
vik, Anarchistic and kindred literature
into the public library and placing
blame on Totten as much as Stanga.
land. demanding their designations as
we'll as the resignation of Nine. Signe
Lund from the Mayville Normal