The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-06-02
BRANDS
STORIES
DELIBERATE LIE
Attorney General Denies Having
| Had Conversation With
Alleged Detective r.
II ------ --
FLY, COP WAS CONVERTED
Admits That ''Townley Got Him.
| Makes Four Column A.
fidavit for Boss
FLY, COP WAS CONVERTED

Attorney General LANCER today
characterized as deliberate false.
hood story which the C0urier-News
ran with seven column front page
streamer purporting to be the affi-
davit Of one X. A. Moore, representing
a private detective agency, who under
oath declares he talked with LANCER,
who talked openly in favor of the
!. V. A. and against the league and
was very petulent because the support.
.ers Of the opp0sition had failed to
raise sufficient funds to fight the
afrmers and the new laws 3i.N
Attorney General LANCER declares
he never had such a conference with
Mr.. Moore nor with anyone else; that
he never discussed the league nor the
l. v. A. nor any other political. mat.
ter with any person representing him.
self to be a private detective in the
employ ofiany Organization opposed to
the league. Hill n 5..Y y.Aat{ inr0
Cannot Understand.
The attorney general stated he could
not understand what the Courier News
hoped to accomplish by such tactics.
Mr.. LANCER has given repeated evil
denca that he is> the most jealous
guardian of farmers rights that the
farmers of North Dakota have ever
elected to office; he has never uttered
a word of criticism of the league, and
he has consistently resisted the ef.
forts of A. c. Townley and other mem
bers of the faction now in control of
that organization to read the attor-
ney general out of 1t or to ALLEVIATE his
support for the league.
j, No one in North Dakota seems to
know anything about, man named
Moore. There may be private de-
tective agency which has had such a
man in it's employ. Private detec\
tiyes usually are employed .oy jealous
husbands to watch erring wives, Or
vice versa, or. in similarly ennobling
work. Mr., Moore, says the Couriac
News, was a private detective until
"Townley's Speech was what got me,
quoting Mr.. Moore's own words.
Tine Charge Against t-ansev. .
TIE basis OF the SeVen-cCtumn
tscreamer, IN the queen vi TG2SilleyS
kept press narem is the following sec
tion Of an affidavit covering some four
columns:
~ returned to Bismarck on April
8, and the following day, Saturday,
il called on LANCER at the state capi.
tol. l introduced myself, and LANCER
seemed pleased Ito meet me. ~ It
seemed, however, from Langer's CON
versation that few days after 1 had
talked with Paulsoh, LANCER had met
Nelson of the l. V. A. in Fargo.
LANCER told me that he was watched
and bounded all the time, and said
that he could do nothing openly just
then. He said it was dangerous for
him to try anything at this time, but
declared that he was glad that was
on the ground, and said that he ex.
pected to, have something soon that
l could do.
"Langer asked me about the meth
ods that were being used to overcome
the league in Nebraska, and just
what was being done at that time.
told him they were awaiting develop
ments in North Dakota. In reply to
that, LANCER told me, vas Paulson had
done, that the future prospects of the
league in Nebraska; depende ~ upon
the. outcome hof, the referendum in
North Dakota. \ $#$= Il sss9
"'Why don't those fellows come in
with funds to help. us out !? LANCER
demanded so far the b3rden has
been entirely ON the men in North
Dakota, and the campaign has been
very costly so fat, but we haven't
begun to spend in comparison to
what is coming
"I told LANCER it probably would be
possible to induce Nebraska business
men to contribute something toward
financing the campaign in North Da-
kota. Inger thereupon intimated to
me that he was the proper person to
handle the funds for the fight, and
that he would be glad to hear from
Nebraska men who were interested
whafhe$ in nerSOn or nv letter."