The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-06-24
PACKARD SHOWS
UP LEAGUE PLAN
OF J0U RN ALISM
Secures Affidavit From Hughes
That ''Loan" Story Was Alb.
sOlute FalsehOOd
WITNESSES TO TALK FEST

WI lNESOLS ~ xAAh + COl
AS evidence Of the kind Of cam
paign being waged by Townley and
his socialistic advisers, offer the fol-
lowing:
The North Dakota Leader in their
last issue published the following ar
ticle:
The Story.
Frank Packard, member Of the
state tax commission, approached Ed
Hughes, the Bismarck Electric Light
magnate, and an avowed enemy Of
the league during the winter. This
was BEFORE Packard deserted the
league. & ....
HE wanted to borrow $500 from
Mr.. Hughes. Mr.. Hughes expressed
surprise that Packard should come to
him, and remarked that the two were
not trotting in the same crowd.
Packard admitted the fact, but
stated, You know am member Of
the state tax commission
"Mr. Hughes thot Of his big inter
ests and al once made the loan to
Mr.. Packard, Mr.. Hughes also says
he figures he received very good re-
turns on the loan. n.a~- 49,,
"Mr. Hughes tells of the incident
himself. Mr.. Packard has not told
the story, so far as the Leader has
learned. =
mr. Packard is not Attorney Gen.
eral Langer's assistant, and with good
training as loan negOtiatOr, there
should always be little pin money in
sight
The above article was called to
the attention of E. A. Hughes (des-
ignated in the article as ed Hughes)
and he made the following statement
which was corrOberated by two per-
sons who heard the conversations:
The Truth.
bismarck, N. d., June %, 1919.
"Mr. F. E. Packard,
Bismarck, N. D.
Dear Sir:
Regarding an interview appearing in
Non-Partisan paper with reference
to your securing money from me for
taxation purposes. This interview IS
absolutely false.
A newspaper reporter representing
labor paper published at Grand
Forks called on me a few days ago
and stated l could give him good
story with reference to Mr.. Packard.
informed him had lawsuit with
Mr. Packard of the Tax Commission
over our books and l won the case,
further than that | knew nothing
about Mr.. Packard except what Gov.
ernor Frazier told me year ago and
that was that Mr. Packard was a
most capable and efficient officer in
this state and probably the most eft.
ficient tax commissioner in the Unit
ed States. He replied you ought to
talk to Governor Frazier now" and
left the office.
.. yours very truly,
E. A. HUGHES"
The Evidence.
1--WE, the undersigned, were pres.
ent in the office of the Hughes Elec.
trio Company when the foregoing
conversation took place between Mr..
E. A. Hughes and representative
(name unknown) of some Nonparti-
san publication and allege that the
foregoing is a correct resume Of the
conversation which occurred. The
representative of the Nonpartisan
began the conversation by
saying that he wanted to get some
thing" on Mr.. Packard and that he
understood that he had borrowed $500
from Mr.. Hughes, some time during
the past winter. and that he (Pack-
ard) had led Mr.. Hughes to under
stand that if he loaned him the $500,
he would see that his taxes were re-
duced. Mr.. Hughes replied that he
had not loaned Mr.. Packard $500
during the past winter nor at any
other time. The conversation was
very brief and clearly set forth In the
letter by Mr. Hughes.
"W. T. KRAFT.
"ROBERT BUTTON"
The Moral.
There may be more yellow news.
paper man in the world than the one
who wrote and sent in the above ar
ticle to the North Dakota Leader but
the probabilities are that the man,
Smith, who engineered this interview
and wrote the article, is the champion
handpicked liar of newspaperdom and
the yellowest Of the yellow reporters.
Eighty per cent of all the stuff be-
ing published in the North Dakota
Leader today Is manufactured much
as this story was manufactured.
+. e. PACKARD.