The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-11-07
LANCER REVIEWS
CHALLENGES TO
BOSS OF LEAGUE
Attorney General, Addressing
Home-Folk, Says Chieftains
Evade the Issue
BELIEVES PEOPLE RIGHT
Declares They Have Shown the
Power to Kick Out Dishonest
or Weak Officials
BELIEVES PEOPLE RIGHT

New Leipsig, N. D., Nov. DE
claring that he is facing as attorney
general of North Dakota the same
sort of fight which confronted him
when he began as states attorney the
cleaning up Of Morton county Six years
ago, William LANCER last night Ad-
dressed mass meeting Of "his own
people, farmers who gathered here
from miles around from bailiwicks
which LANCER first stumped when he
was the farmers candidate for states
attorney. E.
Reviewing the birth Of the league,
the attorney general said:
''Three years ago the common people
of this state demanded certain reforms
The officers and men in control Of gov
ernment of North Dakota refused to
grant these reforms. The people quiet
ly threw these men out of office and
control. That is a fine thing about
the people of North Dakota" said Mr..
LANCER, one of the trio Of state officials
whose impeachment has been threat
ened by league newspapers thought to
reflect the opinions Of President A. G
=ToWnley. .1'rhey. fire out Of Office any
men or set Of men who won't do their
duty, who break faith, who shirk re.
sponsibility, or become the tools, man
ikins and playthings for unscrupuloui,
cunning adventurers.
THE BIRTH OF THE LEAGUE
'Three years ago you chose a ticket
headed by Governor Frazier. Lower
taxes, economy, legal justice to the
rich and poor alike, terminal eleval-
ors and state hail insurance wer,
some of the planks in your platform.
You took the leaders Of the league
on faith, the same as you took the
officials you elected on faith, with the
exception that you had more conf
dence in the good faith Of Townley
and his outfit because Of their profess
sed friendship for you than you had
in some Of the very men you elected
to office. Your confidence in Townley
was misplaced. Frazier, who started
out well, has proven a woeful failure.
The attorney general declared the
radical element was not in control
when the league was born, but that
it was now in the saddle, and that the
farmers were being kept in ignorance
Of the fact. He enumerated long
list of "party socialists Or profession
al agitators' working for the league.
including in his "roll-call" as he re-
ferred to it, President A. C. Townley,
Lieut. Gov. Howard Wood and other
men prominent in the organization.
He referred to league legislators
who are on Townley's payroll, he de-
clared, for $125, $3.50 and $500 PEI
month. as 'come-o ons." and mentioned
the recent league convention in Far
60 as "shake-down meeting.' "
Reviewing that convention he ask
ed: did any one Of you present hear
Townley, Frazier or Lofthus explain
anything to the farmers?
''Did they explain how it happened
that Hastings and his outfit got 500
600 for a weeks work in the organiz-
alton eof the so-called league bank Of
Valley City :
#, BOUNTY WAS RETURNED
"Did they explain how it happened
that they were obliged to return the
graft of $15.026.91 gotten from the
farmers in the same deal-how Mr.
Hall and I made them return it to the
farmers?
did they explain how it happened
that theNspineless nonenity that answ-
ers to the name Of governor voted no
on the returning of the $15,O2691 to
the .farmrs and the making good of
the $36,375 in notes?
did they explain how it happened
that over quarter-million Of the
states money was in the Scandinav-
ian-American bank of Fargo?
"Did they explain now it happene
that although legally the Scandinav-
ian-American bank could loan only
$4,000 to any person or corporation,
they had loaned $4,000 to the Town
ley stores: S14S,OOO to Townley's
League, $66,1S2 to Townley's League
Exchange; $47,95O to Townley's SER
vice bureau
THE EXCESS LOANS
"Did they explain to you that the
excess loans alone amounted to over
$7340O0. altho the bank had capital
of but $4,000?
"Did they explain how it happened
that Townley could take thousands OF
dollars in notes given to the Consum-
ers Stores Co. on his collection trips
and there deceive the farmers by say
ing that Big Biz says that your note
was sold. It was not sold at al.
Here 1t is?