The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-01-09
Leaguers Gathered Here Have
Many Bones to Pick With
Their Leaders
NEWSPAPER DEAL STICKER
Rumblings Of Dissatisfaction
With BrintOn Domination of
local Paper


to catch in the county convention of
Burleigh Nonpartisans which has been
in progress here for three days. Bill
Lemke is in charge OF the seance, and
it is presumed that the delegates were
personally hand-pickel by him. but
the picking of leaguers who will stay
put is not as simple a matter as It
used to be, and it appears that even
so astute a se.ecter as Mr.. 'Lenke
may make mistakes.
Into the jangle of clashiMgs factions
has been injected the old Public Opin-
ion muss, in which some very prom
inent Burleigh county farmers and
such leaders in adjoining counties as
Senator Ward and Representative
Harding Of Emmons are interested.
The Public Opinion was Burleigh
countys first sure-enough Nonparti-
san organ. Tho farmers put up the
original kale to buy the plant, and
they continued to put up periodically
until when the Brinton bund took hold
of the Public opinion few months
ago it is understood that farmers
names were on notes aggregating $l6,-
900, These notes have not yet been
paid, it is said.
The understanding was that the
Public Opinion was to be taken over
by the Burleigh County Farmers
Press and the farmer stockholders Of
the original county Nonpartisan organ
satisfied. TO date nothing Of this kind
is said to have transpired. Commits
sioner John N. Hagan, who is on the
state printing and publication com
mission, is said to have made the
Brinton paper the official organ OF
Burleigh county, which is worth from
$4,000 to $4,000 per annum, with the
strict understanding that the Public
Opinion, whose fafmer stockholders
thought it should be the official news
paper, would be taken care OF, and
Mr. Hagan is said to be quite Wrathy
There are all kinds Of stories cur
rent about Farmers Press affairs.
Fourteen thousand dollars worth of
stock is said to have been sold In
the enterprise to Burleigh county
farmers, but the corporation is said
to still stand in the name Of Job
Brinton, Sam Haislett and Harry
Dence Of the Publishers Service cor
poration. There is now a rumor that
Brinton, allyng himself with local In
terests which to date have appeared
to control the Farmers Press, intends
! ho n
the local paper, and that he may bring
his brother, C. M. Erinton, here from
Fessenden, where the two brothers
control the Wells County Farmers
Press, to take a position in the editor
ial management. All of which Is said
to not be acceptable to some OF the
leaguers who own stock or obligations
in one or the other of the two farm
crs' >" newspapers. This combined oD-
legation is now said to exceed 100000
and such prominent league farmers
as John A. Johnson are said to be
setill heavy stockholders in the en-
terprise which they originally father.
ed as purely farmer proposition.
There is opposition in county ranks
to many things that Townleyism has
come to represent. The more cOnscrv-
ative object to the radically socialls-
tic trend which league newspaper or
gans here. and throughout the state
have assumed; they are opposed to
the glossing over of conditions in the
state board Of administration exposed
during the recent special session;
they object to the attempt to dom
mate the county organization which
is being made, it is said, by one OF
the oldest and most notorious Of tho
so-called gang bosses Of 'Burleigh
county.
Among other things tn1s Old gangster
is said to demand the scalp Of Sen
ator Carol D. King, and gossip around
capitol corridors is to the effect that
King will lie down rather than fight
this man with his own methods. The
same element in the league is said to
insist upon retiring Judge w. l.. 'Nues-
sle, a jurist who is universally popular
with the more conservative elements
of all factions. Ed Allen is said to be
the entry of this particular coterie
for district Judge, and the older set
tiers among the farmers cannot rec.
oncile themselves to Allen.
Representative l.. d. Bailey knows
nothing" about the convention. but
is said to have some very well-tixed
ideas about things in general. The
Moflit man is assquare shooter. ana
there arc many things in local league
circles not to his liking, it is said.
Another thing which Lemke is en-
deavoring to impress upon the farm
ers is that the league is slipping in
Burleigh county, that the pickings are
so poor that league organizers will
not stick in the territory, and that the
farmers must hold local meetings,
arouse interest and do their own
organizing. Not a great amount Of
enthusiasm is said to be apparent for
this plan. Farmers have helped COR
ganize" so many Townlcy schemes in
Burleigh county that their welcome
is worn to frazzle in some instances
and the keen edge is off their ambi-
ton.
Some kind of d slate is expected to
come out of the convention. Out Of
it too is expected to come a division
which will spell defeat for the old