The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-10-05
0'C0NN0R DRIVES HOME TO Big
AUDIENCE HERE BASIC ISSUES
BEFORE VOTERS OF THE STATE
Assault on Representative Gov
ernment and Free Thinking
y is Assailed
SHOWS VICIOUS TACTICS
Misrepresentation and Threats
Part of League Unamerican
Fight T.


Fight
Glass hatred, political dictatorship
selfish exploitation in, North Dakota
must end, declared ]. F. T. O'COnnor
fusion ticket candidate for Governor
in addressing an audience in the city
last night that filled the Audi torium
League dictators have declared that
any man who opposes them must be
destroyed, he said.
That's the kind of government they
offer to men who have come across
the seas to find liberty in this free
country" he said, after naming par
ticular examples from the tattered
throne of the car of Russia and ap-
p1opriated them for use here.
ut is a challenge to represcn.
tative government. And say to
them, you shall not drive u single
farmer from this state because OF i,
his political yieWs-whether he be
Republican, Il Democrat Or
NOnpartisan.' ~. .il.s,e
Mr.. O'COnnOr, who has refused TO
bring personalities in his campaign,
and has avoided bitter attacks and
substituted calm discussion of issues
involved, had made the statement that
the league leaders had declared that
every man who opposes them must
be driven from the state.
Newspaper Misrepresentation
He told of the Misrepresentation OF
the league subsidized newspapers,
particularly the Courier-News and
Grand Forks American. He backed
his statements by quotation from the
Capital Daily Press, published in Bis
marck during the Legislative session,
and edited by H. P. Knappen, calmly
reciting the viciousness Of the league
bosses.
On Feb. 6, 1919, THAI paper, afte:
by innuendo seeking to create the i'm
preston that every farmer or other
member of the legislature who dared
oppose a league boss-ordered measure
was bribed, said:
"lf this should happen let him
prepare to leave North Dakota.
Let him go to a remote place.
North Dakota will be too hot for
him."
He referred to the league leaders
efforts to prevent members of the
league from reading any nwspapers
except league-controlled organs.
Trusts People
'I am not afraid of the intelligence
of the people of North Dakota" he
said. LET every man read all sides
of the issues"
He told how, after legislative ses-
sion, he went to Minot to make q
talk before going to his home in Grand
Forks. When he arrived in Grand
Forks he found the Grand Forks
American, the Townley newspaper had
printed an interview with him the
day before, when he had not been in
Grand Forks. He asked for a cor
rection., It was denied.
During a legislative session the
Fargo Courier-News misquoted a
speech he made. A stenographer had
made copy of the speech. He show
ed it to- be the CourierNeWs cor
respondent who: admitted that the
Courier-News was wrong. But no cor
rection was forthcoming. i'2a u -"
Another time the Courier-News
printed a story Of a speech he had
delivered in the legislature. The
Courier-News correspondent admitted
he had made no speech at ALL But no
correction was forthcoming.
Representatives of farmer-OWne1
elevators, who were in doubt as to
whether they were bound by the fed
eral or state laws on grain, asked
that the court be asked to interpret
the laws O'Connor was asked to ap-
pear as a lawyer in the case. And
because of this, he said, the Courier
News assailed him as an enemy of the
farmer.
"And they will misrepresent my
speech tonight" he said.
He referred again to a statement
Jim Waters, former manager OF the
Bank of North Dakota, had made, that
there was $9,0O0,O00 of state bank
money deposited outside the state last
summer. O'Connor mentioned at one
place that Waters had made this
statement. Immediately the Courier
News said that O'Connor had made it..
CathrO's Testimony
"They wired the manager OF the
bank for reply and he replied that at
that time, about the middle of Septem-
ber, that there was not more than 5000
900 deposited outside the state. He
also informed me that there was ST.
900 deposited down in New York, near
Wall street.
"Then l picked up newspaper ana
read where the manager of the BANK
had stated under oath that early in
September there was deposited in one
bank outside the state, Minneapolis
bank, about s4,OO0,00O.'
Mr.. O'Connor came to Bismarck af-
ter visiting 81 towns. in western North
Dakota. R. A. Johnson, of Alkabo,
candidate for Congress in the Third
district, talked for few minutes on
the results of the tour.
He predicted certain victory for
O'Connor in November. He said that
the people appreciated Mr.. O'Connor's
fair discussion of the issues. Many
Nonpartisan leaguers came to them
and said they were through with the
Townleyized league, he said.
''I'll name One," he said, Nv.
i. Stick informed us he had quit
sticking.-
E. ]. Taylor who has known O'Con-