Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1920-08-26
WHEN THIEVES FALL OUT

3 i f. . q "a
The Old Saying is Still True Today,
and Developments Seem to Indicate
That Honest Men Are About to
Get Dues
The Brinton-W -Wa+ers fight on the in
ner circle Of the Nonrartisan league
is arousing considerable interest ovee
the state. Rrinton and Waters have
broken with Townley and Lemke ant
are waging bitter war on tneir former
pals.
The greatest interest in this scrap
is aroused because of the prom1nen,
position held by Brinton and Waters
all through the league history. Brln-
ton put across the newspaper bill, ana
bought up the newspapers. Lemke
is said to have grabbed control after
Brinton had done the organization
work Brinton started the consum-
ers' store scheme that netted the
Tcwnley bunch hundreds Of thousands
in cold cash. Brinton was formerly
active in controlling the secret eau
Gus. The Record man was once talk
ing with member of the legislature
who was elected by the Townleyites
and who was an original member of
the secret caucus, but who jumped the
traces. He described the first meet
ing of the secret caucus that he at
tended. He said that after many
preliminaries by Walter Thomas Mills,
Townley, Lemke, Roylance, Cahill and
others, Brinton got up to talk. In his
hand, he held the drafts Of numerous
proposed laws that had been prepared
in st. Paul by the league bosses.
And Brinton is said to have delivered
himself as follows: "Here are the
bills we want, and here are the bills
we are going to have. If any of you
fellows vote against any one of these
measures, you are c. D fools.
We have control of the machinery,
and to the victor belongs the spoils."
Waters wassone Of the Beach coterle
where Townley and Bowen used 10
preach socialism. He was one Of the
elect when the league first secureo
control of the state. Frazier made
him bank examiner, where he did yeo-
man service for the Townley bosses.
Later, when the Bank of North Dako-
ia was started, Waters was made
manager. Both as bank examines
and as manager Of the Bank of North
Dakota, he was loyal to Townley. In
the Valley City bank deal, he publish
ed an interview that when ne couldn't
remain loyal to Townley, he'd resign.
Later he testified that he went to
Townley when he wanted as a state
official to make Jack Hastings dis
gorge some of the coin he took from
that bank deal. AS bank examiner,
he wrote the noted letter to Hagan,
president Sof Townley's adjunct to the
Bank Of North Dakota commenting
on the passage of the Bank law, which
read something like this: sour pray
ers have been answered and <our
dreams have come true. We are OF
q level track, and the rails are well
creased I can send you some money
soon," etc. His deputy, Halliday,
wrote the Scandinavian-American
Bank that Mr.. Waters was i'll and
that he advised them to shoot their
bad paper to other league banks until
after their examination, when the pa
per could be recalled.
We cite these things to show
just how deep Brinton and Waters
were in the swim. For years, the bit
ter fight made by the independents
! against the Townley control has been
Z to protect our state against confidence
men and grafters. And what has
the present developments brought 70
light:
For years Brinton and Waters and
4. Townley and Lemke were copartners
SO to speak, in putting over thel1
league. They certainly were all gen.
orally familiar with what each other
were doing. They worked together
in Matching up most Of their deals
Is In other words, if there was anything
crooked, each one of the four '.had !,
on the others. Now, Brinton and
Waters accuse Lemke and Townley Of
graft, forgery, corruption, ETC., il
Connection with the league, the con
sumers stores, the league newspapers
.l the Bank Of North Dakota and th'
E administration. The Lemke crowt
CONS back through the Courier-New
& and charges Brinton ana Waters a
d being grafters who tried to blackmai
s. the rest Of the bunch on threa
of exposing what they knew Of tn
@ inner deals Of the league affairs.
And We are inclined to believe bot,
& eides are, right in their statements