The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-02-24
BY Special Correspondent

BY Special correspondent
Bismarck, N. D.-The tempest
stirred up by the I. v. A. wreckers is
still lashing it's fury around the Bank
of North Dakota and yet that institu-
ton stands as solid as the Rock of
Gibraltar in the midst of storm.
1t may take some time for the
wreckers to learn that the Bank can
not be destroyed by any individual
or combination of individuals or cor
poration but that it will remain SOL
vent and continue to do business un-
less its function is changed by legis-
lative enactment. 4
The outstanding feature Of the past
week has been the comedy of pre-
mediated errors staged at the Bur-
leigh county court house in the fore
noon of each day by the I. V. AS
and the complete reversal of the plot
at the hearings, by the Senate commit
tee, in the Senate Chamber in the af-
ternoons. il
l. Figures Don't Lie, Hgt- ~
At the court house it has been clear
ly proven that figures can be made to
lie if the right kind of liars are doing
the figuring, while in the Senate
Chamber it is proven that the Bank OF
North Dakota is perfectly safe and
sound if either the Bishop, Brissman
or the Equitable Andit Company's re-
port is taken as conclusive.
But the I. V. A. attorneys, Murphy
and Sullivan, are going beyond the
audit reports and by innuendo and
half truths, told by prejudiced wit
nesses are creating the impression
that even the Bishop, Brissman re-
port is false and misleading and no
credit can be placed therein.
Brinton "Star" Witness
J. w. Brinton has been placed upon
the stand by both the House COM
mittee and the Senate committee. Be-
fore>the former committee Job loudly
charged F. w. Cathro and William
Lemke with embezzlement of Bank Of
North Dakota's' funds, which he
charged them with having sent to the
Scandinavian-Americ Bank of Far
20 to be loaned out to various League
enterprises.
Before the Senate committee he
squirmed and wriggled like an eel un-
der the fire of cross questioning and
failed to make single direct state
ment under which he could be held
for slander of honorable men,
However, he has been arersted and
charged with perjury and it may yet
be that he will get the punishment
he deserves for his malicious attacks
on an institution which is part of the
great peoples program which he still
claims to be supporting.
Valley City Bankers Tangled
One Of the most amusing acts in the
I. v. A. farce was the appearance on
the stand last Friday afternoon of s.
Ellis and Lee Cowell, members Of the
beard Of directors Of the Security Ma
tional Bank Of Valley City, who had
been called here to testify" as to an
alleged deal entered into by the Bank
of North Dakota and A. G. Townley
whereby the Valley City bank was to
advance money to carry on the Nom
partisan League political campaign
with the understanding that any funds
it advanced were to be covered by re-
deposits from the Bank,of North Da-
kota.
It developed when these witnesses
were called by the Senate committee
in the afternoon that they had no per
sonal knowledge Of any deal entered
into between "A. G. Townley and their
bank and that the person who figured
in the alleged transaction, in behalf
Of the. bank Of Valley City, was James
Grady, president Of the bank, who is
now at Hot Springs, Arkansas and
safely beyond the reach Of any sub
poer1a that might be served on him
for this hearing. Il developed further.
that the F;ank Of North Dakota had at
no tinA increased its redeposits with
the Valley City hank above the