Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1921-07-14
FORMER LEAGUE !:
NEWSPAPER men
RETRACT CHARGES
George Totten, Jr., and c. K.
Gummerson Sign Statement
in Attempt to Patch Up
Split Caused by Special Is
sue of Courier-News.

CA~ Va ~OAA A~A -AN~ "Ss
Peace reigned again today in NoE-
partisan League circles after nearly
two weeks Of charges and counter
charges coming on the heels Of an
article published in the CourierNews
Nonpartisan League Daily Newspa-
per. charging mishandling of the
| leagues recall campaig1i fund by
members Of the state executive COM
mittee.
Settlement of the controversy was
effected thru signature of state
| ment by George A. Totten, Jr., and
l. c. X. Gummerson, deposed manager
and editor. respectively of the Cour-
| ier- News in which they retracted the
charges against the committee made
| in the article which they sought to
publish in the newspaper. The COM
mittee agreed to accept the compro-
mise agreement after Il statement by
Totten last night in which he declar-
ed that If he were forced to take the
witness stand today to answer
charge of embezzling S102 OF league
funds. he would start the fireworks
with all l have learend in five years
! of league work.. The embeZZlement
charge was dismissed at TOtten pre-
liminary hearing this afternoon when
| w. G.. Green, states attorney, decar-
ed in justice court that the facts In
the case did not warrant such a
charge. The retraction, A. A. Leid-
erbach, chairman Of the executive
committee, announced this after
noon. would result i ndropping the
criminal lebel charge against Totten
and GummersOn. hearing on which
is set for tomorrow.
Fargo, July 13-Charges of Grim
inal libel filed against George Tot
ten, Jr, and C. X. Gummerson, de-
posed manager and editor Of the
Courier-News, daily paper fthe Non
partisan League. will be dropped as
a result of a statement signed by
Totten and GummersOn and accept
ed by the state executive committee
Of the Nonpartisan League, the COM
mittee announced this afternoon
The criminal libel charge against
Totten and Gummerson followed pub
lication in the Courier-News of an
article accusing members of the
state committee with mishandling
the leagues recall election campaign
fund. Hearing on the charges is set
for tomorrow.
The statement, signed by the two
former newspaper employees ,retracts
all statements in the articles publish
News.
The statement follows:
C. X. Gummerson and George Tot
{nV V,, r. nf hot N1yS11
and accord state as follows:
That I, c. X. Gummerson have
been in editorial charge of the Cour-
ierNews "a daily newspaper belong
ing to the Nonpartisan League for
period of four months and edited
the special issue of the Courier
News on July 6, 1921, in which ap-
peared on the front page deroga-
tory article concerning the majority
of the state executive committee of
the Nonpartisan League Of North Da-
kota.
That 7, George Totten, Jr., was
manager of the Courier-News on
July 6, 1921.
That each of us wrote printed and
published said article without any
authority on the part of any one di-
rectly connected with the executive
committee, rank and file of the lea
que membership or any public official.
who was endorsed by the league or
is in sympathy with it's Industrial
program.
We regret that large number
Of the papers reached some Of the op-
ponents of what the league stands
for and has been and is advocating.
We retract such statements as
made in that article tending to in
dicate that the state executive COM
mittee mishandled the league victory
fund. knowing that the uses to which
the money collected were to be put
we're determined by general con-
ference at Bismarck at the close OF
the last legislative session before any
money was received for said! fund;
and that such plan, was published in
the league press of the state and that
the wishes of this conference in re-
gard to the disposition Of the victory
fund were being carried out.
Would Clear POindextcr
Further we wish it known that D.
G. Poindexter, has in no way or in
any manner in conversation or In
any correspondence authorized or
us to use his name in the
article referred to.
We retract the charge that Ole
Kaldor and Chris Levang had been
promised salaried positions in re-
turn for their support of Mr.. Leider-
bach as chairman of the state execu-
tive committee.
We retract our assertion that the
victory fund was being mishandled
and regret that the result Of such
statement on our part was to create "a
lack of confidence and mistrust in
the men who have. been devoting
their time and energy for the pur--s
pose Of combating the enemy Of the
masses Of the state Of North Dakota.
SSsiI, George AZ. Tottsn. u 3. now real
lze and acknowledge that ! had no les
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