Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1921-09-01

average 1a2f-mlnOeO citlden reauZe
that the various and sundry league
publication and propaganda agents
are mere fake, a few editorials like
the following from the Courier-News
will suffice.
THE BRlNTON DECISION
The Brinton decision, following the
decisions in the Townley case in
Minnesota, the Hagen case in Fargo,
the Hotchkiss case in jamestown, is
only one more proof of the fact that
before an l. V. A. jury, the Nonpar-
tisan League is always guilty. 1t is
never the individual who is on trial;
it is always the Nonpartisan Leaue.
And there is never an I. V. A. jury
that gives the Nonpartisan League
the benefit of the doubt. The League
is always convicted in advance.
And somehow or other it happens
that in every case Of any Importance
involving the League, either as plain
tiff or defendant, none but l. v. AS
get place on the jury. The jury in
the Brinton case was almost unani-
mously l. V. A.
1t would have been a miracle, with
such jury, if Brinton had been con-
victed.
The bolshevik who wrote that edi-
torial is lying, and he knows he is
lying. He knows that the same court
procedure is used in all the instances
he names that is used in all other
cases. He knows that the league in
terests in each of the cases named
had plenty of efficient attorneys to
care for such interests. He knows
that the league attorneys were there
to see that impartial jurors were Sc
cured. The charge that none but I.
V. AS get place on such juries is
pure fabrication, and the most rabid
Lacquer will not swallow such a
claim. The names of jurymen are
in the jury box long before any par
ticular case comes up for trial. They
are picked by lot for jury panel,
and all interested attorneys are well
come to be present to see that such
is the case. Jurymen are picked
from the panel only after being ex-
amined by both plaintiff and defense.
The jury is then sworn to try the
case according to the evidence. In
some instances. there may be bias,
but to charge that the "league is al
ways convicted in advance" is pure
fabrication.
The fact is that many of the leag-
ne bosses to date have been out-and-
out crooks, and their crooked deals
have failed to win in court. Hence
the squeal from the Courier-News.
Tn fact is that the leaguers get ex-
actly the same treatment in the court
as any others. Townley and Gilbert,
for instance, were convicted for in
juring the government during the
war. They were convicted years ago.
They appealed their case to the state
supreme court-and lost. They have
now appealed to the U. S. Supreme
court-and it may be years yet be-
fore they finally serve for the crime
committed. 1t is such long delays
as this that wealthy defendants can
secure simply by legal trickery that
causes the real complaint against our
court system. Townley as an ordin-
airy poor man would have served his
time behind prison bars ere now. But
Townley, with plenty of shrewd law
yers and a mammoth organization
back of him, is still free to come and
go without yet having paid the pen
atty for his crime. Hagan, convict
ed of crime in Fargo in connection
with the Scandinavian American
Bank affairs, though convicted by
twelve of his peers in open court with
a friendly judge presiding, probably
never will serve his time in the pen
itentiary where he now should be.
If there is any one thing wrong with
our court system, it is the fact that
every effort has been made to pre-
vent the punishmnt Of an innocent
man, and shrewd and powerful Grim.
inals like Townley are thus enabled
to turn such safeguards to their own
account and thus defeat justice for
years and years, H. H., 81, 15,st,,.;, +,
North Dakota is borrowing state.