The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1921-07-13
DROP CRIMINAL
LIBEL CHARGES
OF LEADERS
Totten and Gummers0n Retract
Article and Executive Com
mittee Drops Action
ISSUE LONG STATEMENT
Action Follows Conference of
Committee on Whether to
Drop Charges

drop CndIgeS
Fargo. July 13. BY Associated
Press. )-Charges of criminal libel file1
against Geo. A. Totten. Jr. and G. K.
Gummerson, deposed manager and edi-
tor Of the Courier-News. will be drop
ped as a result of a statement signed
by Gummerson and Totten and ac-
cepted by the state executive commit
tee of the league, 1t was announced by
the committee.
Peace Relgns.
! Peace reigned again today in Non
partisan league circles after nearly
two weeks of charges and counter
charges coming on the heels Of an ar
ticle published in the Courier News,
Nonpartisan league daily newspaper,
charging mishandling of the leagues
recall campaign fund by members OF
the state executive committee.
Settlement Of the controversy was
effected through signature of a state
ment by George A. Totten, Jr., and c.
X. Gummerson. deposed manager and
editor, respectively, Of the Courier
News, In which they retracted the
charges against the committeeman.
made in the article which they sought
to publish in the newspaper.
Makes Threat
The committee agreed to accept the
compromise agreement after a state
ment by Totten last night in which he
declared that If he were forced to take
the witness stand today to answer a
charge of embezzling $102 of league
funds he would start the fireworks
with all have learned In five years OF
league work."
The embezzlement charge was dis
missed at Tottsn's preliminary hear
ing this afternon when w. G. Green,
states attorney, declared In justice
court that the facts in the case did
not warrant such charge.
The retraction, A. A. Liederbach,
chairman of the executive committee
announced this afternoon, would result
in dropping the criminal libel charge
against Totten and Gummerson, hear,
ing on which Is set for tomorrow.
The criminal libel charge against
Totten and Gummerson followed pub
lication in the Courier-News accusing
members of the state executive COM
mittee OBJ mishandling the recall cam.
paign fund. Hearing is set for to-
morrow.
j The statement signed by the two for
mer newspaper editors retracts all
statements in the article published In
the special edition of the Courier
News.
). The statement follows:
&C. X. Gummerson and Geo. A. Tot
ten, Jr., do of their own free will and
accord subscribe as follows:
"That l, C. X. Gummerson, have
been in editorial charge of the Cour-
ier-News, a daily newspaper belonging
to the Norpartisan league for period
of four months and edited the special
isue the said Courier-News ON
July 6, 1921, In which appeared on the
front page derogatory article con-
cerning the majority of the state ex-
ccutive committee of the Nonpartisan
league of North Dakota.
THAT I, George A. Totten, Jr., was
manager Of the Courier-News on July
6, 1921.
THAT each of us wrote, printed and
published said article without any au-
} thority on the part of any one direct.
ly connected with the executive COM
mittee, the rank and file of the league
membership or any public official who
was endorsed by the league or Is in
, sympathy with its Industrial program
I'VE regret that large number of
the papers reached some Of the oppon-
ents of what the league stands for and
has been and is advocating.
Uses of Money.
I'VE retract such statements as
: made in that article tending to indi-
cate that the state executive commit
y tee was mishandling the leagues vic
tory fund knowing that the uses 10
which the money collected were to be
: put were 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
D wishes of this conference in regard tC
4 the disposition Of the Victory Funt
: were being carried out.
Further we wish it known that D
G.. Poindexter has in no way or in any
: manner in conversation or in any cor
8 respondence authorized or empowered
|. us to use his name in the article re
q ferred to.
- I'VE retract the charge that Ole Kal
dor and Chris Levang had been prom
q ised salaried positions in return fo
their support of Mr.. Liederbach a
o Continued on page y
e e GUMMERSON is