Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-06-29
Hastings, and that It was . pri.
vate venture Of the latter.

-. -
vate venture Of the latter.
IT wa when Attorney Lesueur be-
gan his cross examination of Lemke
regarding his control OF the CONSUME
ers United stores Co., that the real
fireworks Of the afternoon began.
Owns Seven OF Ten Shares.
Lemke admitted, that he owned
seven of the ten shares OF capital
stock of the concern and said that
he had paid seven hundred dollars.
|their par value, for then., but that In
interest in the company he had taken
No interest in 1t and knew little as
to it's policy.
DO you think that is a proper
attitude for the owner of the majority
OF the stock? demanded Mr.. LIE
Sueur.
Under the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES"
replied Lemke.
On redirect examination by Special
Assistant Attorney General Weeks,
Lemke explained that he had been
organizers OF the company to buy q
controlling interest therein and hold
1t in trust for the farmers and that
he had consented to do this.
you paid for these shares with
your own money, didn't your" de-
manded MI. LeSueur.
Yes" replied Lemke,r but I ex-
pected to getsit back later"
Lemke Says He Doesn't KnoU.
will yoa swear positively that you
didn't write up the certificates for
your own stock YOURSELF" demanded
The lawyer. Lemke hesitated. and
finally replied hat he didn't know.
Mr.. lLemke then proceeded to ex-
plain that he thought the interests of
the farmers were properly safe
guared with such men as H. A. Pad
dock. Inc Charles Hecht in. charge
of the management of the company's
affairs. !. {.
THE company is now in the hands
of a receiver. is it not?" asked Mr..
fact. And these me- were in charge
of its affairs when it went. into a
receivers. hand, were they not?"
continued, the lawyer. And again
Lemke admitted that he believed
such to be the fact. +
Nov. do you not know that at
one time the National Nonpartisan
League borrowed more than $780,
900 from the Consumers United
Stores Coz" demanded Mr.. LeSueur.
mo. I know nothing Of the kind"
was Lemke's answer.
We'll. you know that the league
borrowed both money and collateral
from the Consumers United Stores
Co.. do you not ;" asked the lawyer.
Knows League Got Some Money.
Il know hat the league borrowed
some money from the Consumers
United Stores Co. But I don't know
how much, and I don't know that it
borrowed any collateral" Lemke re-
piled. This practically concluded his
examination.
In this connection it should be
noted that practically the only
funds whichsthe Consumers Unit
ed Stores had to loan to the Nom
partisan League or anyone else
! were derived from the money paid e;
I in by the farmers who put up
800 each for the privilege Of "
trading at the stores which were
to be established with the money
thus paid in. &
The contrasts With the farmers were
20 worded;. however. that q large
amount of the money paid in could be
used for purposes Of education or pro-
motion. " -
Never Favored Project, He Says.
Another interesting feature of Mr..
Lemke's testimony in connection with
the stores company vas that in spite
Of his ownership Of a majority of the
stock he had lever favored the pro-
strongly in favor of it and had pushed
it., E.t l15..-
Judge w. l.. Nuessle, who is pre-
siding over the trial, gave an import
ant ruling this afternoon when he up
held an objection by Mr.. LeSueur to
testimony which Mr.. Weeks attempted
to introduce in behalf OF the, p%rosecu-
ton regarding certain opinions and
conclusions which had been expressed
by Brinton in his testimony before the
house audit committee.
The Judge declared that he would
instruct the jury, that expression Of
such opinions or conclusions did not
constitute perjury, regardless of
whether the opinion was correct or
erroneous, and must not be 80 consid-
cred blythe jury in arriving at It's YER
dict in the present case.
This may have an important bear
ing or the submission to the jury of
certain parts Of the information filed
against .Rrinton, which quote his tes-
timony beforeth house committee.
Governor on Stand.
The first witness for the state dur
ing the afternoon session was Cover
nor Lynn J. Frazier, who declared he
could not remember Brinton having
shown him q. certain memorandum
concerning League paper alleged to
have been offered. by the Scandina-
vian-American Bank for r%ediscount to
the Bank Of North Dakota, regarding
! which Brinton had testified last win