The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1922-03-01
TOWNLEY, LEMKE
ARE ORDERED TO
KEEP HANDS OFF

OTHER RESTRAINED FROM IN
TERFERING WITH THE
COURIES-NEWS
Fargo, N. D., March Judge A.
T. Cole Of the Cass county district
court today issued a temporary in
junction restraining A. C. Townley,
president of the National Nonpartisian
league; William Lemke and the Non
PARTISAN Publishing company, COM
mon law trust, consisting of William
Lemke, F. B. Wood, John Thompson,
Herbert E. CASTOR and Albert ].
Fox, from interfering with the Cou-
rier-News official league newspaper,
or to interefer with the management
of the Courier-News by the league
state executive committee.
The defendants, Townley, ct. al,
are given until March 80 to appear
before the court and show cause why
the injunction shall not be made per-
manent.
1t was announced at league state
headquarters tonight that this suit
was brought because Townley and
Lemke refuse to live up to their pro-
misses made early last summer to give
to the leaguers full title of the Cour-
ier-News and also because the COM
mittee had seen copies of letter writ
ten in Washington, D. c., to North
Dakota people by a man who claims
that he has made deal with Townley
to buy the Courier-News. In this let
ter, it was said, this man asks for
finincial aid in swinging the deal.
The papers in the case were served
on Townley and Lemke this after
noon while they were in conference
with leaguers from various sections
of the state. At this meeting Town
lely is said, to have declared that he
would not turn the paper over to the
committee until the matter had been
taken up at the state convention to be
held late this month. Townley it is
reported, admitted that he had repeat
eddy denied that the farmers of North
Dakota subscribers of stock in the
Courier-News,> be given full title to
the paper.
It was shortly after Townley had
again repeated his determination not
to give the league in North Dakota
full title to the newspaper, which was
purchased and has been sustained for
three years by money solicited from
North Dakota leaguers, that a con-
stable served copy of the complaint
and of the courts order ON him.
Defendants Held Stock
It is set out in the complaint filed
in district court today that the Cour-
ier-News was purchased by the Nom
PARTISAN league in North Dakota in
1915 and that at that time Townley
and Lemke were in charge of the
league management; that the capital
stock of the Courier-News at that
time was placed in the names of the
defedants in trust because the
league then organized could not leg
ally hold this stock
The complaint further alleges that
the paper was purchased with the
money contributed by the members;
that when the organization in this
state elected it's own managers, the
executive committee of five, an agree
men had been entered into with the
holders of the stock in trust that it
would be turned over to this COM
mittee or bord of directors selected
to hold the stock for the membership.
It is alleged that this promise has not
been kept and that the defendants
now flatly refuse to redeem it.
| Complete Title Wanted
The plaintiffs ask the court for an
order compelling the defendants to
assign the stock of the Courier-News
to committee Of three, duly elected
by the members of the league in
North Dakota to represent the mem
bers in the ownership of the paper.
| Ole Kaldor, treasurer Of the league
in North Dakota and a member Of
the executive committee, who Mr.
Townley invited to today's conference
asserted the present policy of the
Courier-News was to keep the mem
bership in control of the affairs OF
the organization; that the paper had
been turned over to the league in
North Dakota to operate, but that the
members want complete title to it, as
they had paid for it and are now and
have been maintaining it. He de.
manded that Townley, Lemke ct al
relinquish their hold on the capita