Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-04
NO POLITICAL
PROSECUTIONS.
GOVERNOR SAYS
Arrest of Townley Not "Po-
litical Aninosity'' Nestos
Declares.

Bismarck. N. D.. Feb. 4.-The state
administration is not and will not en-
gage in any political prosecutions"
This is the declaration Of Governor
r. A. Nestos, in answer to the alle-
cation Of A. c. Townley that his ar
rest was the result OF political ami
mostly. Attorney General Sveinbjorn
johnson. in instituting in conjunction
with Cass county authorities the
prosecutions against Hastings and
Townley, is only carrying out the
pledges which he and others made
during the campaign. the governor
declared today. Attorney General
johnson will have the whole-hearted
support of the administration in his
efforts. the governor indicated.
Hint that further action will be
forthcoming is seen in the governors
declaration that "It seems to be that
enough Incompetence and crooked
ness has been revealed and admitted
30 that all of the people, whether
Leaguers or Independents. ought to
be anxious to have the whole truth
mittinE crimes charged with and pun
ished for the crimes committed"
Yes. I have noticed the statement
in some Of the league papers that the
Issuance of warrants for Hastings and
/ sEpwnley is in the matter Of = politi-
cal p4Decxtton, " !" Fsaid tho goNegnor.
''This is certainly a peculiar atti-
tude. Since the inauguration in No
ivember many Of these papers and the
! correspondents who write in them
have asked the question: Why does
/. not the new administration prosecute
those guilty of endorsement? Why
does not the new Industrial Commis-
sion prosecute the old Industrial Com
mission for. endorsement and other
haf o1o Sv hat
campaign speeches they had commit
!ted?' Letters also were received by
/ me and others asking why We did not
/; prosecute these men whom we had
claimed guilty Of embezzlement and
other crimes. My answer to them
/! was, and now is. that ! personally
never said that the former Industrial
Commission was guilty Of embezzle-
! ment. I did not know whether or
! not they were guilty. What said
was that the conduct of the public
business had been such as to arouse
suspicion. and that If we were elect
ed to office We would cause an inves-
tigation to be made for the purpose
of ascertaining how the business had
been conducted. and IL crimes had
been committed. who were the par.
ties. I also promised that we would
make this report accessible to the
people. and that / would urge prose
cution of those who were shown tt
be guilty Of any crimes by the facts
revealed in such 4 report.
f; Are Rcleemins Promises.
I'VE have sought faithfully to re.
deem every promise made to the peo-
pie insofar as it has been possible fol-
! us to do it. We have caused an in.
yestigation to be made; not as exten.
stve as we would like on account OF
the shortage of funds but within the
limits of the funds at our disposa
have made investigation as searching
and complete as possible SO as to as
i certain the whole truth with reference
to the conduct Of this business.
] ."And yet now when as result o.
that Investigation we discover tha
certain men appear to be guilty. O.
| embezzlement or other crimes, ane
| have commenced to arrest some o.
those who appear from the evidence
to be guilty. the same newspapers ane
writer's who in November and Decem
Der were crying: Why don't 70,
prosecutor now cry political prose
! cution.' Politics. and that we ar,
doing 1t for political capital.
!. 1T seems to me that enough fact!
and statistics in regard to the conduc
OF the Scandinavian-Amer banl
at fargo and the Eank of North Da
/! kota and the various industries ha.
been published. and that enough ad
/ mission have been made by the Couri
! er-News and by the League auditin:
firm so that the people and tn
League papers ought to be willing t.
be fair enough to admit that after al
] we are but doing that which we IL
i good faith promised the people dur
{. ing the campaign. 1t seems to m,
that enough incompetence ant
crookedness has been revealed ant
admitted SO that all of the people
/ whether Leaguers or Independents
4 ought to be anxious to have the who'll
truth revealed. and those guilty o
4 committing crimes charged with ant
punished for the crimes committed