The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1922-01-19

4 eQltOrlally apOlOglZlng TO ICrmef
Attorney General VIM. E. LANCER for
,lunders". The state executive COM
nittee of the Nonpartisan league
ives three reasons for publishing tn
etractions, stating that latter care
Il Investigations, the declaration
ere found to be untrue. The fcl
wing dispatch from Fargo will b
cad with considerable interest:
Fargo, N. D., Jan. ia complet
,traction of the alleged slanderor
nd libelous statements carried in tn
,roo Corrier-News, against William
LANCER, while he was a candidate fol
governor of North Dakota, was mad'
by that publication in its issue this
morning.
Shortly following the publication
:hese statements by the Courier-News
Mr.. LANCER sued that newspaper TO
$4,000 damages, alleged to have
was begun by Mr.. LANCER in Cas-
years ago, but trial has been delayed
have been tried in district court in
Richland County, this week, on a
change of venue from Cass County.
However, by stipulation betwee,
Mr.. LANCER and the attorneys for tn
Nonpartisan league state executive
committee, the case was settled out o
court. The stimulation nrovide>
that the Courier-News publish de-
tailed retraction, which it did this
morning.
The Courier-News also published
an editorial apology to Mr.. LANCER,
for the statements.
A statement by the state executive
committee Of the Nonpartisan league,
IS also made in this mornings News,
m which three reasons are set forth
for it's retractions.
First: "That, after careful investi-
cation, it found no scintilla Of evidence
that would sustain the published
charges. On the contrary, in its
search, it found many circumstances
that indicated that they were untrue.
On arriving at these facts. it was felt
that serious injustice had been done
Mr.. LANCER"
Second: "That the principal defend
ant. William Lemke, under whose con-
troll the paper was at that time pub
lished, and whose name appeared at
| the head Of the editorial column, had
eft the state at the very day, almost,
| that the case came to trial. leaving
! the executive committee and our at
torney, Mr.. Harry LashkowitZ, without
Information as to the source of the
charges-if he had any-thus throw
ing the responsibility upon men who
had no previous knowledge of the mat
ter and without his cooperation or
moral or legal support"
| ~, olJoI ovporeo nf
4 lawsuit at this time, under present
financial conditions, was unthink-
able"
"The management of the Courier
News believes that newspaper
the truth. For two days or more this
paper in nearly every issue published
statements severely rejecting upon
the personal, professional and official
inte gritty of Hon. William LANCER. In
those articles Mr.. LANCER was charac-
terized as crook, CRATER and traitor
to the farmers and workers of North
Dakota and a corrupt tool of "big
business. These charges were en-
phasized in our editorials and we
played him up in that character in
our news items and stories and our
cartoonists so portrayed him.
"Mr. LANCER, knowing that the
statements published concerning him
were false, sued US for libel. He was
fair. He first asked us to retract.
Instead of retracting we assaulted
him worse than before. Mr.. LANCER
then commenced suit against us for
$4,000 damages.
"The new management of the Cour-
ier-News, inheriting this lawsuit as
it did, has made thorough investi-
CATION and has come to the conclusion
shot Mr.. LANCER had been unfairly,
unjustly and scandalously dealt with.
We Investigated the charges against
him in full, item by item, and we are
pleased to take up these charges in
detail in this retraction.
"The Courier-News charged that
Mr.. LANCER fought for Miss Nelson
at the behest of the "Big Business"
politicians and the "Book Trust. We
are convinced from our investigation
that no one bribed or persuaded Mr..
LANCER to give Miss Nelson the
opinion that he did and have learned
that scores of persons went to Miss
Nelson and tried to induce her to
hire private attorneys either to assist
Mr.. LANCER or to watch him so that
| ne would not sell ner OUT. MISS Mel
son steadfastly refused to hire any
other lawyer and placed her entire
confidence in Mr.. LANCER.
"The records show that Mr.. LANCER
! won the case in the district court and
in the supreme court and that his
opinion given to Miss Nelson origi.
nally was correct and the law a
found upon the statute books of North
Dakota. We retract any charges
made in connection with this case
against Mr.. LANCER together with all
nasty slurs and innuendos. 81
~ Charge Wholly False ~
"The Courier-News has repeatedly
charged and reiterated that VIM
Lemke won the AZ taxpayers suit and
that William LANCER, then attorney
general, sold out in that case. Oul
investigation shows that said charge
was and is wholly false in every de.