Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-01-18
Executive Committee OF Non.
partisan League Issued A
Statement Declaring No
Foundation For Charges Is
Found After Careful Ex-
animation; Lemke Leave.
State Just Prior To Start
ing OF Case; Gives Out No
Information.
(Hcra,d Special Service.


Fargo, y. d.. Jan. lS.-Tiie
$5O,O0o libel sut OF William Lam
ger, former attorney general Of
North Dakota, against the E.ar-
80 COurit.r-NcW.s. canlc 10 an
abrupt end at NaI13 ton late yes
tcr1ay WtIt.;l .ht' ii. u, & prom
Used a. rctracIhn, after Judge Me-
k.Rna had oycrtuleL Il motor,
Of the dctc,;sc to continue the
case.
The retractioR was published!
On tho itrst page OF tlk. Courier
News this morning. 'Flh. charges
made against Larger anu lu-
ussctca arc that ilc WAS crook.
CRATER and traitor 10 farmers
and workers OF North OAK -,.a.
and corrupt tool OF big bust
ness
Ihe management has made a
thorough investigation and has
come to the conclusion that Lam
ger had been unfairly. uniustly
and scandAlously dealt with.''
reads portion Of the Irtraction.
The Nonpartisan league cxct.u-
tive committee. in its explanatory
statement, says:
First: That. after careful in
vcstigatiOn. it could find no scin-
tilla of evidence that would sus-
tain the published charges. On the
contrary, In Its search. it found
many circumstances that indicat-
cd that they were untrue. On ar
irving at these facts, it was felt
that a serious injustice had been
done Mr.. Lanscr. The Nollparti-
SAN league can not lend itself to
the cOuntcnancing Of untruth. In
justice to him, therefore, 1t was
felt that. retraction should be
made, and In Justice 10 the coed
nalnc Of the NonpaFttsan league
Of North Dakota. s'tsh's',
'ai p ''ss<bnd: That the principal de-
fcnkiant, VIM. Lemkc, under
whose control the paper was at
that time published, and whose
name appeared at the head Of TIN,
editorial column, had left the
state at the very day. almost, that
tho case came to trial, leaving the
executive committee and our Ut
torney, Mr.. Harry Lashkowitz,
without information as to the
source OF the charges-if he had
any-thus throwing the response
b:lity upon men who had no
previous knowledge Of the matter
and without his corporation or
moral or legal support"
Editorial Rctraceion.
In the formal editorial retractior
ion and leaving to others the work c
his blunders and correctin
1is false statements, the Courier New
;ays:
I'VE Retract'
"If there is any more ungratef,
ask than taking upon one the onu
IT undoing wrong done by anothe,
Ind of setting right the wretched mis-
axes of a predecessor-we do ne
know what it is. 1t may eHst-hu
lnce with it
The Courier-News in this issu'
1nder stipulation entered into aftc
he case had entered upon trial an
part of the jury had been empanelet
makes complete retraction of all Il,
charges it published under fornlc
against William Lange
former attorney general.
The state executive committc,
lnder whose control The Courier
News now is, yielded it's consent I
such a course only on being assure
oy incontrovertible evidence that til
published charges were witho,
in fact. The committe
among other unpleasant things, fe
heir to this suit, which was starte
.hree years ago and when it came t
examine its inheritance it found thu
It had in truth inherited the renal,
If personal antipathy and feud be
.ween William Lemke and Villa,
LANCER.
That was not what it considere
20 be within it's province. 1t felt ths
is energies should be devoted to tn
promotion of the good OF the organ
zation and not the personal revenge
and animosities OF any member {
leader of that organization.
Therefore it resolved boldly to a.