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Vol. 20 No. 5 LANGER GAVE TOWN LEY $100 TO DEBATE AT SAUNA, KAN. More than 800 people beard the Townley-Langer debate at Salina, Kansas, Tuesday afternoon. The question debated was: "Resolved, that the Nonpartisan League program, as carried out by the leaders, has not been for the best interests". Langer opened the debate with attacks on political affiliations of the league or ganizers, charging them with being "reds and radicals of Various groups". At the outset, Langer offered Town ley $100.00 wheh he claims he has been offering him for two years but which proved only a post dated -check due in two years. He charged that this was the kind of money Townley had expected the Bank of North Da kota to accept. Langer put his O. K. on the league program in North Dakota by stat ing his approval of previous laws of the same nature which he said had been enacted in the state by referen dum. Langer stated that farmers had been robbed year after year by grain gamblers of Minneapolis. He reviewed the fact that in 1916 farmers of the state had cooperated with law yers, bankers and politicians in pass ing a mill and elevator law. He stated that the legislature had pro vided Dr. Ladd with an experimental flour mill with which he could prove the farmers had not been getting a aquare deal from the gamblers. Town ley was charged with having acted in the interests of the socialist party and attempting to line up farmers for that party. He appealed to his hearers to have nothing to do with league leaders as some of them had been jailed.* Claims were made that Town ley had secured organizers thru an advertisement in the Appeal to Rea son and had brot them to North Da kota. Special mention was made of Russell, Le Sueur and Walter Thomas Mills. The presence of A. E. Bowen, league organizer in the audience, seemed to fire the ire of Langer and reference was made to Bowen's con nection with .the socialist party. Town ley was accused of controlling the leg islature, with''owning a newspaper in every county in the state to be used for the purpose of carrying elections. He charged Townley with wrongly using these papers to discredit Langer and the speaker said he was a strong friend to the farmers instead of being a traitor. He said Townley had rob bed the farmers of North Dakota. He said the league leaders had formed associations with radical "reds" and I. W» W.'s. "Won't you lawyers, bankers, doctors and businessmen go out and warn your people against such people as I am telling you about" Langer said. The speaker referred to the failure of the league program in North Dakota, the banking situa tion, the failure of the state mill, state home building association and other projects. At the close of one hour, Townley took the platform and said he would have to get out of the hole Langer had put him in, by one of two meth ods—either show that the hundreds who are in the league and were organ izing for the league were not social ists and "reds" or he would have to admit that they were all socialists and that more had been done in two years under the administration of the "radi cals" than had been done in 100 years, before by the republicans and demo crats. He referred to Langer's chal lenge for debate and says the reason he waited two years was to give Langer a chance to build himself up and acquire a standing sufficient to allow him, Townley, to notice him. Townley said he was going to drag Langer from ocean to ocean until he is thru or until the people know the facts about the nonpartisan* league. Jamestown, N. 1)., May 6.—An in quest was to be held this afternoon by Coroner DePuy over the body of M. J. Madden, of Sioux City, Iowa, whiskey runner, who was fatally wounded by officers south of the city yesterday. Two others alleged to have been with Madden were captured after a long chase, the Ford car which they stole from a farmer becoming stuck in a bog. The men took to the hills but were rounded up. They gave their names as James Smith, 28, of Mitchell, S. D., and Ed Johnson, "home nowhere". They may be taken to Bismarck by the officers. Two armed men last night guarded the Cadillac car taken from the booze runners. Johnson maintained he was not one of the booze runners but hap pened to get with them when they and the officers had a battle. Madden lived at Scotland, S. D. where he has a wife and two chil dren. Mrs.'Madden arrived in James town to claim, the body of her hus band. The men were caught in the "little hills" near Gackle where mud stopped the progress of the car they had, taken from the farm yard. Johnson dis claims any connection in the affair and said he was sleeping behind a rock pile when the whiskey runners came along and ambushed themselves be hind the rocks. Johnson said he was Townley referred to the 400 North Dakota farmers who went to Bismarck in 1015 to ask the legislature to put the grain gamblers under control and says the legislators told them to go home and attend to their business. "In 11)12, at Beach," he said, "I was fanning and put in over 5,000 acres of flax, the seed for which cost me $•'.00 per bushel. I sold the flax at 80 cents. The price I received for my crop was not sufficient to pay the merchant for screw drivers and mon key wrenches it required in the oper ation." He said that Bowen, a North Dakota homesteader, had gone thru many hardships on his homestead. "1 was born in Minnesota, but lived for many years in North Dakota and know what is is to farift," he said.. Referring to the early work of or ganizing the league, Townley said: "I was the tirst man to go out in a Ford after memberships and 1 enrolled the first 79 memberships we secured. We knew what organized farmers would do to the men of this type," pointing to Langer. "I am thankful that this man was not in of Vice when we started to organize the league for if he had been we would all have been in jail and there would have been no Nonpartisan league in North Da kota or Kansas. He referred to Langer's work with the league and said he had turned traitor. Townley admitted that the league h«d made some mistakes and said that "some crooks had succeeded in getting their hands in the pie." In arranging the debate, Townley wired Langer that he was willing to enter into a series of joint debates to which Langer replied: "Will debate you morning, noon and night, anywhere and everywhere ex cept Russia. Consider yourself en gaged at Salina next Tuesday and from then on as long as the court will let you, except for time out for me to appear as witness in my libel suit against your Courier News. Will pay you $100 I offered you on plat form at Salina." Wm. E. Langer was former at torney general of North Dakotir, elect ed by the Nonpartisan league. He broke with the league because of dif ferences with some of the leaders, and especially President Townley, but has always claimed to be in sympathy with the league program, but not with the way the leaders have attempted to carry it out. lO-MONTHS OLD BABY BURNED Violet, the ten-months-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S. L. Van Hook, was burned to death at 11 o'clock this forenoon at the home, 520 First Ave.' N. E. Mrs. Van Hook had lighted the I kerosene stove and went to a neigh bor's leaving the babe at home asleep in the bed. She remained a little: longer than she expected and soon saw the small house a mass of flames and smoke. She rushed to the burn ing building but could not get in-: side. The fire alarm was turned in and it was necessary to turn on the water and cut a hole thru the side] of the house before the babe could be! rescued. Max Johnson entered the! building thru the hole and brot out the child who had been burned so badly that she died soon after. The clothing had nearly all been burned from the babe. The father is employed as a switch man in this city. The couple have one other child, a son of two years. Guy Humphreys accompanied P. J.! McKone on a motor trip to New Rock-1 ford and other points east of Minot the first of the week. HLJJ. MADDEN, WHISKEY RUN NER, KILLED AT JAMESTOWN walking along the country road and became warm so lay down behind the rock pile to take a nap. When he woke up he was looking into fivei or six guns, he said. Johnson at first said he was a former service man, but when closely questioned, admitted that he was not. He also gave Ed. Duffy as his true name. The younger man said his father.1 J. W. Smith, lived at Mitchell, S. D.: Madden after being shot by officers I thru the groin, was left at the farm house where the Ford was stolen, dy ing there later. Madden was well I known in Minot where he had made his headquarters for almost two years. Duffy, alias Johnson, and Smith had their hearing yesterday and were both bound over to the district court. Duffy was placed under $4,000 bonds and Smith $1,000. Commandery Holds Last Meeting of Season De .Molay Commandery held their last meeting for the summer Monday evening, the Temple degree being con. ferred. At the conclusion of the work a luncheon was served and with the Commander, Fred V. Dale, act ing as toastmaster, a number of re sponses were given. E. E. Mayo, well known Surrey farmer, is receiving treatment in St. Joseph's hospital for an infection in his hand. He is reported as recover ing. Minot, Ward County, North Dakota, THEWARD COUNTY INDEPENDENT OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF WARD COUNTY AND THE CITY OF MINOT This Issue 12 Pages d- E INDEPENDENT HAS THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY WEEKLY IN THE STATE This Issue 12 Pages The Faculty members of the Minot Normal school invited a number of Minot men and women to a banquet given at the dormitory dining hall at 6 o'clock this evening, to meet the new president. Dr. Levi H. Beeler. The dinner was a very prettily ap pointed affaih Front each table col ored streamers extended from the tops of miniature May poles to unique place cards in the form of bright col ored paper dolls, the work of the art class. The service was in charge of the students of the Normal and was most pleasing Dr. Wm. F. Clarke, superintendent of training, acted as toastmaster. W. M. Smart, president of the city com mission, responded to the toast: "Mi not as an educational center". He assured Dr. Beeler that he could de pend on the hearty co-operation of the citizens of Minot. He likened the institution to a ship making a voyage to a more favored land and said the people of Minot desired to accompany that ship and to get a glimpse of that land thru the Normal school. II. M. Wilson, president of the As sociation of Commerce, spoke of the attitude of the business interests toward the .Normal. Minot deeply appreciates the great benefits receiv ed from having this institution in our midst and wants to do all she can for the school. F. I!. Lambert, vice president of the Minot park board, gave an interesting I talk on the Minot parks. He said I this city has 108 acres of parks or 1 one acre for about every 80 of our inhabitants. He referred to the part he took in securing the Lincoln park property just south of the Normal I grounds. iss Margaret Greene, city librar ian, responded to a toast in a very pleasing manner telling how for years the public library has co-operated with the Normal school, sending books to I the Normal, the Model school and even the residents on the north side may avail themselves of this feature. Miss Julia McDonough, member of the faculty since the organization of the school, responded for the faculty, displaying some enjoyable bits of wit. The two dead are Fred Johnson, 35, of near Valley City and James Har ley or J. Carlson, about 22, Chicago. Walter Harrison, the third man. worked in the Mandan machine shops, until laid off about five weeks ago, since when he earned his board' by working in Mandan restaurants. Harrison was shot thru the head and thru both legs and may die. He has* partially regained consciousness, but cannot talk well enough to tell his side of the story and the left side of the body is paralyzed. The two detectives, WH'am Wyant and Henry Kearns, were held in the county jail pending the inquest by the coroner. The coroner's jury returned a ver dict that the killing of the transients was felonious. Testimony was in troduced that "'red Johnson, before he died, stated that the shooting was unprovoked and that he and his com panions did not return the tire. The bank at Tuttle, N. D. had been robbed of $7,000.00 Friday night anil officers were on the lookout for the robbers. The officers thot the men might have been those or others, who attempted to hold up a train near Bismarck. One of the men killed had $1,800.00 on him. The detectives say they saw three men standing along the right-of-way with their hands in their side coat pockets. Wyant asked: "Which one of you men has the gun?" and says one man pulled a gun from his pockets and started firing at the of ficers. The bullet passed thru Wy ant's raincoat near the heart. The officers returned the fire. Johnson was shot twice thru the body and once thru the arm, dying at 7:40 p. m. He was conscious and asked that his brother, a farmer near Valley City be notified. The youngest of the trio was shot thru the head, dying at midnight. Johnson 'has $1,800 in his clothes, $400 in gold. Walter Harrison, who is still alive, is a machinist and according to his card, had worked in eight places since June, 1918. His card showed he was paid up in the union until April. Johnson had worked at the pressed brick factory at Hebron for over a year and recently cashed his savings. There is considerable feeling against the detectives over the killing of these men who are believed to have been law abiding citizens. New. Normal President Guest of Minot Rotary Dr. Levi H. Beeler, the newly elect ed president of the Minot Normal school, was the guest of the Minot Rotary at luncheon today, accompany ing Dr. Wm. F. Clarke to the meet ing, over which Mr. Clarke presided. Dr. Beeler stated that he had come MINOT WELCOMES DR. BEELER lOSCAR NELSON SLEEPING SICK LOVING ClIP GIVEN DR. CLARKE Supt. L. A. White of the city school, responded to the subject "The Normal and the Public Schools". Mr. White pointed to the fact that on the aver age every other teacher in America is untrained, many of them young and inexperienced and told of the needs of Normal schools. He predicted that some day the Minot normal school, in stead of graduating cfasses of a hun dred will bring the number up close to the thousand mark. C. W. Mason, editor of the Daily News, chose for his subject, "The Public". He told some rare stories and stated that the Minot newspapers could always be depended upon to back the Normal school. He pointed out the excellent advantages for pub licity for the institution thru the columns of the newspapers. Dr. Beeler was announced as the linal speaker. He proved himself to be jin excellent after dinner speaker. His delivery is excellent and he tells a story well. His main thought was the service of himself and his institu tion foj' Northwetern North Dakota. Dr. Beeler made a very favorable im pression and with the splendid atti tude he has taken, cannot help but re ceive the co-operation from everyone. Mrs. Perkett of the faculty, created some surprise by appearing as a "post-script" speaker, her name not appearing on the program. She re viewed the fine work of Dr. Clark dur ing the eight years he has been with the institution and bespoke for Dr. Beeler the same hearty co-operation from the faculty members as Dr. Crane and Dr. Clarke have received. On behalf of the faculty members Mrs. l'erkett presented Dr. Clarke with a beautiful silver loving cup, suitably engraved. In responding Dr. Clarke stated that he was placed in a most embarassing position and assured Dr. Beeler that he had no idea the meeting was to countenance such a thing as honoring himself. Dr. Clarke remarked to the writer later that the cup was the finest thing he had ever received in his life. "My dear old mother is 84 years of age and I'm going to take that cup with me ba^': to Indiana this summer to show heiv' he said. DETECTIVES KILL TWO MEN, INJURE THIRD AT JAMESTOWN Two men were killed and another seriously injured as a result of a gun fight between two Northern Pa cific detectives at' Jamestown, N. D„ and three transients in the N. P. yards Sunday afternoon. to North Dakota with no strings tied to him and free to do his best in building up one of the very best nor mal schools in the west. "I heard about Minot and her spirit before I came and I covet with deep interest your co-operation in making the school better and shall call upon the Minot Rotary from time to time to assist me. My thot in coming here is to administer to the needs of the schools of the state. I am coming to stay and hope to own my home in this city in the near fture." Dr. Beeler cre ateil a very favorable impression on I the members of the Rotary and can count on them for the hearty co-oper ation which he has asked. Ray Miller, president of the Minot Auto club outlined the plans of the_ cluli, one of the pleasing features of I which is to furnish the members with I a service which they will appreciate, 'viz: In case a member becomes stranded within 15 miles of Minot, by telephoning the secretary, a service I car will be sent out free of charge, carrying gas, oil, tires or repairs, or the occupants of the car will be brot into' the city. Chas. Olson was introduced by Mr. Danielson, as a former Minot man, who as a small boy made his first trip to Minot in an ox cart. Mr. Olson has traveled in nearly every country in the* world, having at one time been treasurer of one of the provinces of the Philippines, and is now living at Lima, Peru. Solos were contributed by Lafe Flaten and J. H. Colton. The Rotary extended a^vote of thanks to John Howard and the Community band for the splendid work they are doing. President A. D. McCannel gave an address on modern surgery which was intensely interesting. Head of J. 1. Devine Removed as Training School J. M. Devine, who was appointed superintendent of the Training School at Mandan six years ago by Governor Hanna, has been removed by the board. Ole Lund, employed by the, board, has been placed in temporary charge. A younger man, a special worker among boys, is to succeed Supt. Devine. Mr. Devine'e resigna tion was requested some time ago but he refused to step out, claiming there was no ground for his removal. He claims his removal is due to the fact that he does not agree politically with the administration. Mr. Devine is a former governor of the state and a former superintendent of public instruction. He resided in Minot at the time he was appointed superintendent of the training school.! The McGee-Anderson Co., stock and bonds, of Fargo, has started an action against H. G. Knutson, a Cass county farmer and former member of the company for $20,000 damages for al leged slander. Thursday, May 12,1921 Subscription $2.00 Per Annum Flaxtoh Farmer Elected President of Group Banks R. H. Farmer, of Flaxton, president of the First Bank of Flaxton, was elected president of the Northwestern group of bankers at their meeting in Minot Tuesday. H. W. Taylor of Stanley was elected vice president and C. H. Zehringer, vice president of the Union National Bank, was elected sec retary-treasurer. A. E. Sevareid of Velva, retiring president, was named to the state executive council and F. A. Keup, of Columbus was elected the group's representative on the state no minating committee with W. E. Ber get of Flaxton as alternate. A banquet was held Tuesday even ing at the basement of the St. Leo's Catholic church, and was attended by 200 bankers and businessmen of Mi not. A. H. Kurth, cashier of the Citizens Bank of Minot, president. Speakers at the banquet included Chas. H. Greenfield, G. N. immigra tion department N. D. Gorman, coun ty agent Mrs. McDougall of Temple, the only woman member of the asso ciation Frank Collins, Soo immigra tion agent Wesley C. McDowell H. B. Beckwith, Fargo president of the /ate association. Chas. Ouradnik, Burlington, presi dent of the Ward County Farm Bur eau IJ. A. Nestos, of Minot, Dr. Levi H. Beeler, new Minot Normal presi dent and Curtis L. Mosher, of the Federal Reserve bank, Minneapolis. Mr. Ouradnik gave the farmers some excellent advice about planting clover and alfalfa on the farms which they control, giving them a very sen sible talk along scientific lines. He pointed out that bankers should be slow in urging farmers to go into dairying unless they like to milk cows, recommending that the farmers be permitted to choose either beef or dairy grades. Mr. Mosher urged the bankers to insist on prompt liquidation of paper, the limit being 90 days for business men and six months for farmers. He said many farmers' notes can be con sidered as maturing just when the farmers got ready to pay them. He said that if all of the money carried by farmers was placed in the banks, the deposits would increase 20 per cent, he estimates. The farmer credit has been very easy, he said, and he does not pay as promptly as the businessmen. North Dakota has gone beyond her basis of credit with the Federal Reserve bank, to the expense of about a million dollars, he said. Any state bank can take a member ship in the Reserve bank and retain all the rights under the state law arid enjoy all the rights of a. National bank as well. Something should be done to give the North Dakota farm ers the right prices NESS VICTIM, TAKES OWN LIFE for their wheat. Community Band Gave Sunday Con cert— Deserves Support The Community band made its first appearance at the Auditorium on Sun day afternoon at 3 o'clock. Thirty five men were on the platform and gave a program of worth while mu sic. The band has been in train ing for several months and under the able leadership of John E. Howard, has made real progress. Mr. Howard has developed much musicianship and lias brought the hand to the front in a short time. The community is behind its newj band. It is an institution that will be come permanent if the same spirit and character which is now evident, will continue. The band men are contributing to the musical interests of the city by building a fine band and there is no reason why the in stitution should not receive support in a liberal way. Frank Linha visited the Independent office Monday and stated that he had 500 acres of wheat sown, and all up and looking fine. Mr. Linha is a very successful farmer and it appears that he not only works hard but em ploys the proper methods. Last year his wheat crop averaged 13 M: bushels while the wheat grown on his summer fallowed land averaged 20 bushels and that on the Corn ground, 15V& bushels. Mr. Linha not only summer fallows his land, but he summer tills it. Before the weeds get much of a start on the land, he discs it, then plows early be fore the weeds get an opportunity to use up the moisture and fertility from the soil. Mr. Linha, who has 1,700 acres under the plow, thinks so much of summer fallowing that he treats about 500 acres every year in this manner. By keeping the weeds down and working the land frequently to conserve the moisture, he obtains bet ter results from summer fallowing than from growing wheat on corn land. Mr. Linha always grows consider able corn and has obtained excellent results from this crop. For years, he has made it a practice to drag his wheat, just after it comes up out of the ground, continuing to drag it until it is fotrr inches high. The drag pulls up an occasion?*! wheat plant and the ground looks a little tough after the drag has gone over it, but Mr. Linha assures us that this will do the crop much good, in the way of killing the weeds and breaking up Oscar Nelson, aged 29, while suf fering from the effects of sleeping sickness and illness brot on as the result of being gassed, while serving our country in France, took his own life at Room 5, Windsor Hotel Annex, some time Thursday night, by cutting his left wrist with a thin safety razor blade. The artery was not cut, tho a sufficient number of veins were sever ed to permit him to bleed to death. His body was found cold in death, on the floor of the room, lying in a great pool of blood at 4:30 o'clock Friday afternoon by a friend, Edward Johnson, who went to the Annex to call on him. The door was found locked but Johnson looked in thru the window and saw the body lying on the floor. He notified the police and the door was broken in. The young man had been dead for hours. Mr. Nelson had occupied Nels Han son's room at the Annex, and Mr. Hanson had been in the country doing some work. Edward Johnson had been with, Oscar Nelson the evening before and when he left Nelson ap peared to be very much discouraged with his condition. Johnson asked him when he was going back to work and the young man replied, "It will be a long time yet. I'm not getting well very fast and I don't think I'll live long.' Hs asked Johnson to remain with him that night, but Johnson said he. had his own room elsewhere and would go there. He promised to call Nelson in the morning. This he did at 8:30, but received no answer. At 12:30 he rapped on the door again but received no answer and when he called again at 4: t0, saw the body on the floor. A coroner's inquest was heid Sai urday afternoon at 4:30 o'clock bv Coroner Pence, the jury, Geo. Hoover, Fred Almy and E. O. Dickinson ren dering a verdict that Oscar Nelson met death from self inflicted wounds. It had been reported that death might have been due to a hemorrhage of the lungs, but an autopsy proved this to not have been the case. The funeral was held Monday aftei noon at 2 o'clock from the Rowan undertaking parlors, the funeral beitiu preached by Rev. P. W. Erickson. In terment was made in Rose Hill ceme tery. Oscar Nelson was born in Sweden, Dec. 26, 1892 and came to Ward Couii ty in ^912. He spent some time with his uncle, Alfred Jylen on a farm south of Minnt and was em ployed on the farms of M. O. Hulberg, Knute Rendon. Lars Tollefson, ami Ole Fjeld. He had recently been working as a cement man for hunt/ & Beam, being employed on the Grams bakery building and the new Minot Laundry block. Since return ing from France he had not been weli and spent two months in a local hos pital during the past winter, suffer ing from sleeping sickness and the results of being gassed on the field o:' battle. Oscar was a member of Co. l.'i'J, of the 35th Division and saw some hard fighting in France. In one battle, he was engaged for five days and ouv of his company of 200, only thirty five returned. Both parents died in Sweden. He is survived by Carl Nelson, a brother from Great Falls, Mont., who arrive! for the funeral .John Nelson, another brother, lives at Lingle, Wyo., and there is a brother, lver, and a sister Mrs. Becklund, living in Sweden. Os car was a fine young man, sober am industrious, and his untimely end was due without a doubt to the injurie.-. he received while fighting for human ity. A host of friends extend thei sincerest sympathy to the bereaved relatives. PROMINENT FARMER TELLS HOW HE ALWAYS RAISES GOOD CROPS the cracks in the soil which permits the moisture to escape. Mr. Linha is going to test out the I. H. C. Culti-packer, by using it on a field of his wheat, going over the field after the seeding is done. By comparing the yield of this field with one not so treated, he will be able to determine whether such a tool will pay him to use. He says he always drags his winter rye fields in the I spring. Mr. Linha has a large elevator on his farm and has 6,000 bushels of wheat left from last year. He could have made money by selling but like thousands of other farmers held the crop, holding to get what it was really worth and now that he has waited this long, is hanging on a little longer. Minot Young Man Honored Iowa papers contain the information that Loren '"Upton, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. Upton, of this city, who is a student at the Iowa State Uni versity, has been chosen a director of the Iowa College Press association. This young man has made a remark able record this year as advertising manager of the Daily Iowan, the Uni versity paper, and in recognition of his services the management have elected Loren as business manager of the paper for the coming year. This is a position entailing greater responsibilities and carrying a salary I of SI200 per annum.