The nonpartisan leader. [volume], June 30, 1919, Image 8

About The nonpartisan leader. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1915-1921

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
a
INSTALLMENT 4
HY the "certain interests" rep
resented by Charles Patterson
opposed Senator W. W. Wilcox
so actively in the contest over
his seat in the last Minnesota
legislature was brought out by
Clarence F. Johnson in the
closing part of his interview
with the Leader. Mr. Wilcox
was elected with the indorsement of the Nonpar
tisan league, but George H. Sullivan, his opponent,
brought a contest and, after a farcical hearing, Sen
ator Wilcox's election was declared invalid by the
senate and a special election ordered. At this spe
cial election Sullivan was elected, with the help of
every force that the Patterson crowd was able to
muster.
Wilcox was feared both as a proponent of
the tonnage tax and the workmen's compensation
act, both of which were opposed by those whom
Mr. Patterson represented.
"After the election," Mr. Johnson said, "the fight
immediately turned upon the Wilcox-Sullivan con
test. Before the legislature met I knew there
would be a determined fight to unseat Wilcox in
favor of Sullivan.
"As soon as the legislature met and declared Wil
cox illegally elected and called a special election
to fill the vacancy, all our energies were directed
toward the fight in Washington county. I was sent
to Stillwater with large amounts of our literature
and also was sent out to interview residents of
Washington county who worked in St. Paul.
"I am convinced that a great deal of money was
poured into the campaign by our office, and every
effort was made to influence the voters against
Wilcox.
"Mr. Sullivan had been in the office frequently
before the November election, and on one occasion
I assisted in delivering to him a large amount of
printed matter attacking the Nonpartisan league.
Mr. Sullivan took these to Stillwater.
On another occasion I mailed to Mr.
Sullivan four copies of the Lindbergh
book, which the Patterson people were
using as capital in the campaign.
"During the contest Mr. Sullivan
was in almost constant communication
with Mr. Patterson by telephone, ask
ing for help or advice in the campaign.
I was informed that he was particu
larly anxious to obtain the help of
several members of the state senate,
and Magnus Martinson told me that
he was particularly desirous of in
ducing Senator Ole Sageng to assist
him in the campaign.
"Just before the special election in
February, James D. Denegre of the
law firm of Denegre & McDermott,
which had done much legal work for
our office, came to consult with Mr.
Patterson. His mission, I am inform
ed, was to obtain for Mr. Sullivan, at
the latter's request, any matter which
could be used by Mr. Sullivan in
speeches against the League. Mr.
Denegre was shown a copy of the re
port submitted by Mr. Patterson to
the meeting of his associates. This
report, Mr. Denegre said, was the
sort of material Mr. Sullivan wanted.
I took a'copy to Mr. Sullivan's office
in Stillwater.
GETS LIST OF VOTERS
LIVING IN ST. PAUL
"My duties during the contest con
sisted in seeing persons in the fight.
On one occasion I went to St. Paul
Park to visit a merchant named J. M.
Trickey, with whom I checked over a
list of voters in that and adjoining
precincts to learn the identity and
the place of business of those resi
dents who worked in St. Paul. I vis
ited some of the men whose names I
obtained in this way. and sounded
them out as to their attitude toward
the candidates.
"Before I entered the campaigning
I consulted with Mr. Patterson re­
Patterson Tells Money Kings of League
Representative of "Certain Interests" Meets With Hill, Bennett and New
York Bankers—How League Senator Was Deprived of Seat
garding the arguments to be used. With his sanc
tion and advice I urged the voters not to 'stamp
Washington county as a Townley stronghold,' and
held out the promise of better roads under the
Babcock bill.
"As a matter of fact, I urged upon Mr. Sullivan
strongly and obtained his promise of support for
road improvement in Washington county under the
Babcock law. When the matter came up for a
vote in the legislature, however, Mr. Sullivan made
no strong effort to keep this promise which he had
made me, and through me to the people of Wash
ington county.
"In Marine, Minn., a town on the St. Croix river,
I told the voters that -Mr. Sullivan would use his
efforts to obtain a- bridge across the river at Marine.
Mr. Sullivan also gave me his promise in this re
gard, and I used it as an argument for his can
didacy in good faith. He made no attempt, how
ever, to carry it out, and later told me that Still
water wanted a bridge as badly as Marine.
"Carl G. Malmberg, at my personal solicitation,
went with me to Mr. Patterson's office and agreed
to go to Forest Lake and the vicinity to work in
the interests of Mr. Sullivan. Mr. Patterson as
sured Mr. Malmberg that any expenses he incurred
would be taken care of by him. Mr. Malmberg did
work for Mr. Sullivan and later was given a check
for $135, payable to 'cash,' for.the expenses.
"I twice went to "Stillwater with packages of
printed matter to be used in the campaign. On
one occasion Mr. Junkin and myself took five large
packages to the Stillwater interurban car. I took
these bundles to Stillwater- and delivered them to
Robert McGarry, manager of Sullivan's campaign.
On another occasion I took a number of circular
letters and left them at the Stillwater club for
Mr. McGarry.
"Tom Parker Junkin and the office force of the
Reliance Publicity bureau were busy mailing copies
of other circulars to Washington county voters. I
was sent to Marine on two occasions, on the day
PAINTING THE FARMER
OUO PRICE LIST
CMLUN& FMRMERBttSKVlIC ft&oa
IN6 MRM&sociAusr'qratt
EDITORIAL. IN PROFITEER
PRESS $1SO®.
UNSEATING LEAGUE SENjnbR$ca
(UHITE WASHING LEA6VE
ENEMIES free
CASH WITH OCDEft
NO STOMPS ACCEPTED
Eastern financiers have a beautiful portrait of the farmer of the Northwest,
painted for them by America First and similar magazines. The idea of this, of
course, is to get financial support for the fight against the League in the North
west. When Charles Patterson took copies of America First east on a money
collecting tour last spring, he did it to show what terrible persons these Minne
sota and North Dakota farmers were and to prove that financial help must be
forthcoming before it would be possible todefeat them. Tom Parker? V:
Junkin's painting may not be art, but it helps to get the money.
PAGE EIGHT
SEE HOU
0ANGEROUS HE
IS LOOSEN UP
of the primary election and the general election
date, to work for Mr. Sullivan. In some of the pre-
cincts, I have been informed, Sullivan workers
checked the people who cast ballots to be sure that
the entire Sullivan vote was out.
"In discussing the campaign with one resi
dent of the county I was told that pressure
was being brought to bear on at least one voter
who was known to favor Wilcox. My inform
ant told me that Senator Charley Adams of
Duluth tried to induce the:vote* fi change his
views, one of the reasons being that Adams
favored Sullivan because the latter was known
to be opposed to the tonnage tax, which Wil
cox favored as part of the League program.
"Some time previous to the Washington county
election, some time in January of this year, a meet
ing was arranged to take place in New York be
tween Patterson, Russell Bennett of Minneapolis*
Louis W. Hill, Thomas V. Marlowe, Republican na
tional committeeman from Montana, and other men
from different parts of the country, at the home of
Julius Kahn, New York banker. At this meeting,
I was informed, these men would discuss the eco
nomic situation in the country.
PATTERSON CONFERRED WITH
MONEY KINGS IN EAST
"For some reason or another this meeting did
not take place at this time, hut some time later
Charles Gordon, Mr. Patterson and Mr. Marlowe
went east, so I was informed, and took part in dis
cussions with New York business men. Mr. Ben
nett was in Florida at this time and Mr. Hill also
was in the East. I was given a telegram from
Mr. Patterson to Mr. Hill, making arrangements
for a meeting between the two men.. In April, I
was informed, there was another similar meeting
in Chicago, the result of which I do not know.
"After the meeting in New York Mr. Patterson
increased his order for the Nonpartisan Leader at
the news^tand Jr&in 45 to 65 copies
a i^ftese ^i&ditional 20 copies
were sent to meii like Julius Kahn,
Frank A. Vanderlip, president of the
National City bank, and others."
How the Patterson offices became
involved in the bankruptcy action
against A. C. Townley, president of
the League, and probably had a hand
in financing the court proceedings,
was another of the revelations made
by Mr. Johnson.
This case started in 1917. Ever
since that time high-priced attorneys
have been busy and are still busy on
the case. Detectives and accountants
have been called in, running up ex
penses that total many thousands of
dollars.
E. B. McCutcheon, the trustee in
bankruptcy, Mr. Johnson said, and
Francis Murphy, attorney for some
of the creditors, were frequent vis
itors at the Merchants National Bank
building headquarters. Their last
visit, as far as Mr. Johnson knows,
he said, was in April, 1919, after
Judge Amidon of tne United States
district court had delivered his opinion
giving Mr. Townley a clean bill of
health.
"Murphy-and McCutcheon came iti
to the office early one morning in
April," said Mr. Johnson, "and greet
ed Miss Kavanaugh, Patterson's sec
retary, and myself. Mr. McCutcheon
said they had an appointment with
Mr. Patterson at 11 o'clock. He dis
cussed Mr. Townley with me, and the
referendum election in North Dakota,
and gave as his opinion that while the
League opponents might defeat one or
two of the minor bills being voted on,
the others undoubtedly would pass.
"I also asked if he and Mr. Murphy
were here to 'square matters up,' and
he replied that that was what they,
were there for.
"At this point Mr. Patterson came
into the office, and with McCutcheon
-and Murphy went into an inner office
and closed the door.£ Shortly after-i^.
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