Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-07-09 | Page 9 | League Editor Tells Activity

LEAGUE EDITOR i TELLSAGT1VITY Joseph Gilbert Testifies in; ; Nonpartisan Trial of Beliefs. ! JACKSON,- Minn., July S. President A. C. Townley of the National Nonpartisan league wjll not be called as a witness today, to-day, his attorneys announced shortly he-fore he-fore district court convened this morning. morn-ing. Townley and Joseph Gilbert, a former league organizer, are being tried on a charge of having conspired to teach disloyalty during the war. Gilbert took the stand for cross-examination this morning. Ilia direct examination was completed just before court adjourned yesterday. yes-terday. Gilbert testified on cross-examination by Prosecuting Attorney E. H. Nicholas that he had been editor of several newspapers news-papers before he cam: to the Nonpartisan league, il in last position neiore joining the league staff was editor of the Seattle Herald. "Was that a Socialist organ ?" asked Nicholas. "I would not call it a Socialist organ. Half the Socialists there were opposed to It," replied Gilbert. With regard to the league's war pro-f pro-f gram the witness testified that he wrote portions of the pamphlet. "Did you write this," tho prosecuting attorney asked, " "We are unalterably opposed op-posed to permitting stockholders of private pri-vate corporations to reap enormous prof-Its, prof-Its, while at the same time a- species of coercion Is exercised toward alreadv poorly poor-ly paid employees of both sexes In urging urg-ing them to purchase government bonds to help finance the war?' " ' "Yefl," replied the witness. "And 1 believe it." - "You wanted to tell the people this, too: 'To conscript men and exempt the blood-stained wealth coined from the sufferings suf-ferings of humanity is repugnant to the spirit of America and contrary to the ideals of democracy?' " "It certainly is." "You wanted the people to understand that wealth was being coined from the blood of our soldiers?" "That's what It says." replied Gilbert, referring to the war pamphlet.