Reactions from the IVA
The Independent Voters Association (IVA) pounced on this opportunity. They used these books to their advantage by publicly challenging and smearing the NPL and the Board of Administration, and the State Library Commission (SLC) was caught in the middle of this political battle.
The implication from Burtness and the IVA was clear: the NPL (via the Board of Administration and the SLC was attempting to endocrine schools and children with ideas of socialism, radicalism, free love, etc. The IVA used this as a rallying cry and would continuously bring up this incident for years to come.
Reactions from the Press
After the speech from Rep. Olger B. Burtness, reactions exploded across the front pages of newspapers. They were largely along Nonpartisan League (NPL) and IVA lines.
Some of the anti-NPL headlines read:
The Red Flame, a vicious anti-NPL periodical, dedicated many articles and cartoons to this book incident during its two-year run. The "Red Flame" was co-founded by Carl R. Kositzky (State Auditor), who had helped to start the scandal.
Some of the pro-NPL outlets were a little slower to react. Some of the headlines read:
Reactions from the Public
Reactions from the public were also split along NPL or IVA lines, with the anti-NPL faction arguably winning the battle for public opinion. The anti-NPL press was more aggressive with their articles on the incident, and it seemed to stir the hearts of the public. Many "letters to the editor" from citizens appeared in newspapers.
One group feeling the call to action was the Devils Lake chapter of American War Mothers. The group sent a telegram to Governor Lynn J. Frazier demanding the books be purged from the SLC and those responsible should be removed, specifically listing Charles E. Stangeland, Robert T. Muir, and George A. Totten. The group declared in their telegram to the governor:
"We gave our boys to save Christian civilization and will not sit idly by and have our own state government assassinate what they died to save."
In another incident, a pastor and supporter of the NPL (Rev. John Flint) defended the books that Burtness branded as immoral, un-American, and un-Christian. Flint was the pastor at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck. He went before the NPL caucus and told them he had some of these books in his personal library, and he encouraged their presence in both private and public libraries. When a reporter asked Flint about this, he confirmed his statements. He said:
"I told the [NPL] caucus that these books should be in the [SLC] but that they should not be sent out promiscuously -- only as called for."
In anti-NPL circles, Flint was heavily criticized for his remarks. Even his congregation strongly disagreed with him. Members of the church passed a resolution condemning his statements and opinions. Undeterred, Flint continued to privately and publicly defend the books, Stangeland, and the NPL. However, the strain between Flint and his church continued, and he resigned within six months and moved out of state.
Reactions from the Governor
Governor Frazier did not sit idle. The evening of December 1, after Burtness' speech in the House, he requested the Board of Administration remove Stangeland. Reportedly, members of the board were split. John N. Hagan and Patrick M. Casey agreed with the governor. Totten and Muir sided with Stangeland and objected to the governor’s request. Minnie J. Nielson was not in attendance because she was not notified of the meeting. At this time, the board took no action against Stangeland.
However, attempting to stay on top of this situation by acting early did not help the governor. His office was flooded with correspondence from constituents denouncing the books, Stangeland, and/or the Board of Administration.
A cartoon depicting Rep. Olger B. Burtness as a jack-in-the-box. He holds a dictionary and proclaims to have found a book containing anarchy. The cartoon was published in the pro-NPL newspaper the "Burleigh County Farmers Press" a couple of days after Burtness gave his speech in the House.
A political cartoon depicting a group of mothers from Ryder, North Dakota, confronting George A. Totten, Chair of the Board of Administration, about the "free love" and "atheistic" literature being circulated through the State Library Commission.
Portrait of Rev. John Flint, circa 1918-1920. Flint served as pastor of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck from 1918 to 1920. [The "History of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bismarck, North Dakota, from 1908-1958," p. 10].
Many of these resources and programs are funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.