The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-06-09
DOLLAR PATRIOT
DECLARATION Is
GIVEN THE LIE
INonpartisan President Ac-
cuses j. d. Bacon, But
Withdraws Point
MORE MILD IN
ANTI-WAR TALK
Auditorium is Crowded for
Session-For Country,
"Right or Wrong
NV Sian corresnondent.l )

(By Staff Correspondent
Grand Forks. N. D.. June 9.-In a
meeting, featured by a Vitriolic at
tack upon j. d. Bacon in answer to
several editorials against his recent
| speeches, A. G. Townley, head of the
Farmers Nonpartisan league, yester-
day afternoon delivered a speech In
which he declared there is a better
way of financing the war than by the
Liberty Loan method and in which he
declared that the members of the
league demanded that the government
take over the railroads and other nee
essary utilities to conduct the war
and take absolute control of the food
situation.
Following his address, VIM. Lemke
of Fargo, presented a resolution,
which pledged support to the gov
ernment, whether it was fright or
wrong" but demanded that the farm
ers not be called upon to pay the price
OF rich mans" war. The resolu-
ton was adopted.
Forced to Back Down.
After a large number of the audi
ence had left, Townley made a second
speech, in which he defended himself
against the so-called charge of being
traitor" and "seditionist." This
part of the meeting developed into an
exciting session, which terminated
suddenly when Tracy r. Bangs of this
city, made Townley withdraw a state
ment he had made. Townley was
quoting from a letter from Senator
Gronna to J.. f. Bacon, business man
ager of The Herald. anent the war
tax measure. Townley paused to
charge j. ID. Bacon with defending
the corporations who will make ten
dollars" for every dollar the farmer
makes during the war and charged
him with being unpatriotic.
His Son at War.
Mr. Bangs, who was in the audience,
remarked that Mr.. Bacon had sent a
son to the war.
There are men who will sell their
own sons for money" said Townley.
Mr. Bangs was on his feet in a mo-
ment and fired back:
That's a disgraceful remark and
you ought to withdraw it."
II said," retorted Townley, that
there ARE MEN who will sell their
sons for money"
"You said it in reference to Mr.. Ba-
con-" said Mr.. Bangs, "and it's a dis
graceful remark and you ought to
withdraw it."
Withdraws Remark.
I'm reference to Mr.. Bacon. / with
draw the remark" replied Townley.
After a few more remarks, aimed at
proving Mr.. Bacon and his friends in
Grand Forks as unpatriotic, A. NJ.
Thomson, who presided, announced
that the meeting was over.
Addresses were made by Governor
Frazier, A. M. Thomson, A. E. Bow
en-, j. G. Critics and J. NJ. Baer.
After Governor Frazier's address,
Mr.. Townley was introduced. The
speaker first declared that such large
gathering the auditorium was
crowded-was another evidence of the
continued interest of the farmers in
the state administration and in the
work Of the league. Then he called
attention to his well known argument
against big business-the many state
ly mansions in st. Paul "built by the
wealth taken from the North Dakota
soil" He congratulated the men upon
the progress of the league, and de-
clared that they were going to fix 1T
so the value Of North Dakota prod
ucts will stay in the state" This will
be done in very few years, he de-
clared, and, then the Dakota millions
will not go into the hands of big
business outside the state and there
will be no more mortgages on state
farms and homes.
"Your problem" he said, "is not
to have anyone in North Dakota load
potatoes at 80 cents a bushel to go
to New York and be sold for $3.50.
He attacked the food gamblers Of
Chicago, New York and other cities,
and declared that America could
never win the war till they were done
away with. you and the consumers
in the city must solve this problem"
he declared. Then Mr.. Townley at
tackled the % hold-over senators who
killed house bill A, and thus pre-
vented the farmer from getting the
price he deserved
There is a world crisis on" he
said, "and you are called upon to
act your part. You are called upon to
produce more food, more wheat, to
feed the. state, to feed the nation. to
feed the world, You are called upon
to produce more and sell your prod
uct at the gamblers price. We have
no assurance, IL we raised more than
we ever before raised. that IL will acc
complish anything except make more
profit for the food gamblers. We are
told to produce more food to feed the
boys who go to the front. We must pro-
duce more food, we are told, to keep
the boys in the trenches from starv-
ing. We have no assurance that they
still may not starve unless you raise
money enough 70 pay so cents or
four times as much to pay for the
food as It arrives at the soldiers
camp.
IF the nation Is to win this war,
this thing must be done away with.
We demand Of the men in power that,
as war measure, they take over the
ownership and operation Of railroads
and the ownership and distribution OF
ali food products The government
must take the business Of transports
ing and distributing food, else there
Is no chance for the nation to win.
Bigger War, Bigger Profits.
1--WE are urged TO raise more wheat,
more pork, more everything. SO that
next year, II the war gets big enough
(the bigger the war the bigger the
profts) Instead OF a mere 200 per cent
profit. the big corporations will be
fContinued on Page Seven.l